Collocation Access

Mon Oct 23 16:56:49 UTC 2006

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006, Craig Holland wrote:

> I just ran into something for the first time, and apparently it isn't
> that uncommon.  AT&T was asked to install a circuit into a collocation
> facility where, like any I've been into, required them to show a
> government ID.  They refused claiming it was against policy.  After
> making some calls, I found out there are union regulations which
> restrict AT&T from asking their union employees to hand over personal
> property, ID's included.

I rant in to this situation recently.  When I placed my order I made sure 
that the sales droid understood that it was in a datacenter facility and 
that ID was required to enter.  When the tech called the day of the 
install he said that they can't surrender their AT&T ID (which the colo 
would accept, I guess) and that "company policy" prohibited him from 
surrendering his personal ID.  I said fine, whatever, meet me outside the 
facility and I'll go do the needful and let you know if the circuit is 
good.  I then called my sales droid and told him about it and said that we 
would not be paying the install fee for the circuit since their tech 
wouldn't be doing any work.  The sales droid was unfamiliar with the 
"policy" and asked me to have the tech call him to confirm.

So I get to the datacenter and meet the tech.  I give him the number of 
the sales droid and ask him to call and explain the policy - I wasn't 
paying for the install and he needed to know why.  The tech got all mad 
and then proceeded to give his ID datacenter security folks.  I told him I 
didn't want him violating company policy and he then admitted that it 
wasn't company policy - they had just been told that they didn't have to 
use their personal ID if they didn't want to. He proceeded to lecture me 
about how he works for AT&T and thus shouldn't have to provide his 
personal ID.  Never mind that I do the same thing every time I go there.

Basically, in my opinion, AT&T sent me a tech that had personal objections 
to the requirements of the job at hand, requirements that I had made clear 
to the sales droid up front.  So if you're running in to a situation like 
this make sure your sales droid knows that this could happen and that 
making sure the install happens smoothy is his job, not yours.

-- 
                                John A. Kilpatrick
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