Are freemium systems unfair towards players?

I have kind of made my position clear on the issue. (Please Click Here To Read My Thoughts) I am wondering what you think about systems that reward people for buying virtual items in order to move up in the ranking systems and the like. (Such as Clash of Clans Virtual Gem System) In case you do not realize what freemium games are they are games in which the game is technically free but have in-app purchases that usually reward players for spending amounts of money. In some cases freemium systems are sometimes almost unnoticeable to players. In more and more cases it seems like it is almost required to buy a virtual item in order to get on the leaderboard or to progress even if the game itself is technically free on the App Store/Google Play store. Some players speculate that it could eventually or has ruined games While other players say that it allows people to play their games for free without paying a single cent and it is worth it if it is free. There is also talk that it helps the studios make more money.

   What is your thoughts on the issue? Should companies make freemium games or is it extremely unbalanced most of the time? Can the issue be compromised? Please feel free to add your comments in the comment section below to share your thoughts.