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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the massive tree smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

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

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple feared the building might be structurally unsound and decided to book a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have created some inconvenience," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the worry and trauma rather than celebrating a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Surface

Now that the peak travel period has ended, numerous holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – when it existed – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element unites these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has prompted a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms showcase worldwide property portfolios on their websites and promise to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

Customer safeguards, though, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Regulatory Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent 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 paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for major issues, 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 declared the case had dragged on long enough and abruptly ended 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 positive story."

The platform eventually issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its 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 only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a repair person, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we lifted up a tool 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 turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an emergency while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock requested a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to cover the new 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 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 alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially 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 function this way with no accountability. The additional 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 locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its inquiries. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always reveal the whole story. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to miss a current 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 lowest score so as to make their own choice on a property.

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

Regulatory Grey Area

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

Major platforms commit to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since 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 investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are based abroad and have deep pockets."

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

A spokesperson states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new fines for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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