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One 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the initial day of a vacation. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the massive 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 convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

Had it fallen minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be structurally unsound 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 inconvenience," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the pending case with a upbeat "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the worry and trauma rather than celebrating a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

With the summer season has ended, numerous travel nightmare accounts are coming to light.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor 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 global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to fulfill travel dreams on a budget.

Consumer protections, though, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal options for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

Some platforms promote additional 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 sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves spending double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive 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 declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had dragged on long enough and summarily closed 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 finally issued a full refund 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 stuck inside the property for the majority of their single full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she says. "They eventually sent a locksmith who tried for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to purchase 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 eventually managed to extract it. It was discovered loose screws 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 locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock requested a complete reimbursement to make up for her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for 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 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 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 states. "I don't understand how a business can function this way with no accountability. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed to its inquiries. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Systems

Reviews do not always tell the complete picture. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to miss a recent 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 taken down. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Legal Grey Area

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

Major platforms commit to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms effectively 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 legal action in their country."

They continue: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

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

A spokesperson states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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