: I would've seriously reconsidered spending $400 on this damn box if I had
: known this... -_-

Is there a clause in the Gold agreement that says you are paying for and will be guaranteed dedicated servers for all internet-based matchmade gaming features?
We get a LOT for gold. Some people like what we get, others want different. If you don't think it's worth it, you don't need to get it. But to claim that you're not getting what you're paying for... you'd need to back that up ;)
At worst, we're paying for "a lot of extra stuff you wouldn't have otherwise". Which is kind of a cop-out, but at least then you can say you don't think gold is worth what they give.