Life is too short. Ratings help to measure progress. That is all.
On all online sites, correspondence game ratings are not valid because some people use computers to aid their moves.
Another problem is serial resignations like you mentioned. (Who knows? Maybe your opponent died. I used to play a lot of correspondence a few years ago and people playing dozens of games used to quit or die from time to time with no advance notice to their opponents.) It seemed like one of the hazards of online play.
Therefore, try not to worry about the ratings and enjoy your games if you can.
Not sure the rating rules & philosophies at Chess.com.
What games are rated, what games are unrated, what games that may have been rated are sometimes re-rated (to become unrated)?
Where are those rules shown (or discussed)?
Examples:
1. Opponent in a tournament or 2-game match (played 1 game at a time) is disqualified or had account closed by Site.
A. How are games already in progress rated?
B. How are games not yet started rated?
C. Do completed games that have been rated ever get changed to unrated, perhaps if opponent was disqualified for cheating?
Players' ratings and/or standings in a tournament may be affected if some games of disqualified (for cheating) opponent count, yet other games of disqualitifed (for cheating) opponent do not count for ratings or tournament or match standings.
2. Opponent in a tournament or 2-game match (played 1 game at a time) withdraws.
A. How are games already in progress rated?
B. How are games not yet started rated?
C. Do completed games that have been rated ever get changed to unrated?
Players' ratings and/or standings in a tournament may be affected if some games of withdrawn opponent count, yet other games of withdrawn opponent do not count for ratings or tournament or match standings.
3. Opponent in a tournament or 2-game match (played 1 game at a time) Forfeits on Time.
A. How are games already in progress rated?
B. How are games not yet started rated?
C. Do completed games that have been rated ever get changed to unrated?
Players' ratings and/or standings in a tournament may be affected if some games of Time Forfeiting opponent count, yet other games of Time Forfeiting opponent do not count for ratings or tournament or match standings.
4. An opponent starts a 2-game match (played one game at a time) with a 19XX rating (say roughly 100 points above my rating).
By time the game is nearly over, opponent's rating has plummeted 500 or more points ... apparently due to hundreds of multiple Time Forfeits.
Then opponent time forfeits incomplete game with me, when down 3 pieces and facing mate in a few moves.
Game is rated and due to opponent's recent rating drop, I only receive 1 or 2 rating points for the victory.
Apparently I was on the verge of earning a few handfuls of rating points (perhaps 15 or more, not sure), after playing well against a solid 19XX opponent. Yet his tragic, multiple Time Forfeits (my guess) in hundreds of other games dropped his rating to merely 14XX by time he forfeited our game. And thus (apparently) the win was rated as against a mere 14XX opponent.
5. Does Chess.com adjudicate results of any incomplete games (Win, Loss or Draw) under any circumstances, or ever rate such adjudicated game results, or ever relatively adjust match/tourney standings of the other players?
6. Is there a Chess.com limit on the number of Online games a player may simultaneously be playing?
If not, should there be (even perhaps for a premium member)?
7. If you invest many hours over several months playing a long tough game, and opponent has to drop out (withdraw), or Time Forfeit for any reason (health, unwillingness, or simply inability to continue to play--perhaps due to job or family circumstances, etc), seems like there should/could be some reasonably fair guidelines on how to handle the results (for rating purposes, and/or relative standings in matches or tourneys).
8. I'm not a premium member (but may one day be), but if players start with extremely low starting ratings (1000 or 1200 perhaps) and have to play at least a hundred long games over months to achieve a more accurate rating, and like to use their general rating trend as feedback on whether the player is learning and playing better (or not), every instance of weird rating results (whether fair or not) detracts from that arduous & challenging effort to play well, and play even better over time.
9. Not really complaining (though things do seem unfair at times).
10. Friend just pointed out that my opponent with all the Time Forfeit games is now 11XX rated.
We still have another game (2nd game) to play in our thematic match (awaiting opponent's first move).
If he truly is 19XX strength (higher than me), and happens to somehow play the 2nd game (not Time Forfeit again), and does win, I'll lose a ton of points & he'd gain a ton of points.
In our particular Gambit Theme match, Black seems to have a significant advantage; I had Black in 1st game; now he has Black, so he'd indeed be favored to win.
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Just curious how Chess.com handles these scenarios (guessing I'm not the only one who has observed these situations) and what is its philosophy on each such topic.
Thanks in advance for any player or Site responses.