Yeah, I've heard people say that, too. In my own personal experience, once a woman thinks of me as a friend, it means that she is never going to think of me as a potential lover.
Here's how that strategy always played out for me:
1. Became attracted to a woman
2. Became friends with her
3. Never got anywhere serious with her
4. Got to hear her talk about the guys that she was dating
5. Finally got up the nerve to ask her out
6. Got gently rejected
7. Came to resent her for never seeing me as boyfriend material
8. Stopped being friends
That is the Friend Zone. That is Hell.
There is nothing wrong with being a nice guy, and any woman worth having will prefer nice guys to jerks. But being deceptive about your intentions isn't nice, it's dishonest. And you can't base a good relationship on dishonesty.
I've only had three serious, long-term relationships, and I've been in my current one for over six years. None of those relationships started out in the Friend Zone. And for what it's worth, all three started as blind dates, though that isn't the only way that I've met women.