Wakepilot at Walnut Beach Resort
9 reviews 4200 Lakeshore Dr, Osoyoos, BC +1 250-495-4195 www.wakepilot.com suggest an edit
29 August 2023 20:52
Absolutely fantastic! The boat (and tube) was awesome, got rained out and they let us postpone for another day. Kids got bored after a while, and they refunded us for the unused time. Amazing! Highly recommended!
22 August 2023 23:49
Update: They contacted us, apologized & didn’t charge for the alleged damage because they found that we weren’t liable
We had the worst experience at Walnut Beach location. We initially called asking about rentals. We were told nothing was available until after 4pm and were asked to pay on the phone to book but were not given any other details on what else would be required for booking. Since we were staying at the Walnut Beach Resort, we decided to just go book in person. We rented a boat and a sea doo for an hour and a half starting from 4: 30. We filled in all our waiver forms online earlier and arrived at 4pm, as asked to by the crew, to be briefed and seated. They had others they were attending to and didn’t even start our briefing until 4: 15. We were a large group with kids as young as a year old and they were getting very hot and irritated with the life jackets on so obviously they began to cry. There were a couple other customers whi they wanted to brief along with us and it was extremely uncomfortable for everyone to wait for the crew to get their things done and start briefing. They tried to rush through, not going much into operating details, and get us on board. We finally departed at 4: 50pm. Logically, we assumed our return time would be 6: 20pm (1.5hr) but we were not even told what time to return. Because we were quite a few people, and everyone obviously wanted to experience both the boat and sea doo, we had CONFIRMED IN ADVANCE that it would be ok for us to come back to the marina and swap people then do a round and return for a swap again, as many times as needed, and we had been told that would be ok.
Because we weren’t briefed properly about the boat operation, when we left, the operator at the time pushed the throttle up completely, not knowing that was full power, and the boat took off very fast. She did not expect that and was shocked but quickly put it down again to slow it and brought it under control. When that happened though, the crew girl at the dock shouted rudely and cursed in front of everyone. This was definitely not professional behavior and especially when it was an unintentional mistake due to their own lack of explanation.
The entire time, that crew girl had the worst attitude towards us, and they scowled when we came back for our first swap, telling us that we couldn’t do swaps there anymore. We were quite upset and requested for one more time at least and they grudgingly said that would be the last and gave us a lot of attitude. When we came back for the third time, it was 5: 50pm, the guy was guiding the boat in, it was very slow and the engine off. The boat slid against the moving poles and he said that’s ok and to keep steering towards them. Then the girl runs down and says we hit the pole and chipped the boat. The guy even said it wasn’t that fast and those poles wouldn’t damage it but she insisted we hit the last pole that has metal on the bottom. She said she would take pictures and send to the manager and we would have to pay damages. We told her that we didn’t chip it, there were so many chips and scratches from before but she wouldn’t listen and they made us get off and said that our time was up. How was that possible when we should’ve had it until 6: 20? They said that the time taken foe the briefing was all part of it and our time had started at 4: 30 and because we were a large group, they had taken more time. That’s the most ridiculous and unprofessional explanation I’ve heard! They had others there too for the briefing so now they’re using everyone’s paid time? We were extremely frustrated at this point and we asked to have the picture emailed to us and also to have the manager call us directly but we were neither sent the picture nor contacted by the manager.
This is the worst experience we’ve ever had with boat rentals, and we’ve rented many times previously. I even have my boat license and am well aware of boat rules and operations. We will never recommend them to anyone and will make sure everyone is aware of their terrible service and unprofessional behavior.
We had the worst experience at Walnut Beach location. We initially called asking about rentals. We were told nothing was available until after 4pm and were asked to pay on the phone to book but were not given any other details on what else would be required for booking. Since we were staying at the Walnut Beach Resort, we decided to just go book in person. We rented a boat and a sea doo for an hour and a half starting from 4: 30. We filled in all our waiver forms online earlier and arrived at 4pm, as asked to by the crew, to be briefed and seated. They had others they were attending to and didn’t even start our briefing until 4: 15. We were a large group with kids as young as a year old and they were getting very hot and irritated with the life jackets on so obviously they began to cry. There were a couple other customers whi they wanted to brief along with us and it was extremely uncomfortable for everyone to wait for the crew to get their things done and start briefing. They tried to rush through, not going much into operating details, and get us on board. We finally departed at 4: 50pm. Logically, we assumed our return time would be 6: 20pm (1.5hr) but we were not even told what time to return. Because we were quite a few people, and everyone obviously wanted to experience both the boat and sea doo, we had CONFIRMED IN ADVANCE that it would be ok for us to come back to the marina and swap people then do a round and return for a swap again, as many times as needed, and we had been told that would be ok.
Because we weren’t briefed properly about the boat operation, when we left, the operator at the time pushed the throttle up completely, not knowing that was full power, and the boat took off very fast. She did not expect that and was shocked but quickly put it down again to slow it and brought it under control. When that happened though, the crew girl at the dock shouted rudely and cursed in front of everyone. This was definitely not professional behavior and especially when it was an unintentional mistake due to their own lack of explanation.
The entire time, that crew girl had the worst attitude towards us, and they scowled when we came back for our first swap, telling us that we couldn’t do swaps there anymore. We were quite upset and requested for one more time at least and they grudgingly said that would be the last and gave us a lot of attitude. When we came back for the third time, it was 5: 50pm, the guy was guiding the boat in, it was very slow and the engine off. The boat slid against the moving poles and he said that’s ok and to keep steering towards them. Then the girl runs down and says we hit the pole and chipped the boat. The guy even said it wasn’t that fast and those poles wouldn’t damage it but she insisted we hit the last pole that has metal on the bottom. She said she would take pictures and send to the manager and we would have to pay damages. We told her that we didn’t chip it, there were so many chips and scratches from before but she wouldn’t listen and they made us get off and said that our time was up. How was that possible when we should’ve had it until 6: 20? They said that the time taken foe the briefing was all part of it and our time had started at 4: 30 and because we were a large group, they had taken more time. That’s the most ridiculous and unprofessional explanation I’ve heard! They had others there too for the briefing so now they’re using everyone’s paid time? We were extremely frustrated at this point and we asked to have the picture emailed to us and also to have the manager call us directly but we were neither sent the picture nor contacted by the manager.
This is the worst experience we’ve ever had with boat rentals, and we’ve rented many times previously. I even have my boat license and am well aware of boat rules and operations. We will never recommend them to anyone and will make sure everyone is aware of their terrible service and unprofessional behavior.
13 August 2023 13:33
Thanks to Sam and the great team at Wakepilot. Had a great lesson on the eFoil and by the end I was even able to do turns. Excellent pointers and helpful advice.
20 July 2023 3:43
3RD Time renting a boat with Wakepilot. Staff is always very helpful with explaining boating safety and the overall operation of a boat. I don't know anything about boating, and it was a very easy with the girl from Englands help and guidance. I definitely recommend renting with Wakepilot and will do again next summer.
19 July 2023 6:29
Staff was very accommodating for our reservations when we ran a bit late, gave great explanations for first time users and made me feel comfortable riding the Sea Doo. I would go again next time we are in the area.
07 July 2023 2:57
Had an amazing experience with a Charter. My girls were nervous, and Joey was more than accommodating to make it a win of a day. Will be booking again for our next trip!
18 June 2023 8:54
I have to say great staff who where from England and very friendly toward me and the kids and explaining everything.
Boat was good and like the cover on the top to keep the sun off of you.
One complaint which is minor was not able to connect my music to the sound system. But we just end up listening to the radio.
Would rent from them again thank you everyone
Boat was good and like the cover on the top to keep the sun off of you.
One complaint which is minor was not able to connect my music to the sound system. But we just end up listening to the radio.
Would rent from them again thank you everyone
16 June 2023 5:16
We had a great time renting the sea- doo. The girls were friendly, knowledgeable, and made the renting process easy. I will totally rent from them again.
09 May 2023 0:07
Had a great experience here! The kayaks were super clean, and Kailee was fantastic at introducing us newbies to the art of kayaking. She even took the time to take a million photos for us. She was super friendly and never made us feel rushed. Absolutely recommend! 5 stars all the way!