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A century-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast 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. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or killed

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and chose to reserve a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

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

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You decided to remember the anxiety and distress instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

Now that the summer season has ended, countless travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – when it existed – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor connects these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their websites and guarantee to fulfill travel dreams on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your agreement is with the individual or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up spending double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive information about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to refund customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced 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 offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

The platform eventually issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its 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 unable to help," she states. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried 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 lifted 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 remove it. It turned out loose screws had jammed 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 full refund to compensate 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 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 trapped outside the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to locate somewhere else for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying in vain to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has basically 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 still being advertised on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after intervention. 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 delisted, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always reveal the complete picture. A recent investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to miss 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 worst ratings so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was current.

Legal 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 alternative accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a tougher struggle. 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 effectively police themselves, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved is legal action," analysts 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: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

Regulatory bodies say new consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases promoted or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented strict new fines for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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