Are you saying that the application of refinements is ONLY supposed to work at NPC shops? I was able to apply them in my house on Test Center and got the message along the lines that I had skillfully and expertly applied the refinement. So what's the point of the message being the same in both locations? It doesn't make sense that you get the same message in both places and then in other places you MIGHT get another message but it doesn't seem to affect anything, i.e., you still end up making the plating, etc. Can you please explain further what the intent is so we know if things are properly or we need to report something as a bug?
You can take the components (Wash, Scour, Polish etc) and combine them with the raw materials (Alloy, Braid, Solvent) anywhere. Doing so will yield you plating, resin, or threads. These refinement tools need to be used at one of the locations mentioned in the message.
