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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree destroyed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that shattered the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the traumatized 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," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident 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 worry and distress instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

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

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their accommodation – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element unites these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has prompted a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday disasters under travel protection 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 individual or business providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt too unsafe 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 refund customers for serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to agree 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 proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a positive story."

The platform finally 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 book a flat for a two-night 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 malfunctioned.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she states. "Finally they called a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to access 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 prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we eventually managed to extract it. It was discovered unfastened bolts had blocked 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 complete reimbursement to make up for her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for 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 locked out the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners informed him they were overseas and could not help and suggested him to find somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically 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 function this way with no accountability. The additional disappointment is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

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

Review Systems

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a recent deluge of reviews cautioning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform countered that customers could easily organize reviews by the most recent or worst ratings so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Uncertainty

The issue for travelers who do not get what they paid for is that their legal agreement is with the accommodation provider not the booking platform.

Major platforms promise to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," experts say. "But against whom? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take legal action in their country."

They add: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered overseas and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say recent customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.

A representative states: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to protect people's money."

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