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A 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the initial day of a vacation. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous 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 cave in," James remembers. "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 killed

Emergency repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple worried 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 disruption," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a upbeat "Stay safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the anxiety and trauma instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Summer Vacation Problems Emerge

With the summer season has concluded, numerous travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has led to a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These companies display global property listings on their platforms and promise to satisfy wanderlust on a budget.

Consumer protections, however, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Loopholes

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

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your contract 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 too unsafe to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted the decision was the platform's.

After 10 weeks 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 offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a positive story."

The platform eventually issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after inquiries 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 stuck inside the property for the majority 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 could not to help," she states. "They eventually sent a locksmith who attempted for multiple 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 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 requested a complete reimbursement to compensate her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only refused, but kept her €250 deposit to pay for 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 locked out the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners told him they were abroad 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 unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. 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 confirmed 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 read guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was showing reviews it considered "important." 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 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 stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability 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 other accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms essentially police themselves, the only option if the dispute continues is legal action," experts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take legal action in their country."

They continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to look into your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are based abroad and have deep pockets."

Government authorities 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 says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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