The Two Saga....

It happened again...another call and another debackle over the number two.

-I'll give you the number and then transfer you through
-OK
-1-800-26
-3 6?
-no...2 6
-3 6?
-no...2 6
-3?
-no, 2
-3?
-no, 2 the number before 3
-3? I don't understand
-no, twwwooo
-3?
-no, T-W-O
-T-W-O
-yes 2
-I don't know what you're saying
-T-W-O
-I don't know what you mean
-2 the number after 1 but before 3
-3?
-no...2 not 3
-3?
-no...2...twwwwoooo
-2?
-yes
-2 6x xxxx
-ok so the number is 1-800 26x-xxxx right?
-yes
-NOT 3?
-NOT 3
-OK transfer me.
-Ok thanks...

Again English was not their first language...but still is it really that hard. TWO!!! It's not even close!! I can't seem to change my accent to make it sound more like the number two to other people. I told someone about this problem and they told me not to change my accent but it's kind of hard with calls like this. Although some people are nicer than others and I usually end up apologizing for my accent. Some people are just plain rude though...

-so what is the number?
-888...
-what?
-888...
-what is that!?!? it it it
-sorry it's my accent I mean 8...the number after 7...
-8?
-yes..
-so 888?
-yes 888 xxx xxxx
-so 888 xxx xxxx?
-yes
-fine. Learn to speak properly!

That person is actually an assistant to one of the people I have to deal with and since I'm in the central office and her main point of contact you would think she'd be nicer to me.
I'm still totally perplexed that people keep thinking I'm Australian. The Northern Irish accent does not sound remotely close to being Australian. Although I remember years ago Naomi told me someone asked her if she was Jamaican...not close at all. The funny thing is that recently in the past 2 weeks I've been told 4 times I sound really Canadian...can't see it myself...especially with my TWO! Maybe I need elocution lessons for how to pronounce my numbers...or maybe next time I'll just bang the receiver off my desk...

T-W-O

Ok so I know I'm a 'foreigner' but really I don't think my accent is that hard to understand. I know some words cause people difficulty in understanding and I know which words they are...usually numbers. Particularly 2 and 3 whereby people think the number 2 is the number 3. I had one such person today...I even spelled it out T-W-O and he thought I said 00... I mean come on!!! It is not difficult to understand. And then after going through a gruelling conversation where I tried to tell him the number was 2 8 not 3 8 I gave up and said yeah ok and he said "That's what I told you!!??!'...but it was me giving him the number!!! Just when I thought it was over he calls back and tells me the number is for the hospital and asks me for the number again so I repeat it again (now I should point out that the guy is a foreigner too and his accent is not the easiest to understand...BUT at least my primary language is english). So we go on the repeating venture again. I offer numerous times to get the guys to call him instead but get told point blank no he's going to call him. So the guy keeps saying he can't understand me and can he speak to someone else. I had to keep saying no there's just me...it was awful and he was so rude!!! It's 2...2...TWO!!!! NOT HARD!!!