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A 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a holiday. 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 harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

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

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have caused some disruption," wrote the first of many identical automated messages before concluding the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the worry and distress instead of celebrating a special memory."

Summer Travel Issues Emerge

With the peak travel period has concluded, numerous travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their platforms and promise to satisfy wanderlust on a budget.

Consumer protections, though, have not caught up with their popularity.

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves reliant on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification 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 approve a refund; the host claimed the determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had continued long enough and summarily closed it. The host concluded 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 "turn the event into a beautiful story."

The platform eventually issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its safety policies.

Locked In

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

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who attempted 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 hoisted up a tool and tools. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to remove 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 emergency while we were locked in, yet the host blamed 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 new 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 attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed him they were overseas and could not help and suggested him to find somewhere else for the night. He paid 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 isn't responding to them there's nothing 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 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 delisted, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Review Systems

Ratings do not always reveal the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a current deluge of reviews warning 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 multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Legal Grey Area

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 commit to help find alternative accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only option if the dispute continues is lawsuits," 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 add: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are based abroad and have deep pockets."

Government authorities say new customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate 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 violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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