that was the worst free spins round ive ever seen
Ten free spins can come in under 2x, yeah. The bonus can just miss, and a couple of little line pays with all those blanks in between gets you nowhere. 34 cents back from a 20 cent spin is a pretty poor round, but nothing there says the feature failed. Hard to say how often it happens on that game without knowing which one and seeing its feature stats. Some bonuses just end with a few small pays and no decent hit.