Definitely not the reviewer type, but this company cares more about their bottom line then their…read morecustomer's safety. We called to ask about the process twice before coming because we had several kids, one very young and we openly had little to no experience. We took four kayaks out and while driving to the river entrance asked for tips and advice and the only thing we got was that there was a small 2 to 3 foot drop and to keep left until after the falls. This was absolutely not the case and the trip was way more advanced than we were prepared for as beginners. We were scared most of the time and there were several moments we were thinking we'd have to leave the kayaks behind and save ourselves. We did lose a paddle, but not because we were careless, we were literally trapped with an over turned kayak and trying to hold on because the current was so strong it was either hold on for safety or let go of the paddle. This was made extremely worse because of the weather. It began raining with thunder and lightening and this only made the current force even stronger. The worst part is that they didn't even send us out on functioning equipment. They did quick repairs with duck tape before putting the kayaks in the water and assured it was ok. One of our kayaks had a hole that hadn't been found yet and was taking on water and had to be emptied several times throughout the trip. When we did get to the falls, this kayak was so full of water inside the kayak that it flipped causing the young child and his parent to go under water. When we got back, the owner would kind of apologize, but then blamed it all on the office person Ashley. Then made excuses and tried to talk away the complaints as a non issue. I was very surprised that none of the employees seemed phased by what we were telling them; like they had experienced this reaction before. I realize that there were several circumstances that factored into our experience and not all were completely in their control, but I don't think they cared about our safety at all. They consistently failed to provide a safe recreation environment, they never displayed any real remorse or concern for our scary experience and when all we wanted to do was go home, they lost our keys, which were supposedly meant to be securely stored while we were gone. I obviously wouldn't recommend this company to anyone, but I urge you to consider going elsewhere for you kayaking needs if you want to keep your family and friends safe.

Typically, I don't write negative reviews of restaurants, companies, and small businesses because I…read moreunderstand that all businesses and their employees have their fair share of good days and bad. However, I feel compelled to warn future/potential patrons of Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals and its owner, Kenneth ("Ken") Byers, based on the recent experience of my students during a church youth retreat in Broken Bow. Due to slow business and making a reservation as a large group, we were able to agree to $35/double-kayak (which is $10-15 below what they usually charge to individuals renting only one double-kayak). Initially over the phone, when i had called weeks in advance of our youth group's retreat, Ken mentioned that we did not need to worry about availability of kayaks/canoes for 23 people, as he had "plenty of inventory." On the day of the retreat, of course, we ran into a bit of a hiccup where they only had 10 double-kayaks and required the remaining kids to use single kayaks. A small annoyance, but nothing worth really griping about. Ken then asked that we arrive before 2pm. We arrived at 1:30, only to be forced to wait for over 2 hours before they finally got us to the river. A slightly bigger annoyance, but something we were willing to overlook so as not to dampen the mood of the outing. Once we were out on the river, there were 2 employees assigned to our group, and these two were responsible for directing the kids along the river. We did not realize until much later that this was their first day on the job. Of course, no one told us this important fact initially, and they acted like they knew the river well. Our youth group consists of middle school and high school students, so we made sure to rely on these 2 "experts" employed by the company, trusting their every direction. After an hour or so, the route seemed unreasonably difficult and arduous for kids who were certainly beginners at kayaking, so we made sure to ask: "Are you sure this is the right way? This seems too hard..." to which the 2 employees confidently responded their directions were accurate. It felt like we were traveling upstream and the rowing was incredibly arduous for the adults, let alone the young middle school students. So we constantly asked if the direction we were heading was correct, and they consistently assured us that it was. After a few more hours of rowing (the river route should only have taken 1.5 hours), we asked them to call Ken and help us out because by this point, the sun was setting and our kids were crying, bruised, bleeding, and/or exhausted from being out on the river for more than 4 hours. Ken was unable to locate us and we were officially lost and stranded when the 2 staff members finally acknowledged that it was their first day and they had no idea where to go. It was traumatizing for our youth students, and we ended up being out there well past 9pm while it was getting very dark, creating a very dangerous situation for a group of minors who had already been out on the river rowing up/down/side-stream, and any which way to try to keep each other safe. With all the dangerous areas that the 2 staff members led our group towards, we were incredibly grateful to have ultimately been back safely on land at the end of the night. But our entire day had been ruined; we no longer could carry out the other programs we had planned for the day; and we ended up getting back in our cabin well past 10pm in what would be the most unforgettable and regrettable day. As bad as that was, the worst part was the unapologetic attitude of Ken Byers. His staff members apologized profusely for leading us in the wrong direction and putting that many kids in harm's way, but we wanted to hear a better explanation from the owner as to how this could happen. We were unable to reach him all weekend, and by the time he called back the following Monday, he was incredibly defensive and kept explaining how much of a pain it was for him to have to pay his staff overtime for the additional hours spent on the river, as well as the extra hassle he went through to go out the next day to recover the boats that he had yet to pick up off the shore where we finally had reached the previous day. Not once did he say "I'm sorry." Not once did he acknowledge how hellish that experience was for our kids. It's like he was afraid of a potential lawsuit while disclaiming all responsibility and fault. All we wanted was for him to be sincere in his apology, but he was more interested in explaining how much money we saved and how much of a hassle it was for him than being a decent human being. I highly doubt very many people will see this review before booking with Ken and Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals, but on the off chance that this helps one other person/group realize the mismanagement, poor attitude, and lack of compassion shown by this company, the time I just wasted writing this review will have been worth it.