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

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

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

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have created some disruption," stated the first of many identical automated messages before closing the unresolved case with a upbeat "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the anxiety and trauma instead of cherishing a unique memory."

Summer Travel Problems Surface

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it did not. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display worldwide property listings on their platforms and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

Consumer protections, though, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Legal Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves spending twice that 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 reimburse customers for major issues, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical 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 commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a positive story."

The platform finally issued a complete reimbursement 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 weekend 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 security lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they sent 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 tool and tools. With us prying 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 blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

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

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to compensate her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld 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 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 advised him to find alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months trying in vain to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can function this way with no accountability. The additional disappointment is that the property in question is still being advertised on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after intervention. The company verified the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed to its questions. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Review Systems

Reviews do not always reveal the complete picture. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to miss a recent flood of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform countered that customers could readily sort reviews by the newest 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 relied on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Regulatory Uncertainty

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

Major platforms promise to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting compensation for a interrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," 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 add: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

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 spokesperson says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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