I'm certainly in the it's atrocious camp.

When I play I only have my party chained when I am moving in areas I know have been cleared of enemies/traps. Otherwise I move my party individually which is more work but means I don't have to put up with the ridiculous antics that often occur when chained. As well for the same reason I never ascend/descend ladders, ledges, or walls whilst chained. So essentially I don't actually use the chain system. One key "group/ungroup" has been a godsend.