🔗 Share this article

One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the massive tree destroyed their table and chairs and damaged 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 minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

Had it come down moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple feared the building might be unsafe and decided to reserve 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 similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the anxiety and trauma instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Summer Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the summer season has ended, numerous travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor connects these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase worldwide property portfolios on their websites and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a limited funds.

Consumer protections, however, have not caught up with their popularity.

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your agreement is with the individual or business offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced the case had dragged on long enough and abruptly ended it. The host decided 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 positive story."

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

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a weekend stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for the majority 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 states. "They eventually sent a locksmith who tried for several hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and pliers. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It was discovered unfastened bolts 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 faulted us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement lock. The deposit was eventually returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was owed the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was locked out the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed him they were overseas and could not help and advised him to locate somewhere else for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The additional frustration is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. The company confirmed the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its questions. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always reveal the complete picture. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to miss a recent flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily sort reviews by the most recent or worst ratings so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report claimed that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to follow its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

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

Major platforms promise to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting compensation for a interrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," analysts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take legal action in their country."

They add: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are registered abroad and have deep pockets."

Regulatory bodies say recent customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new fines for violations of consumer law to protect people's money."

They added: "Companies selling services to local consumers must comply with local law, and we have bolstered regulatory authorities' powers to make sure they face severe penalties if they do not."