i completely agree with your sentiment, but i will also say this.

As an expat, this feature has enabled me to transact with locals from the convenience of my phone, even though i don't have any local line and i will not bother to get a local SIM card, nor do i want to have a US SIM and a local one interchangeably.

It also enables me to be very effective when requesting services on demand, and cutting thru the on-hold time, disconnected calls, or the needless chitchat.

I have many bad things to say about WA, but making living more difficult in a foreign country is not one of them.