I would go back to them and try to speak to the guy in charge of the dept, I was lucky as when I came out RAF experience tended to count, and i subsequently went from section L to EASA, indeed a FSgt I knew did his on the Herc, after all there is a Civi variant. A lot are simply office staff today that do not know what they are spouting, i still haven't managed to get a group rating issue resolved on my licence.