[bug] iTunes ignores 'Limit Episodes' setting for Podcasts

I started having this problem a few years ago and figured it would eventually get fixed in an update. It has not. Here is my bug report:

• iTunes Version: 12.2.1.16 64-bit Windows
• Reproduction Steps:
  1. Navigate to a Podcast in the iTunes store which you are not currently subscribed to (to help eliminate any issues that might be the result of history/settings for an existing Podcast). This Podcast must have at least 11 episodes in order to use it as an example for this bug.
  2. Click subscribe on the new Podcast (Note minor UI issue: 'Subscribe' button does not change state to 'Unsubscribe' after being clicked).
  3. Navigate to 'My Podcasts' tab.
  4. In the upper right select 'Episode List'.
  5. In the bottom right select the 'Feed' option from the 'Show' dropdown.
  6. Scroll down to the new Podcast.
  7. Click on the entry for the new Podcast.
  8. Click on the settings button in the lower right.
  9. Ensure that settings are as follows (Some of these may not be related to the bug, but are listed here for reproducability):
     1. Play: 'Newest to Oldest'
     2. Sort Order: 'Newest On Top'
     3. Subscribed: 'On'
     4. Limit Episodes: '10 Most Recent'
     5. Download Episodes: 'On'
     6. Delete Played Episodes: 'Off'
  10. Click on the 'Refresh' button in the lower left (Note major issue here: Only one episode will be downloaded).
  11. If refresh doesn't download any episodes (RE: issue noted in point 10) then manually download the first 11 episodes by clicking on the cloud icon for each entry.
  12. In the bottom right select the 'Saved Episodes' option from the 'Show' dropdown.
  13. Scroll down to the new Podcast.
  14. Verify that no episodes are listed as being saved (this could otherwise explain why the episodes are not being limited/deleted).
  15. In the bottom right select the 'Feed' option from the 'Show' dropdown.
  16. Scroll down to the new Podcast.
  17. Click on the 'Refresh' button in the lower left.
• Expected Behavior: The 11th episode will be deleted since the Podcast is supposed to be limited to the 10 latest episodes.
• Actual Behavior: The episode list is refreshed, but excess episodes are not deleted.
• Reproduction Rate: 5/5 (100%)
• Impact: Moderate. Since old Podcasts cannot be deleted automatically in this workflow users may be unable to sync Podcasts with a large number of episodes to their phones due to the storage requirements of syncing all Podcast episodes.
• Known Workaround: Manually delete all old Podcasts prior to syncing to mobile devices.
• Workaround Experience: Poor. Can be tedious and time-consuming depending on number of Podcasts.

My questions to you (the community):

• Am I interpreting the expected behavior correctly?
• Is there a better workaround or combination of settings that will produce the behavior I want (excess episodes being deleted when I refresh)?
• Is there any known way to submit bug reports such as this one directly to Apple?

Thanks,

-Alex