Do you mean, like, you could fit the bag in the sizing rig only if you put the wheel side in first, so that they stick out of the sizer? That is, most sizers are just a metal frame, so things not on the edges of the rig can stick out of it, such as wheels. That said, wheels are normally located very close to the edges of the bag; it would be unlikely that a bag with wheels sticking out could fit in most sizing rigs.

All airlines are certainly in their rights to enforce the rule on bag size, and nearly all of them say that if you have wheels, handles, or what not, they all count towards the measurement dimensions. There are plenty of airlines that may be forgiving if it looks like the bag is small enough without the wheels (especially if the wheels are partly "inside" the bag's frame, rather than attached to the bag, the latter which is common for many spinner bags), but they don't have to be. I can see some of the OP's frustration as this explicit point (about wheels) isn't explained on quite a handful of airline websites, including Etihad's (it only gives you the total and individual dimensions; it doesn't tell you how to measure it). Whether or not it is reasonable to say that it should be obvious / taken for granted that wheels should be included in the dimensions without needing to explicitly saying so on the website, is likely debatable.

I haven't heard of stories like the OP has related very often at all. Even on LCCs, like Easyjet, that have very strict guidelines on luggage, most of the time people have obviously too big carry-ons because they are packed too fat / bulging, or clearly too big to begin with, not that the wheels caused them to be just over. That said, there is a story on this page which might show that the OP's story is not isolated: http://www.baggage-allowance.info/et...gage-allowance (look for Prasher).

For the OP, I'm not sure if they are just trying to vent and relate to anyone else caught out, or trying to see if there might be a case to get something back from EY. I'd send feedback to EY anyway, although I'd expect just a formulaic reply without any sort of compensation at all. I suppose it's still good to let them know even if any gesture of goodwill is not forthcoming.