Yeah, that sucks. My personal favorite is getting dropped into one that spawns me directly under a Shrieker; good times that, lol. I've gotten lucky on most occasions where the players I'm matched with run either Tier 1 or 2, but sometimes there's a 3 thrown in for laughs. Have you tried the activity with a premade fireteam?
I haven't yet either and I wonder if it would make the whole more manageable. I appreciate it being matchmade for a quick run to knock out a bounty or something but trying for anything requiring Tier 3 like the seasonal challenge just seems like the odds are not in our favor.