DC10 FLC DISPUTES SCT MULTIPLE CLRNCS WHEN CHALLENGED ABOUT DSCNT ALT.

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WE WERE CLRED TO TNP AND THE PDZ ARR INTO LAX BY ZLA AND TOLD TO CROSS KONZL AT OR ABOVE 17000 FT. SOCAL THEN TOLD US TO CROSS TRTLE AT OR ABOVE 16000 FT AND THEN DSND TO 14000 FT. ABOUT 5 MI FROM PDZ; WE WERE GIVEN CLOCK POS 2 O'CLOCK FOR BRASILIA THAT WE WERE TOLD WE HAD A LOT OF OVERTAKE ON. WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE BRASILIA AND WERE GIVEN ITS POS AGAIN AND ALSO AGAIN TOLD WE HAD A LOT OF OVERTAKE ON BRASILIA; WHICH WAS GOING TO N RWYS. AT THIS TIME; ABOUT 2 MI FROM PDZ; WE WERE TOLD TO CROSS ARNES AT 10000 FT AND MAINTAIN 250 KTS (WE WERE AT 340 KTS). WE WERE UNSURE WHEN SOCAL WANTED US TO SLOW; SO WE ASKED 'WHEN DID YOU WANT US TO SLOW TO 250 KTS?' SOCAL RESTATED 'CROSS ARNES AT 10000 FT AND MAINTAIN 250 KTS.' ABOUT 3 MI FROM ARNES AT 10000 FT AND SLOWING TO 250 KTS; SOCAL SAID THAT OUR LAST CLRNC WAS TO 12000 FT; BUT THAT WE COULD REMAIN AT 10000 FT. WE CONTINUED A LNDG AT LAX. I CALLED SOCAL ON THE LANDLINE AND EXPLAINED THIS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. I WAS TOLD THAT WE DID EXACTLY AS INSTRUCTED AND THAT THE CTLR WAS IN ERROR ABOUT OUR CLRED ALT. I BELIEVE THESE TYPES OF ARRS; WITH XING RESTRS ON THEM; CAUSE LOTS OF CONFUSION. WHY DIDN'T SOCAL CLR US FOR THE PDZ 3 ARR RATHER THAN CONTINUALLY GIVING US ALTS THAT WERE ESSENTIALLY ALREADY ON THE ARR. I BELIEVE THE SOCAL CTLR WAS SO CONCERNED BY THE BRASILIA ACFT THAT SHE GOT CONFUSED AS TO WHAT OUR CLRNC WAS. THIS IS A VERY BUSY APCH EVEN WITHOUT ALL THE ADDITIONAL CTLR ALT CLRNCS.