Jeff wrote in message ...
all went fine, I got handed off to phoenix approach, I was at 12,000 ft
on top of the layer, no way into phoenix except through that mess
either. So I asked phoenix for my IFR and he said I was cleared into
class B and to decend to 7000 and he would look for my clearence. I
start my decent, between some clouds and he comes back and says to turn
toward carefree if I want to pick up my IFR because he was to busy. no
one was talking except me.

Jeff, with regard to "no one was talking except me". Be aware
that a controller can be handling 2 or even 3 frequencies, and
also depending upon how his airspace is set up he may need to be
doing a lot of coordination by phone.

So he might not be talking to anyone else on your freq, but he
still could be busier than a 1 armed paper hanger.

We've been bitten ourselves where we did something (took off,
descended) on the idea that we would be able to get our clearance
promptly then for one or another reason we couldn't and we didn't
like where we wound up. My bottom line now is, if I'm not comfortable
with flying VFR, I want to stay where I'm comfortable until I get
that IFR clearance. It doesn't sound like you were comfortable
descending and dodging clouds/Class B airspace and you only did it
because the controller told you he would "look for your clearance"
and you thought that meant you'd be cleared promptly.

Re the "look for your clearance" thing, where did you file the
IFR flight plan to originate? If you had the IFR flight
plan commencing in someone else's airspace (say, just outside or
just above the airspace the TRACON controls), the controller you
are talking to may not have a strip on you or any info on you.
He will need to figure out whose airspace the flight plan originated
in and call them up and say "depart this guy for me, would you?"
then and only then the info will come through. That can be
low on the priority list if he's busy. You can help yourself
there by making absolutely sure your flight plan actually originates
in the airspace of the controller you're talking to (this can be
harder to figure out than you might think), or, if there seems to be
some problem offer to call FSS in the air and refile.

I'm not familiar with the Phoenix airspace or area so I don't
have much other comment. Maybe he was a bad controller -- or
maybe he was just a busy guy doing too much without enough
help and with a bunch of screwball pilots who weren't doing
much to help him out.

FWIW,
Sydney