Well, i own 200 domain and they are all on auto extend, if you actually think that someone needs to input card details and extend then lol
Bad press is basically from people that don't understand this, same as people crying that withdrawals take time, like it's something extraordinary on the BTC network.
I own over 200 domains as well. All renew automatically well before the expiration date. You can choose whether they auto renew or not. You can choose whether you the registra has your card details on file or whether you manually top up the balance. You can also choose how many years you register for in the first place. You can usually choose to extend the registration period at any time. People registering for more than a year or two at a time might suggest that they have confidence they'll still be around.
Everyone understands this unless they've been living under a rock for past 20 years.
There have been lots of cloud mining companies that looked legit and turned out to be scams. People are right to be cautious and look out for sights HashFlare isn't legit. HashFlare themselves should be mindful of this and make every effort to demonstrate they are legit as that leads to more sales hence profit for them.