Certainly at the worker bee level we all can agree that most certs are not worth the paper that they're printed on, however when you start looking at what the company needs and requires then, yes, the certs do provide some value.
Imagine signing a multi-million dollar contract with a data center. Part of the contract are clauses for things like QOS, DR, and a whole host of other very tiny details which are so, so important in the contract. Now, lets say that the data center goes down (fire for example), along with it your business. Now you're out major bucks, you will be turning to your lawyers and asking if you can sue for breach of contract. The lawyers are going to review the contract, see what the certs mean, review the certs and the data center's answers, and then tell you if you do or do not have a case.
And that's why the certs are important. Because they spell out exactly what the data center will do in case of [fill in the blank], and gives the data center coverage which is then enforced by your contract.