I upvoted you but that's not true. The best support team can get on the phone with the other registrar and do something. They don't have to but they can. But sure they can just as easily go for the low hanging fruit.
As a registrar we have access to exclusive contacts at other registrars as well as in many cases personal relationships. If we want to help you there is plenty we can do. Yes in the end it's up to the other registrar. But there are professional courtesies as well and other ways of getting things done.
In no way have you disagreed with me. You just reworded my "Even the best support team can't do anything more than 'give it back, please, new registrar'" statement.
larrys' point is that there's a difference between begging the other registrar and using professional connections to ask for favors. Your original comment implied GoDaddy could do nothing the previous owner of the domain could do when that's not the case.
As a registrar we have access to exclusive contacts at other registrars as well as in many cases personal relationships. If we want to help you there is plenty we can do. Yes in the end it's up to the other registrar. But there are professional courtesies as well and other ways of getting things done.