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Scenario:

I made a call to a call center, but I didn't receive proper reply; hence, I again called the call center. Executive there picked up my phone. My conversation went like this:

My name is XYZ. I called your executive sometime back and discussed my problem but he didn't give me satisfactory solution. Hence I called you again.

Or Should I Say.

My name is XYZ. I had called your executive sometime back and discussed my problem but he didn't give me satisfactory solution. Hence I called you again.

Which conversation of mine is correct?

Should I use past perfect or simple past? Why?

Please explain me uses of simple past and past perfect

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  • We don't call people who man the phone lines in call centres executives - that term normally refers to a person with senior managerial responsibility in a business. There isn't really a standard word for all contexts. You can often use [Customer Service] representative, but since in your specific context you're actually talking to another such person, I'd say one of your colleagues. And note that it's ...didn't give me a satisfactory solution (these points are much more important than the verb tense issue). Commented Nov 19, 2015 at 12:58

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You use Past Perfect only when you place the action earlier than another action which already is in the past

For instance:

I had already done the homework when mother came home.

The washing machine had finished its programme by the time I woke up.

Here, you don't need Past Perfect, because you don't place your action (having called) behind another action in the past. Present Perfect or Past Simple are fine here.

So, using Present Perfect:

I have called earlier but with no satisfactory answer...

but in speech many people use Past Simple:

I called earlier ...

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