If you work in a travel agency, you obviously don't know how to do your own job...
You get what you pay for. In your case, you got a great price in exchange for no ability to make changes on the cheap. Sorry you don't like the outcome. I work with European airlines on a regular basis, and this is no different from the policies used by AF, LH, or BA.
"Get 'em E"...lol This has become very funny!