My Orvis waders leak:(

[davethetrout]

Orvis is responding to the attention from this thread..got response in under 30 minuites this time..progress..

Dear Mr. Johnson ,

Thank you for your e-mail. The purchase date is an important factor in determining which warranty policy your purchase falls under. If you did in fact purchase them in 2003 it would be come an entirely different situation. If you can provide me with a proof of purchase to show that they were in fact purchased in 2003 we would be able to present you with different options. Also I have taken the time to read every post on your forum. In your e-mail below you say you have used these waders only a couple of times a year. In your very first post you said you use these same waders everyday. Please respond at your earliest convenience so that we can work together to bring a resolution to this matter.

If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Thank you,
"Orvis Representative"
Orvis Customer Service
Customer_service@orvis.com
1-888-235-9763

 

[davethetrout]

You are absolutely ridiculous. People like you are what drives up prices to the rest of us who are not always trying to get something for free. Then on top of that you waste other peoples time by creating drama over your waders. Get a life. In my opinion the only mistake on Orvis's part is that they should just give you your money back and be done with you.

you must work for Orvis, pretty conveinent you just registered after I sent a copy of this thread to Orvis! :rant: Tell your boss I want new waders!

 

[davethetrout]

I just want to say that I started this thread to simply get the contact info. I did not expect this massive response,some with me and some against. You all deserve your right to express whatever opinions you have about this. I have never scammed or returned a pair of waders in my life but yet there are you few who tell me to get a life and critisise me and the rest of you who shown positive reinforcement behind me on this issue. I am so far from a loser and can definetly defend myself from most! Do not belittle me or get ignorant just because you are hiding behind a monitor and a keyboard.. I fish at the Lambertville wing dam all the time by myself and I guarentee you wont reveal your self in person to me..especially after you see me..I`m rather dazzling they say..right Ralph?

 

[davethetrout]

This last guy is really trying hard now that the number of veiws is booming...I just sent a bunch of pics of the waders to him to verify age. Will keep you posted..Dave:applaudit

 

[theartoflee]

You are absolutely ridiculous. People like you are what drives up prices to the rest of us who are not always trying to get something for free. Then on top of that you waste other peoples time by creating drama over your waders. Get a life. In my opinion the only mistake on Orvis's part is that they should just give you your money back and be done with you.

Without people like dave and other neff member Orvis would have no customers. Maybe if Orivis focused on makeing quality engenierd fly fishing products rather then focusing on selling dog beds & Barbor coats their might be less drama.

Get a lif

A big part of our lives is fishing and sory if we are to demanding and difficult to satisy.

Thanks for wasting our time F_This guy you have yet to contribute anything to this board yet... great 1st post.

 

[Pete]

I can recall when the Orvis brand was a symbol of quality....

Some of the good natured banter on another forum implies that their customer base now consists mainly of pretentious novices who are looking for a status symbol.

Now they appear to be haggling like a small fly-by-night surplus store.
This is not the way they treated me in the 1970s.

I wonder they're having financial problems.
~~~~~~~OFF TOPIC~~~~~~~~~
Not waders, but the much less prestegious Cortland once gave me a free replacement of a product that I had obviously abused. It wasn't a warranty issue, just good customer relations.

 

[davethetrout]

How do you interprit this? Does this mean they will give me $37.50 credit(25%) plus 30% off and free shipping?all combined? Do you think this is a fair deal..the waders are not 7 yrs old,I was really off,being married to my ex wife was like an eternity everyday! As you can tell from the following email I just received they are only 4 yrs old! Changes the whole thing doesnt it? Heres the email...

Dear Mr. Johnson ,

Thank you for your e-mail. I am able to determine from the photos provided that the waders you have were manufactured in 2002. If they were in fact purchased in 2003 they were purchased from old stock. In this case the 4 year pro rated warranty would still apply. However they would only be in their 4th year meaning they still held 25% of their original value which my best research tells me is $149.00. We would also still honor our 30% off offer and free shipping on any new pair of waders. My last e-mail was not intended to insult you in anyway. I just want to focus on resolving this problem. We are doing our best on this end with the information provided to give what we feel is a fair offer.

If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Thank you,
"Orvis Representative"
Orvis Customer Service
Customer_service@orvis.com
1-888-235-9763

 

[davethetrout]

Who says persistance and alot of neff members cant get somthing done! Anyway ,it will cost me a few bucks but seems more then fair to me I guess..heres the last email from a supervisor..



Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for your reply. I apologize for the confusion. Yes, if you purchase a new pair of waders we would extend a 30% discount and free standard shipping and if you return the waders you have now we will process a credit for the value, which is 25% of the retail price of $149.00. The value of that refund would be $37.50 plus any applicable sales tax. Normally, we would not offer both. At the time the 30% courtesy discount was offered, we were under the impression that the waders were 7 years old and did not hold a value under the pro-rated wader warranty. Now that we have a better understanding of the age of the waders, we are able to determine the value, which is $37.50. I understand your frustration with this matter and we are happy to offer both the discount and refund.

If you will place the order online for the waders and reply to this email with the order number, I will apply the 30% discount and waive the standard shipping fee. The cost of the new Clearwater Endura waders is $129 and would be $90.30 plus any applicable sales tax. Once we receive your old waders, we can process a refund for $37.50 to the same credit card used for the new purchase. After both transactions have completed, you will only have paid $52.80 for the waders. These totals do not include sales tax if applicable and you will be responsible for the return postage for the old waders. I could also mail you a UPS convenience return label that will cost a flat $6.95 fee to return them. That fee would be deducted from the amount of your return, making it $30.55.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know.

Thank you,
April Allie
E-Commerce Supervisor



This was alot of aggravation and a few days of wet feet,but with the new pair comes a new warrenty,right?

 

[theartoflee]

You are absolutely ridiculous. People like you are what drives up prices to the rest of us who are not always trying to get something for free. Then on top of that you waste other peoples time by creating drama over your waders. Get a life. In my opinion the only mistake on Orvis's part is that they should just give you your money back and be done with you.

Since the waders were four years old does that change your perspective on this? Is it still ridiculous? I dont think anyone was trying to get anything for free here just what they deserve. :rant:

 

[Pete]

Assuming that you don't have to go through this every couple of months/years, because the new ones leak, $30.55 is a decent price. Your call....

However, the offer looks like the e-mails were carefully composed (possibly reviewed by a lawyer), to ensure that it looks like you're a special case. In similar curcumstances, rest of us will probably get something like their original reaction.

The "100% satisfaction" does not seem to be a consideration.

I must say I'm disappointed...
I guess the opinion I has about Orvis, (based on their reputation in the '60s and '70s) is no longer valid.

 

[davethetrout]

I agree 100% Pete... Hopefully others will get some valuable knowelge from this mess Orvis put me through! Appreciate the support guys... Buy Simms!

 

[dcabarle]

My take on this whole thing...

Personally I feel that 7 years is probably the lifetime of a pair of waders for some people. I have two pairs of waders and I use both pairs. I fish about 24 times per year for roughtly 6-14hrs per outing. That comes to roughly 12 times per year per pair of waders. Now let's take into consideration that unlike many/most of you, I'm not walking through weeds and sticker bushes (most of the time). I float from point a to point b and get out in the water to wade fish. That means that most of the time, I'm sitting down in a boat.

As you can imagine, my waders although used, look fairly good for their ages.

The point is, the lifetime of some products will be longer or shorter for some people. Who is to decide that though?

While I agree that 7 years is a fair estimate for a lifetime for a pair of waders for some people, that might not be the case for every pair of waders for all people. Does Orvis say, if you have a pair of 120 dollar waders the lifetime expectancy will be 1/2 of that of a 300 dollar pair? How does Orvis determine what a lifetime is?

Finally, take into consideration the following:

<center>The Orvis 100% Satisfaction Guarantee:</center> For 150 years, we have offered the strongest return policy in the business. We will refund your money on any purchase that isn't 100% satisfactory. Anytime, for any reason. It's that simple.

If Orvis does not like their policy, they should change it. Personally, Dave... I'm not sure how long and hard you've used your waders. If my Simms broke on me after 5 years, I'd go buy a new pair. THe point here isn't even about the waders. Orvis has a policy that they still advertise.... Orvis is in the wrong here, no matter how old your waders are, how long you've used them, or whatever a lifetime might mean to Orvis. Anytime for any reason on ANY PURCHASE means just that. I believe if you took them to court, you would in fact get every penny back. The downside of that is, the return policy is still the best in the business. Why take them to court and have them change their return policy for a pair of $130.00 waders?

Just my opinion of course.


​

 

[rford]

I leak in my orvis waders.

 

[jholland]

waders

Dave,
I think 6-7 years of wear is pretty darn good. I think if Orvis was stupid enough to replace things that are structurally sound or to guarrantee such a thing you should take advantage of it. The 30% discount and free shipping is the best deal you'd get anywhere. Obviously, whoever came up with the lifetime thing was in the marketing not the fishing dept. As for boots wearing the felt off GBS, that's what happens when you fish with them. After several years these items need to be replaced that's just part of fishing.-JH

 

[theartoflee]

Dave,
I think 6-7 years of wear is pretty darn good. I think if Orvis was stupid enough to replace things that are structurally sound or to guarrantee such a thing you should take advantage of it. The 30% discount and free shipping is the best deal you'd get anywhere. Obviously, whoever came up with the lifetime thing was in the marketing not the fishing dept. As for boots wearing the felt off GBS, that's what happens when you fish with them. After several years these items need to be replaced that's just part of fishing.-JH

Jim if you read the whole thread you might notice that the waders were NOT 6-7 years old they were 4 years old. Does that make things any different in your eyes now? Four years wear to me is borderline especially when my simms waders have lasted me twice as long with NO issues.

 

[Pete]

My "Disappointment" isn't about Dave getting a raw deal, it's about being misled.

After 150 years of promoting themselves as if they were the "Rolls Royce" of flyfishing, they try to hide behind a "Yugo" warranty.

Some products are actually guaranteed forever.
eg: Most Midas customers get a new car before the replacement muffler goes bad. A few people keep their cars 20 or 30 years and get lots of free mufflers. They make their money on the majority, and get good public relations (and advertising copy) from the few.

 

[biot]

Jim if you read the whole thread you might notice that the waders were NOT 6-7 years old they were 4 years old. Does that make things any different in your eyes now? Four years wear to me is borderline especially when my simms waders have lasted me twice as long with NO issues.

I have had my Simms waders for about six years now and have no complaints,but I have had leaks and instead of trying to get them to fix them I fixed them myself. Bottom line is if you fish hard like myself you are bound to get a leak here and there but if there is a defect, the company should stand behind it's product and make good. Never was a fan of Orvis (allways thought the O stood for OVERPRICED) and try not to patronize them because of their tendency to stamp their name on other companies products. In fact, Simms are a ripoff too, seems like you are paying for a name when you can buy the same item from another company(Wading sock's,clipper retractors, etc) for a third to half the price.

 

[Tight Louper]

What ever became of this? Did you get your waders and what was the final outcome.

 

[davethetrout]

Just sent the old ones in for the credit of 25% of the original value and took them up on the 30% off the new pair. I did the honorable thing and bought the best they had..lookin to get another 4-5 yrs if things go well. I have 5 ft of water in my house and I had to tromp around in my old neoprenes today. They are like 7-8yrs old and didnt leak today thankfully. I beleive that Orvis did OK with this in the end and they gave me alot off the new ones. I also start again with a new warrenty. Thanks
Dave

 

[AKSkim]

Can You Spell

L.L. BEAN

Freeport, Maine

 

[davethetrout]

Orvis waders SUCK!

Heres a funny little story for y`all..
Recently I received my new Proguide2 waders in the mail..They took a week longer then expected but arrived in safely packaged box. I ripped em out and tried them on and they felt great. Overall I was pleased and willing to let this whole thing die..Well I went down to the river and walked through zero thorns..the canal path is very brush free by me. Fished these waders for 2 nights and things were great. After they dry out I roll them up and put them in my backpack where they stay. 3rd night of fishing takes me on an even longer walk,possibly 3 1/2 miles of clean and unobstructed paths..I get in the water and fish till dark and realize my feet are wet???sloshing around in my boots because they are soaked? I proceeded to walk home mad and gettin madder after every step of my toes getting more and more shriveled up and starting to hurt! I found a leaky seam by the crotch and circled it and sold them on ebay as leaky but new waders for somone else to return.
Original price was 289.00 but with my discount and return credit I had little over 100.00 into what I sold for 98.00 on ebay! Never again will I trust the brand we all know as the 100% satisfaction guarenteed company. They are Guarenteed 100% to pi$$ you off!

Mr Orvis, I am a very dissatisfied customer and will continue to relay this message to all who will listen to some real good advice!
D.Johnson

 

[AKSkim]

LL Bean Waders

Just this week I have received my new pair of L.L. Bean waders.

During the summer I can be observed sporting waist high guide pants or breathable hip waders.

I was on the Yellow Breeches earlier, I wanted to get to a certian spot to catch the evening hatch, I wasn't all that sure of the current depth of the stream I would be passing through, so I chose to go with my chest waders. They were of a major manufacturer and they have served me well of the past two years. After fishing, I returned to my vehicle and while removing them I noticed that I had in fact sprung a small leak in the in seem.

As I have stated above, they have served me well, but I chose to return to L.L. Bean. The last pair I owned I gave away to a very good fly fisher that put them to good use.

I have always experienced nothing but good things about this company and their products.

Good luck with your Simms, I know I will with my L.L. Bean's.

As always, on the side of dry waders.

AKS