Perhaps not. There are real disasters enough to qualify for that description.
But do pity the nine families and couples from Paris and Normandy who turned up in the Med resort of Hyères Les Palmiers at the weekend to find they were all booked into the same apartment.
The journey south for those who drove must have been horrendous. Long jams, blistering heat. On French TV, two young women hitchhiking on the Autoroute du Soleil were shown holding a placard leaving drivers in no doubt that those without air conditioning need not stop.
The website these poor people had booked through is called Le Bon Coin - the good spot? - in the charmingly named Fisherman's Square at Les Salins. Bon coin it may be, but not for nine families.
I rely on the trusty Var-Matin for the detail. Pascal Marquer, the owner, appears to be innocent. He says he has two apartments for seasonal rental, and has used back-up internet services for three years without trouble.
Var-Matin reports that the internet site looks normal and is listed as belonging to a property company properly registered by a named individual who, surprisingly enough, was not to be found when the newspaper called.
"Our holiday is ruined," said one of the disgruntled holidaymakers, hardly with exaggeration. Some have managed to find places to stay; others have managed to book only for the first of two planned weeks with, in at least a couple of cases, non-flexible return flights booked.
This story may have a sequel ...
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