I’ll agree that there are instances where it works, but the tricky part is knowing who those were. I love your second example because I worked at one of those stores and the manager could definitely get things done if you were polite and got the employees to advocate for you.

But, we wouldn’t be much use in the first example because all applications were online, and the GM didn’t interview anyone until HR told them to.

They have since closed that store, so there are only authorized agents in my town, and there’s not a damn thing they can do for your billing issues.