Design Failure

So, I'm headed back to Vegas for NAB, and I got asked to change my ticket from Sunday to Saturday, get there a day early for some meetings. Unfortunately, I bought my ticket through Cheap Tickets, and while I can change that flight, I would also have to change my flight the next day, because it's sold out...

"But I'm already booked on that flight..."
- "Yes sir, but I have to issue an entirely new itinerary, and I can't do that because your second flight is sold out."
"But I don't want to change my second flight - I'm travelling with someone on that flight..."
- "Then you can't change your first flight."

I talked to the airline, and they couldn't do anything - had to be changed by Cheap Tickets. So I said okay, I'll book another flight, on a different airline, and just eat the other flight. Did that, and called Cheap Tickets for cancel the first leg:

- "I'm sorry sir, this is a round-trip flight, and you can't cancel the first leg."
"Okay, well, I just won't be taking it - I'm taking another flight down the day before - but then I'll complete the rest of my ticket, as planned.
- "No sir, if you aren't on your first flight, we automatically cancel the rest of your flights."

How is it possible to do business like this? How can somebody have an interface so crippled, so useless, that it's not possible to make a simple change like this? It can't be that they don't want to be able to do it - they were going to charge $150 US in change fees.

Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice.