Disappointment by proxy?

Y'know, I used to think that not being able to do something that I had promised to do was one of the most embarassing things in life.

But now I'm beginning to think that making a recommendation -- and having said recommendation not live up to the claims originally made -- is even more embarassing. I mean, sure, technically the shortcoming isn't my fault, but the nagging accusation is still there: Why did you recommend this less-than-satisfactory novel/movie/service/worker to me?

(Yeah, I'm deliberately keeping things ambiguous here. Indulge me. )