I know the Switch's online service is flawed. It's just very strange that the Switch's paid service is simply more limited than the free online service of Wii U and 3DS.
The Switch marked the return of the infamous Friend Codes, which didn't exist on Wii U. The ability to contact friends online was possible with Miiverse on older Nintendo consoles, but nothing similar is possible with the Switch. What's more, I personally have better experiences with Nintendo Network online services than with Nintendo Switch Online (fewer error codes and so on).
The Switch marked the return of the infamous Friend Codes, which didn't exist on Wii U. The ability to contact friends online was possible with Miiverse on older Nintendo consoles, but nothing similar is possible with the Switch. What's more, I personally have better experiences with Nintendo Network online services than with Nintendo Switch Online (fewer error codes and so on).