This is where I find myself having to use these. Though, I greatly prefer to have the test merely check for the result of the call, if I can. e.g., if I have to post to a url to delete something, check to see if said something exists. In the end, it is not the call that I care about, but what the call was supposed to do.

This way can lead to brittle tests, clearly. But the reality seems to be that brittle systems lead to brittle tests. There is no testing panacea.