miles isn’t free but more importantly I could have easily bought revenue ticket far cheaper months ago when I booked these flights. As I explained - the fare for just one way return leg now is higher than entire return flight.

and I have not been accusatory. Far from it. All the reps agreed with me but were turned down by their higher ups as this is wrong.

well. I will keep you posted once I take action - am pretty sure it should have been a simple rebook to keep my itinerary protected.