How do you say numbers over the phone?

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: NSFW

Originally posted by: mjrpes3
I often have to give SIM numbers over the phone with Nextel. I will individually say each number, but group them in threes, so there is a slight pause after every third digit, making it easier for the support person to keep up.

I've never gotten the hang of saying out loud an alphanumeric code over the phone. The nouns that come to mind to go along with the letters are never appropriate... A as in ass, B as in boner, C as in wise and beautiful woman, D and in douche, etc... so I always pause and wait for the support person to come up with an appropriate noun.

I make it a point to use weird words when I do that, but I try to make it sound like I am being serious. Every once in a while I will get a military guy who will "teach" me the right way.

Little things help pass the time during the day.

"Yes... yes... OK ready?"
"OK here's the serial number"

"Ok thats P as in Pneumonia"
"K as in knew"
"G as in Gnome"
"H as in heir"
"M as in mnemonic"

"are you getting this?...."

 

[Red Squirrel]

I worked at the helpdesk which included 611 support. That pissed me off too when people either said it too fast or grouped them. You get used to it after a while but yeah it's hard to get and if you ask to repeat they get mad. Worse is people with weird names. Why can't mothers name their children something easy to pronounce and spell? Like wow, some of the names we deal with sometimes are just crazy. Thankfully most of the time if I caught the first name and part of the last name I could find it in our system.

What I also hate is when people spell out a name but they'll just blurb out words that match those letters without any warning. Like if their name is peter they'll go "My name is Papa Echo Tango Echo Romeo" really fast, it's kinda hard to catch the actual name off that if they're going fast. Now if they go "P as in Papa," and so on it's not so bad.

 

[Locut0s]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SKJ2wHgfRw

 

[Sluggo]

There is one number I give out a lot at work.

More people get it correct if I say ten-O-nine, than if i say one-zero-zero-nine. Whenever I say the latter, it always comes back to me as 10009, who knows why.