well, I called in at midnight CST.. call volumes were extremely high (hmm.. I wonder why?), the automated voice said 15 minutes, but it was more like 8 minutes on the phone.. no problem getting the upgrade, but the guy sounded harried and put me on hold (ie, he was new at doing this, just like everyone else).

moral of the story: I'm glad I'm not silver or gold

I know I'm not going to be this hard core about upgrades in the future (I just happen to be awake at midnight a lot) so we'll see how the year goes. good luck to you all!