Does bitcoin / blockchain provide any protections similar to credit cards such as chargebacks? I understand that if I make a bitcoin payment my purchase is recorded in the blockchain and cannot be reversed. My bitcoins are gone. But all transactions imply a vendor providing a product. So ... 


Does the system record and link the record of my bitcoin spend to the product I'm buying? If so, how? 
Does bitcoin/blockchain at least record the total transaction such that I have at least a contractual right to the product I've purchased? 
How can I be sure I will receive the product I purchased in a timely fashion (or at all)? Why wouldn't the vendor just keep my bitcoin and tell me to get lost? 
Consumers use credit cards BECAUSE they are protected against such ripoffs via chargeback and other rules. I gather bitcoin/blockchain doesn't provide such protections. Are we talking about 'caveat emptor' aka let the buyer beware? If so, that's fine for small purchases but sounds hopeless for any purchase where I can't afford to be ripped off.
Does the system record and link the record of my bitcoin spend to the product I'm buying? If so, how? 


No. But entities (like governments, secret services, companies, or individuals) my attempt to do so.


  Does bitcoin/blockchain at least record the total transaction such that I have at least a contractual right to the product I've purchased?


Total transactions: Yes. As in "total number of transactions in the blockchain".

As in "total transactions you ever made": Your wallet records this. Bitcoin does not provide a way for you to prove that you purchased something (Does anything actually provide a way to proof this? I don't think so.) but you can prove that you're in possession of the private keys necessary to have made a certain transaction.


  How can I be sure I will receive the product I purchased in a timely fashion (or at all)? Why wouldn't the vendor just keep my bitcoin and tell me to get lost?


You can only believe in promises or have a contract assuring you that (e.g. a promise by or a contract with the trading platform you're using). The currency you're using doesn't matter at all for this.


  Consumers use credit cards BECAUSE they are protected against such ripoffs via chargeback and other rules. I gather bitcoin/blockchain doesn't provide such protections. Are we talking about 'caveat emptor' aka let the buyer beware? If so, that's fine for small purchases but sounds hopeless for any purchase where I can't afford to be ripped off. 


You seem to confuse currencies and payment methods a lot. Have a look at this answer.