Really? I spent a small amount of time trying to craft a suggestion that I honestly felt would help this person do their job better. I can see how it could appear potentially condescending, but how are we able to give people constructive advice if there's an effort at a concise, polite response and it's perceived as obtuse?

Using words such as "recommend", "advice", "friendly" in my mind conveys only transparency. I would genuinely like to know how this email could be re-written in a more helpful tone. Or is any response doomed to snarkiness?