Some of what you said makes me think they didn't like the fact that OW awards require more time and may be prone to multiple calls (due to complicated routings). Was the agent really complaining about that? Or was it strictly a complaint about people getting "too much" for their miles?
I'm sure they could cut down on call time, if they had an online search for OW availability (even if complicated bookings still had to be done by phone).
I just helped a friend with a star alliance award after US Air told him there was nothing available. By spending some time online I probably saved him and the agent at least an hour of call time.