Don't Make Me Release The Flying Monkeys

Wow, I was shocked at both your post and some of the responses. I have never used "hope this helps" to mean anything but "hope this helps," and I have never interpreted someone else's "hope this helps" to mean anything but. If someone wants to communicate something else, why not simply say it? Communication is tricky enough without being obfuscated with such assumptions and contradictions, especially written communication.