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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 breakfasting on the terrace, the enormous 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 seriously injured or fatally wounded."

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

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple feared the building might be unsafe and chose to reserve a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have caused some disruption," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed 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 trauma rather than cherishing a unique memory."

Peak Season Vacation Issues Surface

With the peak travel period has concluded, numerous travel nightmare accounts are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or locked out their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element unites these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has led to a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display worldwide property listings on their websites and guarantee to fulfill wanderlust on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal options for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms advertise extra protections, but your agreement is with the person or company offering 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 double the amount for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are liable 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 approve a refund; the host insisted the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced 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 proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a positive story."

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

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve 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 sent a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who tried 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 tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It was discovered unfastened bolts had jammed 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 compensate her ruined trip and the anxiety. 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 owed the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside 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 locate alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner won't reply to them there's little they can do," he says. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The additional frustration is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had left Philip out of his rental had not responded to its questions. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Systems

Reviews 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 simple for users to miss a current deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

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

The same report claimed 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 terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Uncertainty

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

Major platforms commit to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms essentially police themselves, the only course of action if the dispute continues is lawsuits," analysts say. "But against whom? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take court proceedings in their country."

They add: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to look into your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are based abroad and have deep pockets."

Regulatory bodies say recent consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases promoted or made on their platforms.

A representative 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 money."

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