Class Warrior
Let's set the WABAC Machine for March 10, 2007.
I'm arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, CO., where a company is having a conference and SuperDiamond is to be the entertainment after several days of meetings.
Apparently, the policy for Ritz-Carlton is that any person that is not a guest is to check in at "loss prevention" when coming onto the property.
This, in and of itself, isn't really a big deal, a lot of places "require" that.
The problem arose during the sign-in process.
They asked to see a picture ID. Not remarkable on its own.
The real problem arose when they "required" that they KEEP my ID for the entire time I was on property.
Now, the only picture ID I have is my (now) Colorado Driver's License.
So, let's be clear about how I feel about showing identification.
I really don't like leaving a credit/bank card with a bartender/waiter (yes, I know I was a bartender, and how hypocritical that sounds), but I do it because I am within a comfortable distance from my cards.
I also tend to find a place I like, so I get to know the staff, and thus, they learn that I'm not the type to run out on a tab (and that I'm a good tipper, provided I get good service) and don't have to leave a card.
So basically, my policy is:
I don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.
This didn't go over so well with "loss prevention"
On this particular day, I picked up a colleague, and drove us both to the gig.
He apparently didn't have a problem giving up his ID.
I guess he couldn't understand my objection to handing over my ID, as he asked me "What are they going to do with it?"
Apparently the "loss prevention officer" couldn't understand either, as they said they'd never had anyone refuse to surrender their ID before.
As I learned a short time later, my employers had done an event there for the last couple of years, and the first time, had to give up their IDs, but in subsequent years, apparently didn't deal with "loss prevention" and so didn't give up their IDs.
But it appears that that was not really intentional, and basically just happened.
Once I raised my objections to surrendering my ID for the better part of a day, they apparently realized that there were some people on property that hadn't checked in properly, and some "loss prevention" staff went up and raised hell with everyone else in my company.
So since I was unwilling to surrender my ID to Ritz-Carlton, I was not allowed on their property, and so I just drove back home.
I did try to compromise with the security people and offered to let them photocopy my license, but that was unacceptable.
I found it amusing that in order to get a parking access card, one has to surrender their license, but when I pointed out that it was illegal to drive without my license, they couldn't come up with a response for that.
It's unfortunate that it turned out that way, and I'm sorry that the people that did stay had to cope with one less person than was supposed to be there, and that the one person was the lighting guy, so they had to do things that weren't their specialty, but it was just something I couldn't live with.
As I said, I just don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.
But there's another reason why I was specifically against their policy.
As far as I'm concerned, it's discrimination.
Do they require that all the guests that stay at the Ritz-Carlton surrender a photo ID to check in and be on property? How about all the attendees of the conference?
Of course not.
If they did, anyone that stayed there would be appalled and outraged, and would take their money elsewhere.
But as a 'contractor', it's apparently assumed that I'd just not question their 'security' policy.
Because I'm not paying the daily rate ($650 and up) to stay at their resort, I'm suspect of something.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Since I don't have 30 billion dollars in the bank, I must be some kind of criminal, just waiting for an opportunity to rob their guests blind, blow up their hotel, or whatever other thing us po' folk are always plotting to do.
I'm arriving at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, CO., where a company is having a conference and SuperDiamond is to be the entertainment after several days of meetings.
Apparently, the policy for Ritz-Carlton is that any person that is not a guest is to check in at "loss prevention" when coming onto the property.
This, in and of itself, isn't really a big deal, a lot of places "require" that.
The problem arose during the sign-in process.
They asked to see a picture ID. Not remarkable on its own.
The real problem arose when they "required" that they KEEP my ID for the entire time I was on property.
Now, the only picture ID I have is my (now) Colorado Driver's License.
So, let's be clear about how I feel about showing identification.
I really don't like leaving a credit/bank card with a bartender/waiter (yes, I know I was a bartender, and how hypocritical that sounds), but I do it because I am within a comfortable distance from my cards.
I also tend to find a place I like, so I get to know the staff, and thus, they learn that I'm not the type to run out on a tab (and that I'm a good tipper, provided I get good service) and don't have to leave a card.
So basically, my policy is:
I don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.
This didn't go over so well with "loss prevention"
On this particular day, I picked up a colleague, and drove us both to the gig.
He apparently didn't have a problem giving up his ID.
I guess he couldn't understand my objection to handing over my ID, as he asked me "What are they going to do with it?"
Apparently the "loss prevention officer" couldn't understand either, as they said they'd never had anyone refuse to surrender their ID before.
As I learned a short time later, my employers had done an event there for the last couple of years, and the first time, had to give up their IDs, but in subsequent years, apparently didn't deal with "loss prevention" and so didn't give up their IDs.
But it appears that that was not really intentional, and basically just happened.
Once I raised my objections to surrendering my ID for the better part of a day, they apparently realized that there were some people on property that hadn't checked in properly, and some "loss prevention" staff went up and raised hell with everyone else in my company.
So since I was unwilling to surrender my ID to Ritz-Carlton, I was not allowed on their property, and so I just drove back home.
I did try to compromise with the security people and offered to let them photocopy my license, but that was unacceptable.
I found it amusing that in order to get a parking access card, one has to surrender their license, but when I pointed out that it was illegal to drive without my license, they couldn't come up with a response for that.
It's unfortunate that it turned out that way, and I'm sorry that the people that did stay had to cope with one less person than was supposed to be there, and that the one person was the lighting guy, so they had to do things that weren't their specialty, but it was just something I couldn't live with.
As I said, I just don't leave anything, anywhere, ever.
But there's another reason why I was specifically against their policy.
As far as I'm concerned, it's discrimination.
Do they require that all the guests that stay at the Ritz-Carlton surrender a photo ID to check in and be on property? How about all the attendees of the conference?
Of course not.
If they did, anyone that stayed there would be appalled and outraged, and would take their money elsewhere.
But as a 'contractor', it's apparently assumed that I'd just not question their 'security' policy.
Because I'm not paying the daily rate ($650 and up) to stay at their resort, I'm suspect of something.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Since I don't have 30 billion dollars in the bank, I must be some kind of criminal, just waiting for an opportunity to rob their guests blind, blow up their hotel, or whatever other thing us po' folk are always plotting to do.
posted by urbnsol at 1:28 AM
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