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A 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial 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 crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed 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."

If it had fallen moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Emergency repairs took 24 hours 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 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. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the anxiety and distress rather than celebrating a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

Now that the summer season has ended, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it did not. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase worldwide property listings on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy wanderlust on a limited funds.

Consumer protections, however, have not caught up with their popularity.

Legal Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal options for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms advertise additional protections, but your agreement is with the person or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced 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 "turn the event into a beautiful 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 book a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for most 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 could not to help," she says. "They eventually called 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 hoisted up a wrench and tools. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to remove it. It turned out unfastened bolts had jammed the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an emergency 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 indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the replacement 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 reserved 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 paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he states. "I don't understand how a business can function this way with no responsibility. The additional frustration is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

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

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always reveal the complete picture. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to miss a current flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily organize reviews by the newest or worst ratings so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report claimed that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Legal Uncertainty

The problem for travelers who do not get what they expected is that their contract is with the accommodation provider rather than the booking platform.

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

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," 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 didn't manage to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

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

A representative says: "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 added: "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."