People just want to cheat the system. I never used these services and I'm doing very well in my opinion. Maybe it's a good alternative for a while but I don't see how getting 2 dollars back is a better investement when one can make really GOOD posts and attract loyal followers who will upvote them in the long term.
Once you stop paying these services you would need to put an extra effort to compensate the lack of real followers. And really this is not how Steemit is supposed to work. First you find your pack of trusted followers and then the money comes.
Yes many authors don't get what they deserve, but with enough dedication at one point things change.