I guess it's true, no good deed goes unpunished. The GA did everything he/she could to get you on the flight. Under similiar circumstances, I would have thanked the GA for making every attempt and wouldn't have expected my bag to be pulled.

Last thing I'd want to do on a holiday is delay 50 or 100 people (and the airplane itself) just so I wouldn't be separated from my bag for a couple of hours.

That's just me though. Maybe others feel differently.