Outcome of Direct TV

These past few months have been a nightmare when it came to the customer service at Direct TV and we had all but given up when that letter came from a collection agency threatening us to pay or else. We had been trying to get some resolution with them with no avail but we had to give it one more try and with the additional simmering of being sued for something we do not owe, we were not going to accept this without a fight.

Another letter with all the facts came pouring out on paper and a copy was not only sent to Direct TV’s Customer Service (if you can call it that) but we sent a copy to the collection agency and then went online and by some miracle found an email we had not sent anything to before and off they went. Within a FEW hours, we received a reply from the online email sent to directvcustomercare@directv.com stating they would contact us within 48 hours. Where had we heard that before and decided not to hold our breath waiting.

But, that very afternoon the call came and she listened. She did not try to out talk me, or try to explain, or say the only way to get reinstated would be to pay the balance off in full. She instead listened and understood that there was a mistake made and even though we did not feel we owed anything, we were willing to pay for the first month of March since they claim they did not receive our request to put it on hold. We had stated this several other times before but this time she listened. By the time the conversation was over, we had a credit on our account and all matters regarding our account had been wiped clean. Then to make things even brighter, an account activity email for each transaction she took care of was received in our email box right after the call. By receiving those emails, we could confirm that everything we said was heard and that it was complete.

This has been my biggest complaint, not only with this company but with many nationwide. Customer service is lacking and needs to be addressed within each company, large and small. When you have representatives not responding with a smile and respect then these people need to find another line of work. It takes a certain breed to work with the public and believe me, the customer is NOT always right but the trick is to make them think they are. It is not always easy but if you choose to work with the public, you will need to learn a little finesse.

Replacing the RV Radio

Updating our radio from a cassette tape to a CD has been long overdue. The plan was to get it done the first time around but as we all know our plans do not always go accordingly. Still working on getting the CD player to play, possibly a few mixed wires or could be the unit we purchased is defective.

Jerry followed exactly the wiring that was on the old radio and when we tested the radio it was working. Once he put it all back together, we went to turn it on and the radio was working fine, then I put in a CD and the unit began blinking and the CD was stuck. We tried every troubleshooting suggestion and we even called the 800 number where they suggested we take it to a repair shop and we declined and said we would try a few more things or we would return the unit to Wal-Mart for a full refund...this saga will continue.

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station

23645 NC Highway 12
Rodanthe, NC 27968
252-987-1552

Charging $6 for adults, Chicamacomico (pronounced chik-a-ma-COM-i-co) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the history is apparent throughout this museum. Take the time to view the 30 minute video they have, it explains some of the details you would ordinarily miss. On certain days they do reenactments of the way they saved lives, back in the days when this was a working station, some are very interesting. Local men (mostly from the Midgett family) were hired, and were given one main task: to rescue those in peril on the sea. These brave souls, also known as “storm warriors” were willing to sacrifice their own lives to save others.

Be Sure to Check Out Our Photos

Stormy…Stormy Night!

Most of my fears were in full bloom last night as the wicked night of thunderstorms were upon us. It went on from early evening through the night all the way to daybreak. There was so much lightning, thunder right over our heads, pounding rain and of course the strong wind. The 3am wake up call was the worse, the wind was so strong, we were rocking and rolling the hardest we have felt and many of the thunder booms were right over our heads which made the ground under us shake uncontrollably over and over again as it passed. Each time we thought it was over, another round began.

The only reason I was not petrified is that we are on the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina and they do not see many tornadoes, only hurricanes and those will give us fair amount of warning. Look on a map and when you see a line coming off of North Carolina, that is the OBX. It is an eighth of a mile between the Sound and the Ocean, you can see both bodies of water from the middle of the campground, if you are elevated. It literally took us a few weeks to become acclimated with the idea that we are on this thin, long island with only a bridge on one end and a ferry on the other to get us off and onto the mainland. It was not comforting and still sends a few shivers when I dwell on those facts.

Friends

We have been busy, working and sightseeing the area since it will be coming to an end shortly. There are so many photos and stories that we have to share with all of you, just have to pull it all together. We have ate at several different restaurants, some good, some not so good. We have visited several different sight seeing areas and have had the opportunity to do some things that we had not expected.

Not only have we, as a couple become closer because of all of the daily life lessons we are learning but the friendships we are gaining has been the best thing ever. Usually, we meet wonderful people while traveling but for us to meet two couples that we get along with so very well, is just amazing. In life there are people you work with, others you have a lot in common, others not so much, but at least for us there are few that you connect with in every way as we have with these two couples. Two friendships that we know will go a long way in our lives, keeping in touch and making an effort to get together in our future travels will definitely be happening for years to come.

We hope you all had a great Independence Day and with another holiday behind us, our time here is nearing an end and time for us to get back into following the NASCAR circuit once again. The “Honey Do” list is long, so there may not be too many more outings but that will give us time to pull our stories and photos together to share with you all.