ACR X REFUSED CLRNC DUE TO COMPANY OPERATING MANUAL.

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WHILE FLYING ON A FLT PLANNED RTE FROM SDF TO MEM; A ZME CTLR CLRED US DIRECT MIDDY INTXN. PER OUR COMPANY OPS MANUAL; IF THE CREW HAS NOT BEEN OVER THE RTE FILED IN THE LAST 90 DAYS -- THEY MUST FLY THE FULL FLT PLAN RTE. I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT WE COULD NOT TAKE A SHORTCUT/DEV IN OUR RTE. THE CTLR WAS CONFUSED AND ASKED WHY NOT. I EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD TO STAY ON THE FILED RTE. HIS NEXT XMISSION WAS OKAY; FLY CNG; DYL; MIDDY; MIDDY 1 (THE FILED RTE). THIS SEEMED NORMAL. AFTER A FEW MIN OUR NEXT RECEIVED XMISSION WAS FROM HIS SUPVR -- ASKING WHAT THE PROB/CONFUSION WAS -- AND WHY WE HADN'T FOLLOWED THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS. WE HAD HAD NO INDICATION FROM THE PREVIOUS CTLR OF A CONFLICT OR PROB; SO NOW WE WERE CONFUSED. AT THIS POINT THE PF/CAPT ASKED THE CTLR WHAT HE NEEDED US TO DO. HE TOLD US TO GO DIRECT MIDDY FOR ACFT SEQUENCING. WE AGREED TO THE DEV; AND RPTED THAT THE FIRST CTLR DID NOT INDICATE HE NEEDED THE DEV FOR SEQUENCING; WX; CONFLICT; ETC. THAT WAS THE LAST XMISSION PER THAT EVENT. IF THE INITIAL CTLR HAD A PROB WITH US NOT DEVIATING; HE SHOULD LET THE CREW KNOW WHY AND WHAT - - NOT AGREE AND THEN CALL HIS SUPVR TO THE CHANNEL. THIS CREATED MORE CONFUSION.