That's crazy and just not acceptable! No TA that I have ever used has had higher prices and non-refundable deposits!! They always give me at least a bit of OBC, wine, flowers, etc. Are you in the USA?
My TA does the work and makes the calls to the cruise lines for me, that's what they get paid a commission for!
Good luck in finding a good TA and save yourselves a lot of stress!!
~Nancy