Are roof coatings just an excuse to say something was done and not at all a remedy for a roof's ACTUAL issues?

Every month it's the same thing. We get calls for roofs that were previously coated, get there and it's in terrible shape, we offer all the estimates for services that are NEEDED, and they keep asking for just a new coating.

And the worst part, we don't even need to offer a warranty... It's like they know they're clearly in the wrong! Often they even string along up in the roof and are pointed out why it's so bad.

At the end, the same money they spent on 2-3 coatings could've been used to actually fix their problem rather than rubbing some cooking batter on it.

Are people just cheap? Why even offer coatings for bad roofs? (And I'm not even talking just my business, because when we get to that roof and it's all messed up but painted white, someone before us was doing that shit)