MightyI think that part of the problem is that TF2C admins ban people without any warning, so you don't really expect to be banned. Normally in forums or such, people are warned with something like "If you continue doing ___, then we'll have to ban you." That just isn't there in TF2C. It's just zero to a full 1Y chat ban.
They should also give different sentences based on the amount of time you've done something wrong.
That's how we actually set up the entire banning system. Give a minor verbal warning (or a really light punishment for a few hours/day) to warn the person. repeat offenders should be punished a bit harder incrementally.
And most of all, use the public forums to show how the moderators or even admins got to that conclusion.
That kind of died down when the founder kept banning people without a ban reason.