They took a risk and got bit by, frankly, not understanding how the system works and basically ate the spikes.

It’s the exact same idea as insurance. You don’t buy insurance because you think you’ll take the insurance company for a ride, you buy insurance to even out your costs. If someone hits you, you don’t need to fork out tens of thousands of dollars for medical bills and repairs, but you will fork that out over time instead with more manageable payments.

If you don’t want to see scary bills, then pay a little higher average prices so you end up with a consistent bill.