Yep so strange given it is never easy to get a charge back. Doing one now and it is like pulling teeth. I would heavily chase up a traditional refund before doing a charge back. I suspect some banks are making it too easy.
Yes for me it is last resort. Email chains go nowhere. Mentioned consumer protection laws but nothing. It's the next step before small claims court. Not having a fun day if doing a chargeback. It's very rare.
I’ve always considered the chargeback the last resort “burning the bridge” action. Problem is that merchants lately are getting way worse about customer support.
I’ve been a credit card user for 30 years, and in the first 25 of those years, I only had to resort to chargeback once. In the most recent 5 years, I’ve had to do it about 3 times. Companies in general are just way less responsive now and take their customers for granted way more than in the past.