A B767-300 CREW HAD ATC HANDLING PROB IN ZTL CLASS A AIRSPACE.

Narrative

I WAS THE PF ON ACR FLT ABCD FROM NEW ORLEANS TO ATLANTA ON OCT/XA/00. UPON CHKING IN WITH ZTL AT FL280; CTR GAVE US A RIDE RPT SAYING 'LIGHT CHOP RPTED AT FL280.' AT THAT TIME; I TURNED TO THE CAPT AND SAID 'YEAH; SO WE'RE NOT AT FL280; SO WHO CARES?' THE CAPT THEN RESPONDED TO THE ATL CTLR WITH 'ACR ABCD; ROGER.' APPROX 8-10 MINS LATER; ABOUT 5 NM FROM THE NEXT INTXN; ZTL ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO BE AT FL280 BY THE INTXN. THE CAPT TOLD CTR WE WERE NOT ASSIGNED FL280 AND THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD MEET SUCH A RESTR. THE CAPT ASKED ZTL IF WE NEEDED TO DO A 360 DEG TURN TO DSND. ZTL SAID 'THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY; DSND NOW TO FL280.' THE CAPT ANSWERED 'OUT OF FL350 FOR FL280.' WE WERE THEN TOLD TO SWITCH FREQS TO ANOTHER ZTL CTLR. UPON CHK-IN; THE CAPT ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY PROB WITH US NOT BEING AT FL280 YET. THE NEW CTLR SAID THERE WAS 'NO PROB.' DURING THOSE INITIAL XMISSIONS CONCERNING THE CHOP AT FL280; WE BOTH NEVER HEARD 'DSND' OR 'CROSS' AS IS STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY FOR AN INTXN RESTR. NO OTHER ACFT WERE VISUALLY SIGHTED OR DISPLAYED ON TCASII DURING THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE. NOR WERE ANY RADIO XMISSIONS BLOCKED BY OTHER ACFT. THERE WAS A PLT JUMP SEAT RIDER; BUT AT THE TIME OF THE INITIAL CHOP RPT; NO CONVERSATIONS WERE TAKING PLACE. SINCE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH AN INSTRUCTION NOT HEARD; THEN IT BECOMES ENTIRELY INCUMBENT UPON THE CTLR TO LISTEN FOR A CORRECT PHRASEOLOGY IN THE READBACK. NOT JUST A 'ROGER.' IF THE CTLR HAD QUIZZED US AT ALL ABOUT THE RESTR AT THAT TIME OR DEMANDED THE CORRECT PHRASEOLOGY IN THE READBACK; THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROB WITH COMPLIANCE.