I feel this will be a never ending discussion because many fail to understand what the difference is.
Most of the people complaining used to focus solely on pve. They have their advantage there but of course lack any advantage in pvp because they didn't do anything to improve their pvp quality.
What if I brought pve gear in World of Warcraft in a high end pvp arena? I would get destroyed because my gear is not used for this type of setting.
If you are a collector and still are complaining then it is on you. You can still catch up by making sure your pvp teams are g12 but it would indeed need time.
Same as in other games where you can choose what to focus on; if you been focusing on pve/raids/tbs all the time and then suddenly try to play high end pvp you are supposed to be destroyed.
If you think I am wrong, look at your past first and then tell me what is wrong about my statement