I would add that I'm probably not as annoyed by other people using the word "deserve" now as I was at the time that I first wrote this, as its meaning is usually fairly clear from context (and you can ask the other person to clarify if it's not), although I still pretty strictly try to avoid using the word myself.

A third way that people sometimes use the word "deserve" is in cases where the "X" in "X deserves Y" is an action rather than a person (e.g. "that performance deserves a standing ovation" rather than "you deserve a standing ovation for that performance"). In those cases, I try to make a habit of saying "X calls for Y" instead, though I'm even less concerned about other people saying "deserve(s)" in those cases.