My sense is that a lot of agents have been burned by folks who don't understand (or don't want to understand) that upgrade list position is a dynamic thing that can go down if a higher status flyer shows up. I have seen folks throw hissy fits because they had checked in very early and "told" they were first on the list and then a few 1Ks appeared and got ahead of them. As with many such things, after being screamed at a few times the agent's respons is sometimes to stop sharing the info. If I ask, I usually make it clear that I understand that the position can change but just want to know where I stand at the moment.