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A 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 damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would collapse," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

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

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

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

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the worry and distress instead of cherishing a unique memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

Now that the summer season has concluded, numerous travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has prompted a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a limited funds.

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

Legal Loopholes

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

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse 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 similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had continued long enough and abruptly ended it. The host concluded 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 complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its 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 the majority of their single full day in the city after a security lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she states. "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 tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were trapped, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to make up for her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to pay for 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 locked out the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed 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 in vain to get this reimbursed.

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

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company confirmed the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had failed to its questions. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always reveal the complete picture. 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 miss a current flood of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded 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 stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Regulatory Grey Area

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 alternative accommodation in an emergency, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, 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 thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are registered 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 spokesperson states: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's funds."

They continued: "Businesses selling services to local consumers must comply with national law, and we have bolstered oversight authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."