‘We're done with you': IT company shut down client's entire server after they denied technician access to equipment he needed in order to install hardware

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Eleonora Bader
Jan 21, 2024 8:00 PM EST

Some people have more confidence than they should, and this leads to lousy management, which in turn, leads to messes that can't always be cleaned up. One IT employee relayed the tale of the time his company shut down a client's entire server after they denied him access to the very equipment he needed in order to install the hardware for them… If you think that this is a counteractive move on their part, you would be right.

The boss of the company that needed IT services was not the brightest and did not even let the IT company know that they had a new hire who needed equipment. Then, he got frustrated when the IT employee could not read his mind… You know, as bright people do. One thing led to another, and the IT company had had enough… But there were quite a few pit falls on the way that you might want to check out below. Scroll down to read a detailed account of this ridiculously, and then check out this snow shoveling neighbor who at first, did right by a woman in his neighborhood by plowing snow from her driveway, but eventually, got sick of the fact that she was ungrateful, and did the exact opposite.

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  • 01
    the New deral and sblocks igidostal/ Hare un soups allocate at t locks-bledi Y group latello (US AE (qew_Sntt return WILL group tafe-group-gitar group - "We shut everything down...'
    via Canva
  • 02
    A quadruple broken contract is actually impressive Medium So i'm working in govermental service and we have a service Agreement with another goverment agency (we are a state agency, and them a newly formed federal Agency, so we provide support for them until their IT gets up and running, which hasn't happened for 2 years now...) and everytime, someone from that federal agency calls, we are all annoyed, because they see themself as superior for
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 03
    some reason and nobody likes to get yelled at, so we usually draw matches to figur out, who must answer that call. That day, i was unlucky. It was one of their higher-ups in HR "Hello, how can i help you?" "YOU FU*+&?# IDIOTS, WHY DOESN'T MR. X HAVE HIS PC YET?! HE CAN'T WORK!" "Excuse me, who? I can't follow." "THE NEW ONE, YOU INCOMPETENT A*&##/&!" "We don't know about a new employee at your site, so we'd need a official infor-"
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 04
    "GIVE HIM THE FU*+_#;/ HARDWARE!" "I can't do that without official information, according to... Paragraph 12 of our cooperation contract. Also i must advice you to calm down and consider Paragraph 36 of Said - " (12 states the need for official information to get stuff and 36 allows the one sided cancellation of the service, in case of a loss of professionality or threads towards somebody) "DON'T CARE. DO IT, YOU ******" At that point i just put him on hold, looked at my collegues, who heard hi
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 05
    Back on the phone "Sir, i'll put you through to our boss and you can get that done with him." Half an hour later, out boss comes in and gives us the order to go and provide Notebook, Monitors and so on So i drive to their office, unlock the door (our contract requires that we have direct access to any rooms containing our Hardware, this will get important later) and carry my stuff inside, Put it down and go to their boss "Hello, here to provide the Hardware for Mr. X." "What? Who? Why didn't you
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 06
    He than physically shoved me out their office and slammed the door. Now annoyed, i just shrug and drive back to my office. My boss asked, why i'm back so fast. I tell him the Story and he just rolls his eyes "I'll call them" A bit later he orders us to go back the next day (already late on the current day) and finish the job The next day, i'll drive their to find our, that they let the locks get changed and i can't enter
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 07
    My boss calls them again and gets the answer that we wouldn't be allowed in anymore because we would disturb their work. After that stupid phone call, we shut down their entire Server Rack. Their Boss called me a Minute later, why nothing was working and i told him, that we shut everything down, because a technician isn't able to access it, and we need to prevent overheating issues (their server room is famous for ~60°C air temp, because no AC, no windows, nothing, which actually breaks contract
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 08
    He begins to yell at me, threatens me and i just put him to my boss. Few months later, i get send back to their office, and, because they didn't let us in, which voids our contract and so, we sued them. It took me any my collegues 2 Trailers, but now they don't have any Hardware from us anymore
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 09
    doortothe 10 mo. ago The level Ta 1.2k of incompetency is just... astounding. Share Deyln 10 mo. ago Plus as ult. 331 Share
    via u/doortothe, u/Deyin
  • 10
    kempff 10 mo. ago edited 10 mo. ago Do I click "OK"? "Open the pod bay doors please HAL." "I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." [...] "Open the doors." "Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore." 422 Share harrywwc 10 mo. ago Please state the nature of the computer emerge... ooff! I read that in the voices! man, was HAL's voice ever so level and calm and... {shudder} brilliant voice acting by Douglas Rain 98 Share
    via u/kempff, u/harrywwc
  • 11
    ZumboPrime 10 mo. ago Insert CD, receive bacon! So let me get this straight.... 1. Didn't tell you about a new hire that would need equipment. 2. Went absolutely ballistic and ab ve because of his own failure to communicate and your lack of psychic powers. 3. Physically manhandled you out of the building when you did show up to install the hardware he demanded.
    via u/ZumboPrime
  • 12
    4. Changed the locks to prevent you from accessing the equipment you need to work on. 5. Refused further access to said equipment. What the f k is wrong with that guy? 377 Share
    via u/ZumboPrime
  • 13
    P3chvogel OP. 10 mo. ago 1. Yes 2. Yes 3. I wouldn't call it "manhandled", but rather a simple Push towards the door 4. Technically he changed them to prevent me from "annoy" them, but the effect us the same 5. Yes I think, from what my collegues told me, who knew that guy longer, he is a bit metal and nobody knows how he got any higher Position 259 Share
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 14
    fortyeightD 10 mo. ago So this is why the government runs so smoothly and efficiently. 263 Share CaneVandas 10 mo. ago 00101010 As a federal employee. To get fired you need to either sc: w up a long time or SC w up big time. I have NEVER encountered someone this unprofessional in my career. This kind of behavior will actually get you fired.
    via u/fortyeightD, u/CaneVandas
  • 15
    Verbal a It, physical adult, oh and taking actions that cost the government a ton of money. As soon as the contracting office now has to deal with why they are now getting billed because you obliterated a contract you best start looking for a new career. 252 Share P3chvogel OP. 10 mo. ago Fun fact: The contract was crazy expensive for them and would have expired in a few months anyway, so they propably safed money with that lol 75 Share
    via u/CaneVandas, u/P3chv0gel
  • 16
    uselessopinionman 10 mo. ago Being in charge rarely means you know how to handle things, lol. em. 31 Share harrywwc 10 mo. ago Please state the nature of the computer emergency! so, I am guessing their budget for their own IT got approved p.d.q.? 23 Share
    via u/uselessopinionman, u/harrywwc
  • 17
    GdotPdot 10 mo. ago This story seems a little exaggerated, or at least I hope so lol. I'm a GS and I've never seen this level of unprofessionalism and aggression, especially towards another gov agency. I've seen govies get upset at contractors and perhaps yell but never in this fashion 9 Share
    via u/GdotPdot
  • 18
    P3chvogel OP. 10 mo. ago It may have gotten a bit overdone, because i don't quite know the correct english Translations for most of the insults, they threw at me, but other than that, this is pretty much the (a bit shortened) Version how it happened lol 18 Share
    via u/P3chv0gel
  • 19
    Tireseas 10 mo. ago It was time to fire the customer right around the time of the first breach. As for the yelling, hang up on them as many times as it takes to get the point across that they will conduct themself like an adult, recording every interaction for when management inquires. 10 Share P3chvogel OP. 10 mo. ago Yeah, we've broken up that contract already. Now we only have our own internal idi- i mean users ;) 6 Share
    via u/Tireseas, u/P3chv0gel

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