to think this woman is a bit crackers?

[Kladdkaka]

I'm wasting time on MN working very hard on my next assignment in my husband's office and a lady comes in from a firm of decorators who are repainting all the windows in the university. She asks nicely for all the stuff around the windows to be moved so the painters can crack on when they've finished the ones further along. Fair enough.

Then she asks my husband to unlock the door in the corridor so they can get access to the remaining windows. Husband politely tells her no, because they don't have security clearance. She gets rather insistent and again he tells her that it's a high security area and only people with clearance are allowed in there. She then starts arguing with him on the basis that the maintenance department have authorised her team to paint all the windows and therefore he MUST let her in. He responds that she may well be authorised by the maintenance guys to go in, HOWEVER, he is authorised by the National Security Services to ensure she stays out.

She's stomped off now to report him to the maintenance manager

YABVVU to think she's crackers. She's not clearly understanding the meaning of security clearance, but not crackers, no.

Ok, I'll take the bait.....a university you say - what the hell is so secret? is your Dh involved in some massive genetics thing or nuclear or summat - and yes, how come YOU are security cleared?

It's not secret, just the secure area of the chemistry department. Wouldn't want some poisonous gas cloud accidentally floating out across the country.

I agree the DH did the right thing. I just think it's OTT to call her 'crackers' when it sounds like a very basic mistake.

In that case your DH was NBU.

She must have got the wrong information.

I read chemistry at uni, and we never had a "secure area" and we frequently let noxious clouds out into the surrounding area! LOL that a locked door is going to make a difference

the paint the decorators are using is probably far more dangerous

Crackers? No. I think she was just trying to do her job.

Not accepting your husband's authority doesn't make her 'crackers' - it just means that she is following instructions from elsewhere, and doesn't think your dh matters all that much.

I think it's quite clear that Kladdkaka is on the "non cleared" side of the door, as she witnessed the non-cleared lady having the discussion.

Your husband could have been more helpful, telling her what/who she needed to do to get clearance, as it clearly hadn't been explained. Is it obvious that he has the authority to deny her access (e.g. is he a security guard?) if not she might just have thought he was being arsey!

Phantom, I was being a bit tongue in cheek with the noxious cloud comment. It's actually the area where they deal with research into nuclear waste recycling. The students aren't allowed in there either.

Pah ha ha, security clearance at a university, I've heard it all now

I have no problem believing there is a secure area at a University.

I have a problem with you calling her crackers for doing her job.

Why would Kladdkaka lie about something like security clearance?

What's so strange about particular areas of a university requiring security clearance?

Yeah, I was being unreasonable calling her crackers. Sorry. It's probably because I'm a bit naive and always take being told I can't do something as gospel, therefore have trouble processing a situation where someone does.

Haha this thread has made my day. It's so pointless and yet we are all still posting on it

Or is it just my warped sense of humour

• does question it, that should read.

There are plenty of pointless threads on mumsnet. :)

Yeah, I am like that too kladd, so I know what you mean. But personally I'm also the sort of person who if one person has told me to do something, and someone else tells me different, I have a bad habit of thinking the second person must be wrong. I reckon that is why she got irritated with your DH, not anything else at all.

I thought it was fairly normal for some areas in universities to be restricted access. Loads of places have key cards now, don't they? It's normal.

Fairenuff, I know, I'm bored. We need a p&c thread.

Now if she had started throwing things and calling your husband names and throw herself down on the floor having a tantrum, then you could call her crackers.

Maybe we could have a thread about p&c parking requiring security clearance? (Oh no, I'm not bored...)

LRD, if one says yes and t'other says no, I have full on autistic meltdown

She was probably just p'd off that having thought she got everything necessary organised, she then discovers that there is more to it and the people who should have known this and advised her in advance so she could do the necessary didn't bother to mention it.

She's probably regretting shooting the messenger (your DH) who was not at fault as we speak!

That said he could have pointed her in the direction of where to go to get it resolved. :)

Noooo p&c threads, Please. :(

Well, I am not autistic but I also find it incredibly annoying when that happens!

Vermicious, the Sainsbury's near us did that, well sort of, you had to have a special card to lift the barrier. It caused civil unrest and had to be removed.