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One 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the initial day of a vacation. Minutes 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 convinced the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

Had it come down minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be unsafe and decided to book a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We understand this may have created some inconvenience," stated the first of many similar automated messages before closing the pending case with a upbeat "Keep safe. Stay healthy."

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 remember the anxiety and distress instead of celebrating a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

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

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

The growth of booking websites has prompted a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

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

Regulatory Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, found themselves spending double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the decision was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared 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 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 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 safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she states. "Finally they called a locksmith who attempted 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 wrench and tools. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It turned out unfastened bolts had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock requested a complete reimbursement to compensate her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision 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 booked 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 somewhere else for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's little they can do," he states. "I can't comprehend how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed 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 unscrupulous 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 reveal the complete picture. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a current deluge of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could easily sort reviews by the newest 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 removed. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Regulatory Grey Area

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

Major platforms commit to help find alternative 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 option if the dispute continues is lawsuits," 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: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered abroad and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say recent consumer protection 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 brought into force strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to protect people's funds."

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