Even when BFL dished out their first mining rig, I had warned people about it. I wasn't sure about Avalon, but I found the BFL pre-orders fishy. Not just me, but a lot of users posted warnings here. But some people never bothered to listen to them. That is why I am smiling right now and they are crying. I am not trying to mock anyone... but just posting the facts.
Agreed; when the price of bitcoin goes up, you're better off usually having bought bitcoin...
However, there is money to be made in the mining if you time it correctly as well. I look at it as a hedge to pure bitcoin ownership... which I'm certainly a fan of as well.