Holiday Nightmares: Travelers Struggle for Compensation as Bookings Go Wrong

A 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and damaged 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 certain the ceiling would cave in," James recalls. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

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

Emergency repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple feared 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," stated the first of many identical automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the worry and trauma rather than cherishing a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Emerge

With the summer season has ended, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has prompted a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are liable for the damaged 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 insisted the determination 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 abruptly ended it. The host decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful 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 security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually called a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we lifted up a tool and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we finally managed to remove it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger 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 ruined trip and the stress. 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 replacement lock. The deposit was finally 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 lockbox empty. The owners told him they were abroad and could not help and suggested him to locate 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 essentially said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's little they can do," he says. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The extra 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 locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its inquiries. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always reveal the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a current flood of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could easily sort reviews by the most recent or lowest score so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that availability was up to date.

Legal Uncertainty

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 commit to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved 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 continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered overseas and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say recent customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.

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

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