LordKano's reaction doesn't seem unreasonable to me, either.

I understand why they did it.

My decision to make them persona non grata was about not rewarding them for behavior that negatively impacted me.

To be denied a career opportunity just because the gatekeeper is biased is unreasonable if you ask me.

That's why I strongly prefer reaching out to companies without any middlemen. The more people are involved, the worse for me.

It seems like a prudent business decision on the agency's part, to be honest, rather than some kind of underhanded anti-employee move.

Agreed. Like it sucks, but I can't fault any of the actors in this story. They are all just looking out for themselves.