The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Bruce,

When we worked on Maiden Lane, the perception of honesty from the staff and a customer service policy that allowed the staff the discretion to refund, exchange, or repair items (that were defective or misused and broken)is what kept the customers coming back. When the company began a less personal programmed sales plan along with the development of the elitist aire of affectation, perhaps in response to “the movie”, the image of the company went down in the minds of a lot of customers who fled to other shops, manufacturers, or catalog retailers (although sales went up).

My personal dissatisfaction with Orvis began the day after I sold an $18,000.00 shotgun and was informed that the commission structure was being cut in half, effective the day I sold the shotgun…more for the family in Manchester.

Like you, I still use a few of the rods and reels I obtained at employee prices…20+ years and they still perform.

Petri Heil,

Paul