With 21 years in Customer Service I speak from experience.
Many times it is the willingness of the person on the phone to do or not do, rather than the corporate guidelines that empower them to make resolution.
There are people in this world that 'hear' your dilemma, get in your mind and have you help them think them through to an acceptable resolution for your situation, go above and beyond to do the 'Right thing Right'.
Then, there are those that should have stayed home so they could get up on the right side of the bed. Hopefully, those are the few and far between.