OP - You are still letting attitude get in the way of plain English. Presuming that you choose to purchase a deeply discounted non-refundable ticket and save money by doing so (generally a good decision), you take on the risks of some delay. Those are generally right in the COC. So, paying close attention to them matters.

If you fly a lot, as most people on FT do, it doesn't matter whether you get a refund or a credit because you simply use the credit the next time you fly. That's why some of the attitude on the other side.

But, presuming that you meet the COC criteria, you get a full refund to your original form of payment and all you are out is some hassle and whatever it is that can't be cancelled on the other end of the trip (thus, the value of travel insurance which is cheap).