Denise had wondered what we were going to do today.  Now we know.  I called the insurance company with which we have an extended warranty on our trailer.  The television is covered but I can't just go buy an new one and plug it in.  Oh, no...  It's their policy that all repairs have to be performed by a licensed repair facility.  I said I didn't know one needed a license to plug in a TV but the customer service rep (and I use the term loosely) reiterated the policy.  OK, so if they want to turn a $150 claim into a $300 claim, why should I care?

I checked at the office and they recommended a mobile RV repair guy that works the entire western slope.  Thus they didn't know if he could get here today.  I called the guy and explained the situation.  He said he could be here in the afternoon.

So we went to Glenwood Springs, about 20 miles back toward I-70 and bought a new TV at Wal-Mart.  I'm starting to think this is going to be the Wal-Mart vacation.  I took careful measurements before we left to ensure that I bought a TV that would fit in our entertainment center. 

The television we had before was a Phillips Magnavox 25" cheapie.  No stereo.  No s-video.  Just a coax input in the rear and one speaker in the front.  Well I was ready to buy the most expensive fanciest TV I could get that would fit in the hole.  I'd show that insurance company just how stupid they were.

But unfortunately, the only TV that would fit is a cheap assed 24" Sanyo for $144.  No stereo.  No s-video.  Just a coax input in the rear and one speaker in the front.  Sound familiar?  The only benefit of this on is at least it has the RCA inputs on the front.

The TV is secured in the cabinet with 4 screws that go through the wood into corresponding plastic holes in the TV.  But of course this new TV didn't have the holes in the same spot as the old one.  Well that's OK, I'm sure the repair guy will have a drill.

Gary arrived around 2:00 pm.  I apprised him of the situation and told him that we just needed to drill 4 holes to correspond to the holes in the bottom of the new TV.  He said that sounds good in theory but there was no way to figure out where those holes should be drilled.  It would be absolutely impossible to figure out where to drill and have everything line up.  Well I guess I've hung around Earl too long because I disagreed.

I took a piece of cardboard from the new box and cut it out to fit the shape of the bottom of the entertainment center.  Then I put the TV in the entertainment center and marked where the front of the TV sat.  Next I removed the TV and turned it upside down.  Then I placed 4 broken toothpicks in the corresponding holes in the bottom of the TV.  I lined up the cardboard template with the marks I had made on the bottom of the television.  Once I was sure everything was in place, I pushed down on the cardboard and the toothpicks pierced the cardboard.  I placed the cardboard back in the entertainment center and said, "OK, now drill."  Gary had just seen the impossible and couldn't believe it.

Gary must have felt like he wasn't doing anything to earn his money.  After the holes were drilled, Gary got down on the floor to screw the screws from the bottom side of the wood through the holes and into the TV.  Well now he was sure my plan didn't work because the holes weren't lining up.  I told him to let me have a try.

I took another toothpick and used it as a pilot to find the first hole.  It took a little while but once I found the first, the rest didn't take long at all.  We were done by about 3:15 pm.

But Gary did earn his money when he called and dealt with those assholes at the insurance company.  He spent at least 30 minutes trying to explain that there was 4 items on his invoice.  The TV, sales tax, his service charge for showing up, and one hour of labor.  I don't remember the exact amount but finally we settled on seven cents less than what it added up to.  I will never buy the extended warranty again.  It's about the same as those stupid rebates.  Nothing but hassle in an attempt to make one just go away so they won't have to pay.

OK, well that shot most of the day.  We barbequed some steaks for dinner and watched our new TV.

 Questions, Comments, Praise, Complaints?
Please send me an email at  drew@mykitchentable.net.