A300 FLT CREW LNDG MEM IS QUESTIONED BY ATC FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH APCH CLRNC.

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ON APCH TO RWY 18R MEM. APCH CTL WAS VERY BUSY WITH A LOT OF TFC AND TSTMS IN THE AREA. WE WERE ALSO BUSY HAVING LOADED OUR THIRD CHANGE OF APCHS INTO THE FMS. WE WERE ON A VECTOR AND DIRECTED TO SWITCH TO FINAL CTLR. ON CONTACT; FINAL CTLR GAVE US WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS OUR POS AND CONTACT AND THEN TOLD US TO TURN TO A WESTERLY HDG FOR VECTORS FOR RWY 18R. I READ BACK EXACTLY JUST THE HDG. WE TURNED TO THIS HDG. CTLR CAME BACK VERY ANGRY AT US FOR TURNING EARLY. APPARENTLY; HE HAD CLRED US TO START OUR TURN AT 12 DME; INSTEAD OF IMMEDIATELY; WHEN WE WERE AT 14 DME. SURPRISINGLY; THE ACFT BEHIND US DID EXACTLY THE SAME THING; AND THE ACFT BEHIND HIM ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION. CTLR WAS VERY UPSET AT US ALL AND TOLD US ALL TO LISTEN UP. UNFORTUNATELY; I FEEL THAT THE CTLR WAS SOMEWHAT OVERWHELMED AND CONSEQUENTLY HE WAS SPEAKING EXTREMELY FAST AND WAS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. ADDITIONALLY; WE ARE SO USED TO GETTING JUST A VECTOR FROM APCH; THAT A FEW OF US MISSED THE DME REQUIREMENT. THE CTLR STOPPED GIVING THE DME REQUIREMENT AFTER THE 3 MIX-UPS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 619460: WE HAD 3 RWY CHANGES. ON THE LAST CHANGE; THIS IS WHAT WE HEARD: '...YOU'RE 12 MI NE; TURN R 270 DEGS.' 2 MINS LATER; HE SAID; 'HEY ACR X; YOU TURNED TOO EARLY.' SO WHAT I GUESS HE SAID WAS; 'AT 12 MI; TURN 270 DEGS.' WE ORIGINALLY READ BACK 'ROGER; TURNING R 270 DEGS.' HE SAID NOTHING. AS IT TURNS OUT; HIS ARTICULATION OF WHAT HE WANTED US TO DO WAS NOT WHAT HE WAS SAYING OR APPEARED TO BE SAYING.