All of this pales in comparison to my BA experience. Had 2 J awards LHR-CPT that had to be cancelled a week before the trip. I also paid about $1200 in taxes and APD.
Took me 2 months (and countless calls to India) to get the miles back on 1 ticket and another month for the other (same PNR, same credit card ). The money took even longer (4 months) and I am still $80 short. I finally gave up - couldn't face another call.
So - OP's experience with AA is not so bad - yet