Giethoorn boat rental — Attraction in Steenwijkerland

The rudest and most unprofessional service in all of Giethoorn. Avoid at all costs.

I booked a boat online through their website while already in Giethoorn at 5:30 PM, with the pickup time listed as 6:00 PM. However, after booking, I discovered that the pickup location in the confirmation email was completely different from the address on their website (the main location). The actual pickup spot was 45 minutes away by foot or public transport—something that was not mentioned during booking.

I was already at their main location and immediately informed the manager that it was impossible to reach the other location by 6:00 PM. I simply requested a refund or cancellation, which seemed like a reasonable request given the misleading information and asking for a refund 10 minutes after making the booking.

That’s when things took a turn for the worse.

The manager asked me to wait while he “figured something out.” After 20 minutes of waiting, he came back only to offer me two bad options: pay even more for a boat there or somehow make it to the far location, which was impossible with time constraints.

I explained again that neither option worked and asked for a refund. Instead of handling the situation professionally, the manager rudely walked away and left me to deal with his two children—around 13 years old—who proceeded to mock me, laugh, and say insulting words in Dutch. When I mentioned calling the police, they laughed even harder and said, “The police are our friends; they won’t do anything.”

At that point, I felt completely scammed and helpless. After a long dispute, they finally gave me a ride to the other location. By then, it was 7:00 PM, we only had the boat for 15 minutes, missed the last bus, and the whole day was ruined.

Do yourself a favor—book with any other company in Giethoorn. These people should not be...

We didn't manage to have any boat. Part of the responsibility is mine, I made a mistake with the online reservation and I contacted to move it twice: the reasons were weather conditions and then works on the public transport line that made it impossible for us to go back home in the evening. I apologized for that, my mistake. Since I noticed on the website that similar boats were still available for other days, I kindly asked if it was possible to arrange differently and find a new solution. However, the owner's behavior became very bad. He was hanging up the telephone on me and not answering anymore. Note: I didn't ask for money back, terms and conditions state it is not possible. I'm fine with that, but what's the problem with rearranging if there are still boats available? He could have simply said "no, it is not possible to change the booking anymore". I understand that sometime tourists can be annoying or make many requests, but being able to deal with them is part of the job (I guess). It's the first time I find someone renting something and not being able to manage such a simple situation. This is so unprofessional. I've read in other reviews that his behavior was poor with other customers too. It will be funny if the owner will answer here and not at the phone. Wasted 75 euros, I don't recommend this place for...

We had a negative experience with Giethoorn Boat Rental due to either an empty battery or a faulty motor, worsened by irresponsibility from the staff.

Initially, everything seemed normal, but after almost one hour, the boat start to be very slow, disrupting our journey and causing unnecessary stress. We were fortunate that another family was with us on their own boats and offered their assistance in crossing the big lake to reach the shore.

However, despite our predicament, the crew from Giethoorn Boat Rental appeared unprepared and unable to resolve the issue promptly. They didn't send someone to help us, even though the other family requested assistance. The staff member in charge seemed to misunderstand our situation, assuming we were asking for a refund. This lack of preparedness and professionalism only compounded our frustration.

Eventually, as per the staff member's instruction, we left the disabled boat as close as possible to the starting point.

This experience fell far short of our expectations for service and maintenance from a reputable boat tour company. Needless to say, I cannot recommend this experience to anyone.

At least they...