I agree with a lot of what has been said. I'm sure I would respond differently to a friend I know well vs. a stranger online, or at least I would try to gauge from the context how much experience this person has and how serious a problem it would be to fix. If an item is already quilted and bound the best answer might be, "If it bothers you, applique something over it or put it on the bed in such a way that the pillows are on top of it, if possible."
Not in this forum (as far as I've seen), but in many other online social interactions the problem is usual not that people try to be too nice but quite the opposite. If someone is asking for a critique, I try to be honest without being hurtful. I figure one of the the best things about coming together to talk about our hobby is to share our knowledge and learn from each other. We are like a quilting bee from earlier times, only with more than 250,000 members. I have learned so much from all the wonderful people who share their knowledge and ideas on this board.