you people are over analyzing to much
everything before phase4 will be wiped.
everything in phase4 will carry over to launch, unless some complications make it that they will need to wipe. they always state this in pretty much all betas of all games, but i have never seen them actually wiping between beta and launch. So your char and progression will both carry over to launch.
you can import your chars in ph3, and i dont see why you wouldn't be able to change the looks of it then; it will be wiped anyways, and then you can import it again in ph4.
unless they ACTUALLY do wipe stuff in ph4 (minimal chance) your changed appearance will carry over.
If they do wipe, you'll import your char in launch a 3rd time, and change its appearance again.
there's no reason to think only characters/looks will carry over, but not data; they stated that there's likely not gonna be any wipe in ph4, and if there's no wipe, ALL will carry over. It makes no sense to only save char creation...
Why would SE care about whatever progress we did or didn't do? it doesn't affect them in any more than if someone was PLd through all content 1.0 had to offer, in a month; then someone gets bored and quit.

Btw service account means anyone who had an ACTIVE account by last save. Simply having ever played FFXIV doesn't qualify you for ph3...at least i think so but good for them if they can get in then ^^