The thing is, I think it depends on the manager of the store or corperation, let's use Richard Brandson for example.
He starts his company- Virgin- and he has his set of rules and regulations, which go according to his convictions and knowledge of a good way to run a business. The larger the company grows, the more outlets or franchises become availabe.
This person who owns the franchise or manages the outlet probably doesn't have the same or any of the convictions that Richard has, and while the rules and regulations are there, these people don't always follow them word for word.
I think that it depends on the person you speak to- or email- that counts, because you can get a manager that is wide awake and can immediatly spot when it is a good idea, maybe just this time even, go the extra mile and help the customer out and you can get a stupid manager that doesn't spot the chance to put the companies name in the spotlight by doing that special thing of just replacing a chip.
I think, that whoever owns NCE would do the same and replace the chip, but unfortunately for them they have other people, who work for them, that "sleep" when the oppertunity arises to follow the example and replace the chip.