The way i see it (and im sure botters would not agree), why pay for a game, only NOT to play it?

ok, so you skip the bits in the middle that drags at times, so what. When you go to work, do you sit in traffic for ages, letting out a little sigh at "those traffic lights", or do you click your fingers, taking you instantly from work?

Traffic lights, every time. Why, because thats part and parcel of the whole package.

Ok, FFXIV isnt work, but to pay out £ or $ (which you worked for) it seems silly not to get every last bit of that out of the gaming experience