C-41 processing question- am I taking crazy pills?

[Outdoorsman]

I live in a rurual area where pro labs are just not a happening thing. So when I found a custom lab within 20 minutes of me, I was very happy. The lab tech, at one point, said I could get my print film to act more like slide film for more creativity. He said the automatic printing machine for their C-41 work could be set to not adjust the prints for correct exposure, thus allowing the photographer to have more creative control. That lab is now closed, unfortunately.
I went to my local one-hour lab yesterday and asked if they could do the same thing. They said that their machine does not adjust the prints in any way, but they would be getting a new machine soon that does. I think they are wrong, and that they have no idea how to use the machine. I told the lady that I recalled one roll where I bracketed a few shots, but forgot to ask them to not adjust the prints. The three prints were identical, which tells me that their machine adjusted the prints' exposure. She still insisted that the machine had nothing to do with it. She also tells me that they are able to reprint badly exposed prints individually, which tells me they at least have the ability.
My question is: are they crazy or am I? They must be able to turn off the auto setting. I guess this question begs another: what is it called when the C-41 lab makes a print without any auto correction applied? If I knew maybe I could jog their memory with a technical term they may have skimmed over in the operator's manual five years ago. I just really think what I want can be done, and probably with only the push of a few buttons. What is going on here? Was the lab tech from the first lab lying to me? Or am I taking crazy pills?