A 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the initial day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast 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 engulfed by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James recalls. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."
If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded
Emergency repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and chose to reserve a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.
The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have caused some inconvenience," stated the first of many identical automated messages before concluding the pending case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Stay healthy."
The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and saw a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the worry and distress instead of celebrating a special memory."
Now that the summer season has ended, countless holiday horror stories are coming to light.
Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that refused refunds.
The expansion of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property portfolios on their websites and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.
Customer safeguards, though, have not kept pace with their widespread use.
Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.
Some platforms promote additional protections, but your contract is with the individual or company providing the accommodation.
James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to approve 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 declared the case had dragged on long enough and abruptly ended it. The host concluded that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."
The platform finally issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its health and safety policies.
Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for most of their single full day in the city after a security lock on the front door failed.
"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually called a locksmith who tried for several hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we lifted up a tool and pliers. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It was discovered unfastened bolts had blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."
We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were locked in, yet the host blamed us for using the lock
Pocock asked for a full refund to make up for her ruined trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, 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 trying to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners told him they were abroad and could not help and suggested him to find alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.
"The platform has basically 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 accountability. The extra frustration is that the property in question is still being advertised on the platform."
The platform reimbursed both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had left 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 "the right fit."
Reviews do not always reveal the whole story. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to overlook 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 claimed that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was up to date.
The issue for travelers who do not get what they expected is that their legal agreement is with the accommodation provider not the booking platform.
Major platforms promise to help find other 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 the right thing.
The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only option if the dispute continues is lawsuits," experts 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 failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are registered overseas and have deep pockets."
Regulatory bodies say recent customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.
A spokesperson 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 added: "Companies selling services to domestic consumers must follow national law, and we have bolstered oversight authorities' powers to make sure they face severe penalties if they do not."
A tech enthusiast and lifestyle blogger with a passion for sharing practical insights and inspiring creativity in everyday life.
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