🔗 Share this article

A century-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a holiday. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the massive tree destroyed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "Had it fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured or killed

Emergency repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be unsafe and chose to reserve a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have caused some disruption," wrote the first of many identical automated messages before concluding the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Stay healthy."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and trauma instead of cherishing a special memory."

Summer Vacation Issues Surface

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

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property listings on their platforms and guarantee to fulfill travel dreams on a budget.

Customer safeguards, though, have not kept pace with their widespread use.

Regulatory Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday disasters under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to refund customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had dragged on long enough and summarily closed 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 full refund along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its health and safety policies.

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were left trapped the property for most of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we lifted up a wrench and pliers. 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 blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover 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 locked out 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 alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he states. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The additional disappointment is that the property in question is still being advertised on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had failed to its inquiries. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

Reviews do not always tell the complete picture. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "important." This means that it is easy for users to miss a recent flood of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform countered that customers could readily organize reviews by the newest or worst ratings so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Regulatory Grey Area

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

Major platforms promise to help find alternative accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," experts say. "But against whom? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take legal action in their country."

They continue: "One might claim that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

Regulatory bodies say new consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions advertised or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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