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One century-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a vacation. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and harmed 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 come down moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

Emergency repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple feared the building might be structurally unsound and chose to reserve a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have created some inconvenience," stated the first of many identical automated messages before closing the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the anxiety and trauma rather than cherishing a unique memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

Now that the summer season has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their accommodation – when it existed – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Stories include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element connects these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property listings on their websites and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

Consumer protections, however, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Legal Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted the decision was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced the case had continued 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 "turn the event into a positive story."

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

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a weekend stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for the majority of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a repair person, who was unable to help," she states. "Finally they sent a locksmith who attempted for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we hoisted up a tool and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It was discovered loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

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

Pocock requested a full refund to make up for 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 pay for 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 trying 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 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 refunded.

"The platform has essentially 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 continues being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had failed to its inquiries. 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 tell the complete picture. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a current flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

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

The same report stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Uncertainty

The problem for travelers who do not get what they paid for is that their contract is with the accommodation provider rather than 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 typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms effectively 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 legal action in their country."

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

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

A representative states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to protect people's money."

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