That's my serial number?!

[Depot Denizen]

I had a call just now. Student bought a computer through us a few years ago, and she found out it was stolen last night. As such, I'm giving her info about the machine, make and model and version. I give her the serial number of the computer...now, it's hard to hear letters over the phone, so I use names or words for each one. So Frank-five-frank-six-david-blah blah.

She seemed puzzled, and asks if she's supposed to give that serial number as one word when she talks to the police. She then asks if her father chose the serial number, because his name happens to be Frank. I try hard not to laugh, and then tell her that it's all one word. I hear her mull it over, and then it dawns on her that I actually meant F5F6D blah blah and not the long one.

My coworker was struggling not to laugh out loud, as she could hear the conversation, and suggest that I post it here.

[Naaman]

Going with the NATO phonetic alphabet can help sometimes, there's an off chance they may remember it from a movie

[Lachrymose]

That's why I usually start out by saying "F as in Frank," etc. for at least the first couple letters when phonetically spelling something.

[Depot Denizen]

I usually remember to that, but I'd been so frazzled from all the orientation students coming in I had forgot -_-

[Sandman]

Going with the NATO phonetic alphabet can help sometimes, there's an off chance they may remember it from a movie

I use that all the time and it actually makes it easier for the person over the phone to make sure that they heard me correctly.

[technical.angel]

but I'd been so frazzled from all the orientation students coming in I had forgot -_-

I will feel your pain Sunday after next. That's when our program from incoming freshmen start. I get to come in for a few hours to get the kiddos all set up on the network, so I don't have to worry about it once they start and don't have a free moment from 8-5.

[Seenoevil]

I always find it fun to use the Silent Alphabet in times like this

[smileyeagle1021]

Going with the NATO phonetic alphabet can help sometimes, there's an off chance they may remember it from a movie

until you get some stupid TA who has never heard it before and ask you what Delta Airlines has to do with her email address (the first letter was D...)

[earl colby pottinger]

Considering

until you get some stupid TA who has never heard it before and ask you what Delta Airlines has to do with her email address (the first letter was D...)

The fact that it(or a version of it) regularly shows up in TV shows, movies and a range of book including just about every book for teaching the alphabet to children, you have to be very clueless not to understand.

[JustADude]

The fact that it(or a version of it) regularly shows up in TV shows, movies and a range of book including just about every book for teaching the alphabet to children, you have to be very clueless not to understand.

Yep, and you can actually sound pretty badass doing it, too.
"Confirmation code Delta Zero Three Eight" sounds so much cooler than "Confirmation code D-as-in-David Zero Three Eight".

[daleduke17]

The NATO alphabet for those who may not know what it is:

Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Kilo
Juliet
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whiskey
X-Ray
Yankee
Zulu

[Naaman]

...you have to be very clueless not to understand.

Forgotten where you are?

[mattm04]

Once a custoemr came in and told me that a car had left their lights on. They had the plate and car description written down. I made the page "attention shoppers their is a <color> <make> model> with <state plate> <number>". The first time I used regular language for the tag number the second the NATO alphabet.

[Apallo]

My coworkers and I have been playing around with making our own phonetic alphabet. We've been using it for our constant calls to "big brand box" 2nd level tech support. So far we've agreed on the following:

A as in angry
B as in bathtub
C (haven't reached a consensus on this one yet, between captain and catapault)
D as in Death
E as in ear
F as in phantom (one of our favorites)
G as in Grape
H as in Hopeless
I (haven't really figured out a good one yet)
J as in jabberwock
K as in Kill
L as in Leper
M as in Maim
N as in necropsy
O (O is almost never used in serial #'s it's usually a zero)
P as in pain
Q as in quail
R as in ribald
S as in satan
T as in Talisman
U as in umbrella
V as in vindictive
W as in Wrath
X as in xylophone
Z as in zepplin

I hope you enjoy our list! It amuses the techs (at least those who understand what we are on about) that we talk to on tech support.

[technical.angel]

My favorite is spelling out cmd for the command prompt.

"C as in Cat, M as in mouse, D as in dog"