If players can't readily use it? I'm lvl 55 and because I have to level a crafter to max level (alongside my main job) just to jam a rock into a slot, I have never used materia. Most of the people I've talked to in game say the same thing. They just ignore it unless its a very high quality item and they have the gil to find someone with the actual skill needed to meld it.

Why bother with materia slots on low level items then? I mean I get that SE loves its asinine things but surely they don't have to put in a system that taunts the player with almost every piece of leveling gear? Just make materia viable for non max level crafters, or better yet, put stats on gear instead of materia slots so players don't feel like they're getting cheated with underpowered gear.