Ugh, my edit got eaten, but...
http://web.archive.org/web/200112020...ubb=forum&f=20
Link to an in-era forum of enchanters all talking about charm kiting to solo and where best to do it...
I found another half-dozen or so posts from 2001 all recommending Charm kiting as the way for enchanters to solo, how strong it is, how enchanters are some of the best soloers, having 200 charisma allowing them to charm red cons, etc. etc.
I honestly do not see a strong case to suggest that enchanters weren't charming the same exact way they are now back then.
Some more quotes since I'm bored:
"Don't be afraid to charm at early levels. Oasis is a great place to start. Its loads of fun to charm a croc and send it after another. Just slow the enemy reptile and your pet is almost sure to win. Since these reptiles don't agro on you a succesful mem blur will get them off of you for good if charm breaks or you get into a fight you can't handle. I only had a charisma of 78 when charming blue to even cons and most charms lasted for about 2 kills.
PS People don't know much about enchanters, especially at this level, so they will think your pet is some unusual invincible croc because they won't be able to hit it until charm breaks." - 2001
"I was in FM recently and charmed a giant and all was great, except that I had a hard time controlling him, and then he seemed to be charmed for FOREVER! Is there a way to break the charm cycle???" - 2001
"As for charm, dont, thats something that takes several hours and lots of death to master, but once you do its very powerfull. I suggest learning on spectres in oasis, but its not something required for normal grouping (tho to be l33t you should be able to solo at least 5 blue mobs at once)." - 2001, joking about how enchanters can handle 5 blue mobs at once with charming...
"Using charm you can solo the whole island of spectres at a much lower level. It would also be more mana efficient on a kill by kill basis." - 2001
"As for how well charisma effects spells. At 120 cha charm will stick, but not every time and did not last long. At 160 charisma I could charm stuff higher level than me and hold them for most of a battle. At 200 cha, I can charm something red almost everytime, and hold it for most of a battle, and recharm with little or no trouble." - 2001
"Solo wise there are many ways for an enchanter to solo, I have posted one on how to solo with pets.
You can also be normal and do the charm techniques. We are one of the best soloers due to the fact that when it is us vs one, we can't take just one most of the time.
What we are good at is soloing 2, 3, or 4 at a time. Charm style." - 2001, emphasis mine, specifically citing that charm soloing is "the normal" thing to do.