learning the CLI will go a long way to help themselves later when they need to learn it to fix something the UI doesn’t handle well.

I agree with you on this, but we don't now the constraints of OP. Perhaps the mentioned clients need access. Ask instead of assume.

would you have preferred noob?

I have no problem with other people's level of knowledge, be it greater or lesser than mine. I have a problem with how you conveyed your message. Here is how you could have phrased it instead, as an example of what I meant with "be nicer".

Learn the command line, it will more than likley be of great help in the future. Better now than never.