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One century-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 smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was covered by branches that shattered the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

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

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host hauled 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 caused some inconvenience," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a upbeat "Keep safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened 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 worry and trauma instead of celebrating a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the peak travel period has ended, countless holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display worldwide property listings on their websites and promise to satisfy wanderlust on a budget.

Customer safeguards, though, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday disasters under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your contract is with the person or business 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 spending twice that for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree 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 announced the case had dragged on long enough and summarily closed 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 positive story."

The platform eventually issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book 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 safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she states. "They eventually sent a locksmith who attempted for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and pliers. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we eventually managed to extract it. It turned out unfastened bolts had jammed the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an emergency while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to cover the replacement 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 key safe empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and advised him to locate alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months attempting in vain to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner won't reply to them there's little they can do," he states. "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 listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. 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 review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always reveal the whole story. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is easy for users to overlook a current flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded that customers could easily sort 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 repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

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

Major platforms commit to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a interrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially police themselves, the only course of action 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 legal action in their country."

They continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are based overseas and have deep pockets."

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

A representative says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to protect people's funds."

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