None of these were my first contact with them. The original conversation started on the web chat, then there were two more emails before that long one. I only sent that ridiculously long message after they specifically requested more detail.
Regarding your last point though… you’re right, it’s probably a waste of time. I too have hit numerous dead-ends with Apple Support in the past.
Well, there's "more detail" and then there's information overload, LOL! Self-editing is a crucial skill that I didn't really learn well until college, when I had a professor who had "W" (wordy) written in the margins of my papers frequently.
Additionally, I'm guessing 99.99% of people wouldn't even notice what you're referring to, so I'm not surprised Apple, as a large company, isn't taking this all too seriously.