Everyone in the ISP/Transit world does it though, trying to double dip by charging their customers for service then trying to charge other to peer with them unless it’s in their favor to peer freely.

Peering should be best effort, and as close to free as possible when you already have a presence in a location. I understand some cost to cover the hardware necessitated by peering, but the only person being charged should be the customer you’re providing a service in my opinion.