So I complain about a WORKAROUND, and what am I offered? A WORKAROUND.

STOP GIVING WORK AROUNDS, FIX THE APPLICATION!

Instead of spending all this money on After Sales Service, invest on the solution.

This is a BAND-AID and does not achieve the desired result outside of having every customer contact your customer service. 

How much time, money and energy does it take to manage these online requests, the phone calls, the managers who have to speak with retention specialists and client service teams?

I would guess the cost and time would be GREATLY reduced and the client retention team could be a lot smaller if you just fix your product. IN turn, having happier clients, who via word of mouth talk about how much QB is to SAGE, XERO, NetSuite, FRESHbooks...

In a world where there is so much competition, you will alienate your brand by fighting/lying to your customers about your unfinished product.