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A century-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the massive tree smashed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

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

Had it fallen moments 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 feared the building might be structurally unsound and chose 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 identical automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the worry and trauma instead of celebrating a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor connects these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The growth of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their platforms and promise to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not caught up with their popularity.

Legal Gaps

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

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your agreement is with the individual or company providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed 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 continued long enough and summarily closed 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 full refund along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a weekend 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 failed.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who attempted 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 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 nearly 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an emergency while we were locked in, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to make up for her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the new lock. The deposit was eventually 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 reserved for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and suggested him to find alternative accommodation for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months attempting 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 states. "I don't understand how a business can function this way with no accountability. The additional frustration is that the property in question is still being advertised on the platform."

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

Review Systems

Reviews do not always reveal the complete picture. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to miss a current deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform countered that customers could easily sort 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 answered that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that booking information 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 rather than the booking platform.

Major platforms commit to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "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 add: "One might claim that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are based overseas and have deep pockets."

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

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

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