DirecTV

This morning I needed a needle and thread. That simple need launched an all-out assault on the very spacious but very difficult to get into storage area under our u-shaped dinette. I had bench cushions and other stuff spread all over the place! An hour or so later, I had my sewing box in hand and the storage area was completely reorganized. My sewing box, by the way, has found a more readily accessible home.

Yes, we've lived here almost three months (already!) and we are still settling in.

One of the ongoing sagas in our settling in process has been transitioning our DirecTV subscription from a fixed to mobile account. How something we thought could be handled in one short phone call turned into a 90-day affair is mind boggling. We've talked to a dozen or so DirecTV representatives in the last three months. Together they have been the source of much misinformation and frustration. Except one.

Our arrival at Worlds of Fun last Thursday afternoon gave us a clear shot of the southern sky for the first time in a month. So, it was time to confirm that DirecTV had activated our Distant Network Services (DNS). We pushed a button, found a satellite and quickly discovered that we had no DNS. Yet another call to DirecTV was required! I picked up the phone and began the all-too-familiar journey through DirecTV's audio response unit. Finally I reached a human being. His name was Doug.

I explained to Doug the reason for my call. Now, DNS is something that DirecTV has a history of being somewhat stingy with. I guess they want to make sure you have a valid reason for not having any local channels. So, for the dozenth time I began to explain how we don't have a house and we're traveling the country fulltime in our RV. Usually, this is the point where I lose my friendly DirecTV representative. But, Doug was different.

"I understand," he said. "My parents do that."

Those simple words brought immediate comfort. Someone at DirecTV actually understands what we're doing! This son of a couple of fulltimers stepped carefully through a process that brought the major network feeds from New York and Los Angeles to our screen. He looked through our account and took care of a couple of other odds and ends. Along the way, we discussed everything from motorhomes to RV parks to mail forwarding services. Finally, he put everything in place for us to take care of the very last little bit of business we need to tend to when we return to Kansas City. At last, all is well between us and DirecTV.

If you find yourself having to call DirecTV, we have a piece of advice. Ask for Doug!