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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a holiday. 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 shattered the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

Had it come down moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the traumatized 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 understand this may have created some disruption," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before closing the unresolved case with a upbeat "Keep 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 replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the anxiety and trauma rather than celebrating a unique memory."

Summer Travel Issues Emerge

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

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their accommodation – when it existed – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams 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 travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's willingness to help.

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your contract is with the individual or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up spending twice that for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After 10 weeks 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 commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

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

Trapped

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 security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

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

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

Pocock requested a full refund to compensate her ruined trip and the stress. 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 locked out the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and advised 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 in vain 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 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 reimbursed both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed 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 Processes

Reviews do not always reveal the whole story. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to miss a current flood of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform countered that customers could easily organize reviews by the most recent or worst ratings so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report claimed that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Regulatory Grey Area

The problem 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 commit to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved is legal action," experts 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 thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

Government authorities say recent consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions advertised or made on their platforms.

A representative says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force tough new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's funds."

They continued: "Businesses 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."