Expression for "intend to help but instead making things worse"

I want to say "someone (or something) intends to help, but instead it makes things worse". Is there any succinct expression or phrase for this?

Solution 1:

You could say that his efforts backfired

(of a plan) to have the opposite result from the one you intended: Some hotel owners worry that the idea of attracting more visitors may backfire and make the place less attractive.

Solution 2:

156,000 written instances of...

more of a hindrance than a help

probably make that the most common way to express this sentiment.

Solution 3:

I've always thought that the phrase "he/she means well" is rather loaded with the implication you describe. I find that it is usually used in defense of someone's faults, and is often followed by some description of the fault being defended, so this might not accomplish exactly what you want.

An adjective version of this phrase, "well-intentioned" or "well-intended", can be used alone or in combination with a negative trait to accomplish this implication.

For example, you might say that a young boy who enjoys helping his grandmother wash the dishes but often breaks an article of china is "well-intentioned but clumsy".

Solution 4:

How about "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Solution 5:

There's another proverbial saying that describes this situation, except that here the fallout often rebounds on the helper rather than on the person helped:

"No good deed goes unpunished".

Nor should one forget the proverbial law of unintended consequences.