Quick parry has always been in the game via the Combo Feint to Parry technique (CFtP). Skilled players have always known this and abused this, rendering them nearly untouchable. It's just now new players can also abuse it because it isn't obscured behind combo-feints and instead works at the click of a button.
I agree with you it is a bad mechanic because it removes the ability to consistently punish a bad swing, but the devs have been aware of it from the start and they fully intend it to be this way.
use=/= abuse
the game is balanced around it, and we're trying to make the combat feel more responsive going forwards, i.e. less restrictive lockouts and then other ways to bypass defense.