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One 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the massive 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 harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and decided to reserve a hotel for the remainder 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 upbeat "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and distress rather than cherishing a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or locked out their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property portfolios on their websites and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

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

Regulatory Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, found themselves spending twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are responsible 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 approve a refund; the host insisted 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 continued 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 proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform 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.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a weekend stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were left trapped the property for the majority of their single full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a repair person, who was could not to help," she states. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried 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 wrench and pliers. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It turned out unfastened bolts had jammed the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an emergency while we were trapped, yet the host faulted 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 declined, but kept her €250 deposit to cover the new lock. The deposit was eventually 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 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 somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has essentially 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 accountability. The extra disappointment 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 not responded to its inquiries. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Review Systems

Ratings do not always tell the complete picture. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a recent deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily organize reviews by the most recent or worst ratings 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 taken down. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to follow its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Uncertainty

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 compensation for a disrupted stay is a tougher struggle. 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 police themselves, the only option if the dispute continues is legal action," 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 failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered abroad and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say new consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "exercise 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 strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to protect people's funds."

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