Not quite the same, but a problem none the less.
My friend had been "brewing" for years doctoring up Mr Beer kits. I explained that he was getting ripped off by the high cost, that he could make a full 5 gals for what his doctored 2 gal kit made.
He wasn't too interested as he is a restaurant manager and just didn't have much time to get involved. So for his birthday I bought him the ingredients to make a 5 gal honey wheat beer and my original 5 gal starter kit buckets, and wrote him a detailed instruction list, which also included websites such as this one, How To Brew, and MoreBeer, among others.
He's been brewing MoreBeer kits but adding grains and spices and such without researching or asking questions.
He added 1 lb of peat smoked grains to a Scottish ale that tasted like bog water, and added 3 vanilla beans to his porter that sat for weeks, among many other things.
He usually asks me about things, but then does his own thing despite me telling him it may not be a good idea, or better yet, to become a member here and ask questions of others who are more knowledgeable than I. Then I get a message a few weeks later about how terrible his last beer was. It blows my mind that he pays for this and wastes his money like this.
I've certainly been jumping into things I don't understand, but I post my recipes here for scrutiny. The poor beers I've made had a problem other than ingredients.
I don't know why I let it irritate me though. It's his beer, time, and money, and I don't see him but once or twice a year these days as he lives 4 hours away, so I don't have to try his beer either. (Where's the smily wiping the sweat from the brow?)
Supposedly he said he'd actually create an account here. We shall see...