Before clicking on that 'buy' button, after checking on the "I have read and understand the T&Cs button" one should actually spend a couple of minutes actually reading the T&Cs.
Yes, I know, it's like reading a manual for your computer, or your car, or that latest kitchen gadget. You don't need to read any frigging manual, you know how it works.
But there would be a lot less grief if you understood up front what is expected of you, and what you can expect from the airline.
These terms are not negotiable, but it's your choice if you click on buy, no one is twisting your arm.
Caveat emptor.
P.S. The industry made an average of $8 per passenger, last year (one of the most profitable ever) so of course the airlines must be money-grubbing fascists! It's no wonder that Warren Buffet is accused of saying "Had I been at Kitty Hawk, I would have shot them both."