Yep. If they want people's money to play with with these pre-orders they have to offer compensation that equals the loss in the event their dates end up being so much smoke on the wind.
if they hold up their end they get interest free financing and their customers benefit with new hardware that gives them an advantage. if they don't hold up their end they pony up to an extent that makes it a wash for their customers.
without that, or something like it, you're absolutely right, these pre-orders are a losing game for the customer.
Really though, we just shouldn't be doing business with them unless they have product in hand. Exhibit #1: Hashfast and their MPP. They are late on shipping the product and
if they ship the MPP it'll be too little, too late. Taken as a hypothetical, the idea that any level of compensation, that wouldn't bankrupt the company and screw customers in the process, would be sufficient given the growth rate of difficulty is a pipe dream. The only real way to prevent problems with pre-orders is not to place them.