Other than that wrinkle, by the way, I found the AA RTW desk to be super professional, helpful, with a decent sense of humour too, and willing to work through all the details until the journey is right. Far from the usual call centre experience one gets with airlines these days (if indeed your favourite airline still answers the phone *at all*).
AA's RTW desk still has some terrific agents who are helpful and knowledgable. Unfortunately, there are also some who aren't in the same league. Especially if you get a helpful agent, be sure to complete the two-question survey at the end of the call. In addition to rating the agent highly, take the option to leave a brief voice message. It can be a big help to the agent. You don't need to say much, just (for example) that the agent was friendly, professional, skilled, and helpful.