No you're right, the system is not hard. However you're assuming people know the system. I did. let's face it I cannot tell a lie, I did know I was due a $5 credit, but being the antagonistic cough that I am, I wanted to see what would happen if I didn't speak up. $5 for F&B that I didn't really want, was a sacrifice I was prepared to make! But what it did show....in abundance, was that the FAs did not speak up and say "oh sir, did you know..........".
So your claim that "they aren't hiding anything" should be footnoted by "in my experience" rather than belittling those that have had a different experience. In "my experience" you're wrong. So please do not speak in a condescending way to me, because I know I speak for many others who may not realise they're due a 5 buck credit, no matter what your experience is, hence I agree, it's theft by deception! If it's not, why do they not just give everyone a $5 snack like VA does or even better still, remove the $5 from the ticket and let people decide for themselves if they want to spend it?