ACR FLC RECEIVED AN UNCONSTRUCTIVE RESPONSE FROM APCH CTLR WHEN THEY RELATED THAT THEY COULD NOT COMPLY WITH A XING RESTR CLRNC.

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AT THE ABOVE LOCATION; ZTL TOLD US TO CROSS ERLIN AT 13000 FT AND 250 KTS. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A RAPID DSCNT FROM FL240 AT 320 KTS IN ORDER TO SLOW TO 250 KTS AND BE AT 13000 FT IN 30 MI. SHORTLY AFTER THIS CLRNC; WE WERE ASKED IF WE COULD SLOW TO 270 KTS IMMEDIATELY AND STILL MAKE THE RESTRS. WE REPLIED 'NEGATIVE;' CTR THEN GAVE US A 30 DEG L TURN AND TOLD US TO SLOW TO 270 KTS. AS WE APCHED RMG HE GAVE US A 60 DEG R TURN AND AGAIN TOLD US TO CROSS ERLIN AT 13000 FT AND 250 KTS; AND HE GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE TO ATL APCH. WHEN WE COULD GET THROUGH ON THE NEW FREQ; WE INFORMED THE APCH CTLR THAT WE COULD NOT MAKE THE RESTR. HIS RESPONSE WAS 'ROGER.' WE SAID; 'UNDERSTAND THE RESTR IS REMOVED.'HE SAID; 'NO; THAT'S NOT MY AIRSPACE; I'M JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE THE RESTR.' AT THIS TIME WE WERE OVER ERLIN INTXN AT 14000 FT; 270 KTS. I WOULD POINT OUT THAT WE WERE THE 4TH OR 5TH ACFT IN SUCCESSION WHO HAD TOLD THE CTR CTLR THAT WE COULD NOT MAKE AN ERLIN RESTR BECAUSE HE HAD WAITED TOO LATE TO ISSUE A DSCNT CLRNC. IT APPEARED FROM THE TONE OF VOICE ON THE PART OF THE APCH CTLR THAT HE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY ACFT WERE BEING HANDED OFF TO HIM BY ZTL. WE WONDERED WHY WE WERE TALKING TO THE CTLR IF WE WERE NOT IN HIS AIRSPACE. AFTER THE 4TH OR 5TH ACFT; YOU WOULD HOPE THAT THE CTR CTLR WOULD REALIZE HE WAS GIVING UNREALISTIC DSCNT CLRNCS. IT APPEARS THAT SUCH CLRNCS ARE REGULARLY GIVEN ON THE PART OF CTLRS TO 'FILL A SQUARE' AND COVER THEMSELVES WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRACTICALITY OF THE CLRNC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 308084: INSPITE OF OUR BEST EFFORTS WE BUSTED THE RESTR BY ABOUT 1000 FT; BUT DUE TO HVY TFC ON THE FREQ WE WERE UNABLE TO PURSUE THE PROB AND WE CONTINUED THE APCH. IT APPEARED FROM THE TONE OF VOICE BEING USED BY APCH CTL THAT HE HAD BEEN HANDED SEVERAL ACFT HE CONSIDERED MISHANDLED BY ATC ZTL AND HE WASN'T GOING TO HELP RESOLVE SOMEONE ELSE'S MISTAKE. WE WERE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE BTWN 2 CTLRS.