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A century-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the massive tree smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

If it had come down moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or killed

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and decided to book 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 "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and distress rather than celebrating a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the summer season has ended, numerous holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside 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 unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites 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 arranging their own holidays. These platforms showcase global property listings on their websites and promise to fulfill travel dreams on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Loopholes

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

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for major issues, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced the case had dragged on 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 proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "turn the event into a positive story."

The platform finally issued a complete reimbursement 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 only full day in the city after a security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who tried for several hours to access 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 pliers. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It turned out 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 blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement lock. The deposit was eventually returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and advised him to locate alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months trying in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The extra frustration is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed 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 dishonest accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

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

The platform responded that customers could easily organize reviews by the most recent or lowest score so as to make their own decision 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 abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

The problem for travelers who do not get what they expected is that their contract 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 interrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms essentially police themselves, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," analysts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take court proceedings in their country."

They continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are registered abroad and have deep pockets."

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

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

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