The comment above was clearly not intended to be helpful and it's a bit disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

Comments can be productive whether they are intended to be helpful or not. Just calling out a common case/rationalization can make the other person see it as a possibility. Or make others identify it as some problem they also have.

No helpful disposition is required behind the "calling out" for that to be the case.

The (unverifiable anyway) intention doesn't add some magic dust to a comment to make it good or bad.