Researcher clearly what happened to you with regards to the listing agent does sound bad. I think that you should have documented your case and presented a formal complaint to the DRE when the case happened. You could have (and probably still can) file a complaint with the DRE against both the agent and the broker.
You did not mention how long after the listing went active that you or your agent called the listing agent.
The poor behavior exhibited by the agent is not going to get remedied unless people who are directly affected make complaints to the DRE. While it may be considered ineffective or useless, it is the best means to attempt to get agents to behave in a more ethical manner that we have at our disposal today.
In the future I would urge you to document things, SUBMIT WRITTEN offers regardless of the phone conversations, and have your agent make the contacts and submissions as this will bolster your case.
What happened to you does suck, however they may have well accepted the other offer by the time you called. I am not saying it is right.
