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One century-old oak tree crashed down on the initial day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the massive tree destroyed 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 damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "Had it fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

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

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 decided to reserve a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have caused some inconvenience," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before closing the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the worry and distress instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the peak travel period has ended, numerous holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – when it existed – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies showcase global property portfolios on their websites and guarantee to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

Consumer protections, however, have not kept pace with their widespread use.

Legal Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection 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 company providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months 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 "turn the event into a positive story."

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

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a weekend 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 security lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried 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 wrench and pliers. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally 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 refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement 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 booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and suggested him to find alternative accommodation for the night. He paid 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 won't reply to them there's little they can do," he states. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The extra disappointment 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 "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy 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 easily sort reviews by the most recent or worst ratings 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 taken down. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

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

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

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," analysts say. "But against whom? 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 didn't manage to look into 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 consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson 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 continued: "Companies selling services to domestic consumers must comply with national law, and we have bolstered oversight authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."