I say this every time i start to play again

Assuming it gives the refund properly in all cases (I made a note to do some testing, since some claim they don't see the refund), there is still a difference between this and Banish.

Arguably, Vortex's effect pre-Transfigure is the DESIRED effect in most situations (removes roadblock without giving nora for spells). While post-Transfigure, the Banish type effect is the desired effect (removes roadblock and most likely preventing redeploy).

Of course, the general suggestion of relocating the unit near the Avatar (post-transfigure) would generally be the opposite of what you'd want as the player using Vortex, thus is not exactly the best fix.