ACR X UNAUTH CLB NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC CLB THROUGH OCCUPIED ALT HAD LTSS FROM ACR Y. SYS ERROR. PLTDEV.

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I WAS WORKING WHEN CPR X DEPARTED CHARLOTTE AND CLBED TO 8000 FT. ACFT Y DEPARTED ANOTHER FIELD AND WAS GIVEN A CLB TO 12000 FT. X SAID WAS THAT FOR US. I SAID NEGATIVE ACFT 2 CLB AND MAINTAIN 12000 FT. I THEN TOLD X TO MAINTAIN 8000 FT. X READ BACK 12000 FT AND I MISSED IT. X CLBED THROUGH THE ALT OF ACR Z AT 9000 FT. X AND Y WERE ON SEPARATE FREQS. THE SECTORS WERE BUSY AND TRYING TO GET SPLIT OUT. SUPVR WAS TALKING TO ME. CLRNC BEING ISSUED OFF SATELLITE FIELDS. X WANTED A CLB SO BAD AND THOUGHT HE HEARD THAT. I WANTED TO CORRECT IT; ISSUED 8000 FT; AND WANTED TO HEAR THAT. TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF READBACK ERROR FALLS WITH ME. X QUESTIONED THE ALT ONCE WITH NO RESPONSE. QUESTION IT AGAIN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 268323: CLBING ON ASSIGNED HDG OF 250 DEGS TO JOIN DEP TRANSITION. CLRED TO 12000 FT BY CTLR. 12000 FT WAS READ BACK BY FO. UPON TOPPING OVCST AT APPROX 9200 FT; SAW DC-9 AT 2 - 2:30 O'CLOCK POS HDG APPROX 180 DEGS AND 200-500 ESTIMATED FT ABOVE OUR ALT. DC-9 APCH IN LEVEL FLT. DC-9 PASSED APPROX 1500-2500 FT TO OUR REAR. NO EVASIVE ACTION NECESSARY BY EITHER ACFT. CTLR ASKED US TO VERIFY OUR ASSIGNED ALT TO WHICH FO RESPONDED 12000 FT. NO OTHER COMMENTS FROM CTLR. BELIEVE CTLR HAD EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 268313: CTLR MADE XMISSION X TURN TO 250 DEGS FOR INTERCEPT 270 DEG RADIAL CLT VOR AND TO CLB TO 12000 FT. (XMISSION WAS BROKEN TOWARD END.) WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPEATED INSTRUCTION TO TURN TO 250 DEGS AND CLB TO 12000 FT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 268801: Z WAS CLR OF THE CLOUDS; ABOVE AN OVCST; ON THE SHINE ARR INTO CLT. APPROX 10 NM NW OF CLT WE WERE LEVEL AT OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 9000 FT WHEN THE APCH CTLR GAVE US A L TURN TO 090 DEGS AND ADVISED US OF TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK; SAME ALT. WE THEN SPOTTED A CITATION AT 2 O'CLOCK PASSING OFF OUR R AT WHAT WE ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN 1 MI. WHY WAS THE WARNING NOT ISSUED EARLIER AND SECONDLY; WHEN THE WARNING WAS ISSUED; THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ANY SENSE OF URGENCY. THE WORD 'IMMEDIATE' WAS NOT USED. THE CTLR USED OUR CALL SIGN AND ADVISED US TO TURN L TO 090 DEGS AT WHICH TIME MY FO AND I WERE BOTH REACHING DOWN TO RESET OUR HDG BUGS TO THE APPROPRIATE HDG. I TOOK THIS AS A ROUTINE VECTOR AND COM UNTIL THE CTLR GOT TO THE PART ABOUT 'SAME ALT.' WE HAD BARELY INITIATED THE TURN WHEN WE SPOTTED THE TFC ALREADY AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK PASSING OFF TO OUR R.