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A century-old oak tree toppled over on the initial 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 rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "Had it fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured 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 decided to book a hotel for the remainder 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 concluding the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

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

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

With the summer season has ended, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase worldwide property listings on their websites and promise to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

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

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your agreement is with the person or business offering 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 still await notification about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to refund customers for major issues, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the determination 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 suggested that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

The platform finally 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 reserve a flat for a weekend 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 failed.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to purchase 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 eventually managed to remove it. It turned out unfastened bolts had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an crisis 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 kept her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement lock. The deposit was finally returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was locked out the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were abroad and could not help and suggested 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 essentially said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he states. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The extra 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 unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Reviews do not always tell the whole story. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to overlook a recent deluge of reviews cautioning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded 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 claimed 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 terms and conditions and ensure that availability was up to date.

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 payment for a disrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms essentially police themselves, the only option 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 add: "One might claim that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

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

A representative says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new fines for violations of consumer law to protect people's money."

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