(colors darkly!) I guess I misunderstood the requirement for - - votes as a guideline whose applicability was subject to a janitor's discretion.

Still, that raises a question, in my feeble brain: NTC says:

Janitors only honor a consideration when it is consistent with site policy and doesn't conflict with their own judgement, regardless of how many 'edit' votes it has. When the appropriateness of a consideration is less clear, patience is preferred over haste.

...which led this non-janitor to believe janitors have some discretion about the rule you cite.

And if I misunderstood the rule, does that not mean the (potential) loss of XP for an actual service is -- in your earlier (and well-considered) phrase, "noise that should be avoided?"