Depends... on which CSR you get!
I got the Starwood Amex a while back and they gave me 1 yr gold status free. So I called HHonors and said "I am a Gold Starwood Preferred Guest, can I be comped?"
The answer was "Yes". Guess I was lucky.. got the nice CSR on the first try.
My advice.. keep trying until you get one who does it for you.
Bean