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

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

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

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have created some inconvenience," wrote 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 remember the anxiety and trauma rather than celebrating a unique memory."

Summer Vacation Issues Emerge

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

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that refused refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a limited funds.

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

Legal Loopholes

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

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are responsible for the damaged 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 declared 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 suggested that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "turn 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.

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were left trapped the property for most of their only full day in the city after a security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a repair person, who was unable to help," she says. "They eventually sent a locksmith who tried for multiple 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 tool and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we eventually managed to extract it. It turned out loose screws had jammed the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock requested a full refund to make up for her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the replacement 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 booked for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed 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 intervening four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this refunded.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The additional frustration is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after intervention. The company verified the host who had left 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 "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to miss a current deluge of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform countered 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 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.

Regulatory Uncertainty

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

Major platforms promise to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is legal action," analysts say. "But against whom? 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 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 new customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new fines for violations of consumer law to protect people's funds."

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