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A 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree destroyed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

If it had come down moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and chose to book a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have created some disruption," wrote the first of many identical automated messages before closing the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to remember the anxiety and distress rather than cherishing a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

With the peak travel period has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms showcase global property portfolios on their websites and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Legal Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal recourse for holiday disasters under travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your contract is with the person or company providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to refund customers for major issues, the company stated it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had dragged on long enough and summarily closed it. The host concluded that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be offering a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a beautiful story."

The platform eventually issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a weekend stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for most of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we lifted up a wrench and tools. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It was discovered loose screws had jammed the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were trapped, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to make up for her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to pay for the new lock. The deposit was finally returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to find somewhere else for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can function this way with no responsibility. The additional frustration is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after intervention. The company verified the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed to its questions. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Review Systems

Reviews do not always reveal the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to miss a current deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform countered that customers could easily organize reviews by the newest or lowest score so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Legal Grey Area

The issue for travelers who do not get what they paid for is that their legal agreement is with the accommodation provider rather than the booking platform.

Major platforms promise to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms essentially police themselves, the only option if the dispute continues is lawsuits," analysts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take court proceedings in their country."

They add: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are registered overseas and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say new consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases promoted or made on their platforms.

A representative says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force tough new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to protect people's funds."

They continued: "Businesses selling services to local consumers must comply with local law, and we have bolstered oversight authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."