I just flew an AS award on AA in F yesterday (CLT-SMF) and had no such experience. I checked in using the AA app and the AA confirmation number, and my BP reflected zone 1/priority/first class. My first segment (GSO-CLT) was in coach and my BP reflected zone 4/priority and I was able to select MCE at check in for free.
I thought the experience was perfectly acceptable. Wasn't happy about having to spend 32.5K, but being that I booked the ticket about 12 hours in advance, I wasn't in a position to negotiate when the alternative was $700 for a coach ticket on the cheapest routing.