* Not long ago, I purchased a new dog bed for Oscar the Puppy. He loved it. He loved it so much, in fact, that I did something I almost never do: I rated it on the company’s website. I gave it five out of five stars, said I’d recommend it to others, and basically just gushed all over the product.

I even posted a video of Oscar enjoying his new bed…

* Not long after, however, I received a form e-mail saying that my rating and video had been rejected…

Because our goal is to share all customer reviews, we encourage you to check the guidelines below and resubmit your review.

Possible reasons a product review might not be accepted:

1. Includes personal information in the review (email addresses, phone number, etc.)
2. Comments on another company’s product or product line to direct business away from Orvis
3. Indicates the person is writing the review for the wrong product
4. Uses profane language
5. Includes derogatory, discriminatory, or generally inappropriate comments
6. Written in a foreign language
7. Indicates the person did not purchase the product from Orvis or receive it as a gift
8. Written by an underage reviewer
9. Attaches a video or images that have no connection to the product being reviewed
10. Comments negatively on the country of origin
11. Indicates there may be a legal liability where Orvis is concerned

Not one of those applied. I was more than a little steamed and even thought about posting something here about it. I mean, what the heck? Was there an Oscar hater out there or something? An outrage, I say! Outrage!

But I wanted to know why my submission was rejected, so I sent an e-mail to customer service and they promised to get to the bottom of it.

Not long afterward, I received this from the company…

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for your review.

I’m glad to see that Oscar loves his new dog bed so much. I’m unsure why your review was declined, but I have approved your review so that other customers can see how much Oscar loves his dog bed. The review should be posted within 48-72 hours. Please give Oscar an extra treat and scratch behind the ears for me.

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

Sincerely,
Wayne R.
Orvis Customer Service

* It turns out, however, that Orvis may have been right all along. As Oscar’s mommy noticed last night, I put the bed together wrong. It was inside out!

Oops.

Now I see why the video wasn’t initially approved. A sharp-eyed employee apparently noticed that I’d goofed up and didn’t want anyone else to make the same mistake I had.

Sorry about that, Orvis.

* Anyway, I fixed the bed, gave Oscar an extra treat and a good scratch behind his ears…

And now Oscar’s mommy thinks the bed looked better when it was inside out. I kinda agree.

       

19 Comments - And I Approved This Message - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 1:59 pm: So, the tags on the tan side weren’t even a little bit of a clue? The dog sure loves it. Did you spray it with Eau de Sirloin? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:00 pm: I love Fridays for many reasons, and Oscar is one of them. Thanks for sharing! - Nearly Normal - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:03 pm: Bed looks good either way although catalog shows plaid on the inside. Orvis wants the label to show up on the outside. Glad Oscar liked his bed. Looks like a happy camper. My cat loved her L.L. Bean bed. Yeah, the CATalog called it a dog bed but it had special foam and was good for her arthritic joints. - Skeeter - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:03 pm: While I have no personal connection to Orvis, I’m glad you liked the product. The Orvis people are great to have in the River North/Mag Mile/Streeterville neighborhood. For those who happen to wander down North Michigan Ave., the Orvis store on Ontario just east of Michigan is dog friendly. They no longer stock the beds in store, but are happy to help customers place orders. They are also great at offering dogs water. If anybody needs outdoor gear or fly fishing gear, Orvis has some great stuff. And not to digress, but people could bring their dogs to North Michigan and actually get a decent amount of shopping done. There is a long list of places on the Avenue that are dog friendly. - What's in a name? - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:03 pm: Could it be that by Friday even Rich Miller gets tired of Illinois politics? - Norseman - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:05 pm: Agree with you and your wife on the first iteration. We could never keep our dogs from shredding their beds. Finally gave up. - 47th Ward - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:11 pm: I just assumed it was #4 that tripped you up. - A guy... - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:16 pm: I watched the video. It looks like Oscar knew the bed was incorrectly assembled from the start. All you gotta do is listen man. When you fixed it, did Oscar give you an extra scratch behind the ears and share a rawhide with you? - Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:24 pm: A guy, after reading your comment I watched the video again and I think you’re right. He was trying to turn it inside out. One smart puppy dog. - Champaign - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:43 pm: That’s quite the cabinet behind Oscar’s bed - what’s its story? Had to get our hound a long bed. She likes to sleep on her back and stretch all the way out. - Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 2:47 pm: Champaign, it’s from the “Suite Home Chicago” public art display. It was the follow up to the Cows on parade thing, or whatever that was called. The cows sold for huge bucks, with most of the money going to charity. SHC’s auction, however, was held the weekend after 9/11. It was a total bust. The piece I bought was a “found art” piece by Mr. Imagination, the guy who decorated the top floor of the House of Blues. He has some artwork in the Smithsonian as well. Anyway, I bought it for dirt cheap. Not long after the auction, Mr. Imagination announced that he was moving out of Chicago because the city didn’t support its artists. I’ve felt guilty about that ever since. - Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 3:26 pm: Well, to borrow that age-old,ever-popular Playwright’s (W.S. but of course) line, “All’s well that ends well” for Oscar and Rich in this bedding adventure (and Orvis for that matter)…! When all’s said and done, a “win-win-win” all around (although, I, too, agree that it DOES kind of look better flipped-around the other way)! And, by the way, while your Pup is so joyfully and intensely engaging with the bed, it’s as if he’s thinking, “It’s ALIVE/it’s ALIIIIIIVE!” And then he concludes, “Oh well–guess not, sooooo, suppose I’ll just jump-in after all, take a breather, and smile widely for my Master and Fan Base!!” Fun stuff. - Wensicia - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 4:13 pm: The important thing is that Oscar approves of and enjoys his new bed. I love these Friday Oscar updates! - phocion - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 4:16 pm: I’m going to go out and buy and Orvis bed for my pup! - dupage dan - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 4:19 pm: So, now you know how some of us feel when you reject our posts for what we would feel are arbitray and capricious reasons. ;/) BTW - if Oscar tears out those tags, you’re gonna be in a heap of trouble! - dupage dan - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 4:20 pm: arbitrary - not arbitray. Sheesh - Bemused - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 4:28 pm: Got to go with D.D. on this one. - Decatur gal - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 5:17 pm: Rich, your dog is cute and hilarious! Thanks for the video. I’m glad someone asked about the art, because I was wondering. I thought it looked like something from Mr. Imagination, and it is. COOL! - sal-says - Friday, Oct 25, 13 @ 5:21 pm: “A sharp-eyed employee apparently noticed that I’d goofed up and didn’t want anyone else to make the same mistake I had.” Rich, you’re an optimist; me-not so much. A ’sharp-eyed’ dude or dude-ette making probably slightly above minimum wage? If they are that ’sharp-eyed’ IL ought to hire them into a responsible government position; we sure can use the help. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.