Such an easy philosophy... And yet, somehow, some people think that "stuff" should never happen, or should always be reimbursed with compensation (or retribution, should compensation not occur). Thankfully, they seem to be a small few...

Unfortunately, while you may have missed it, the OP reported getting compensation from the 1K line earlier in the thread. It's IMHO a sad state of affairs when companies (or individuals) are willing to shell out compensation to silence even the most unreasonable complaints because it's faster/easier/cheaper than standing their ground...

I don't claim to know the correct (vis-à-vis official policy) course of action... but I do know what I think is the right course of action and what I would have done in the GA's place - which, incidentally, is what happened.

I don't think that really matters; even if the OP made the story as favorable to himself/herself as possible, most people still disagree with the OP's premise and recognize that what did happen is what "should" have happened (however you define "should"). That, at least, makes me not lose all faith in humanity...