I have visited the USA twice this year, and found the power outlets in expensive hotels, serviced apartments, and office buildings to be of a much lower build quality compared to those of my home country, Australia.
In my two months in the USA, I observed more arcs and electrical crackling noises than I have in the rest of my life in AU.
I'll add my anecdotal 2c :it's the same as you. The UK plug is overkill, IMO, but the US plug is downright nasty. The lack of 'off' switches in the majority of them is a problem. I always figured the problem stems from the original design, which was probably a version 1.0, as the USA was the first to get electricity into homes. That's why other countries have superior systems - they had time to learn from the problems and design better systems, with built-in grounds, isolating switches at the point, and higher voltages (220/240 vs 110).
But I could be all wrong, as I'm no expert beyond having a drawer full of adapter plugs.
In my two months in the USA, I observed more arcs and electrical crackling noises than I have in the rest of my life in AU.
Just my anecdotal 2c.