Nowadays they do same day hotfixes. Been doing that for years now
To be honest, this sounds like poor planning to me. You can schedule a cycle over a week in advance. There's even a window you can bring up to show you the deficiencies that you have for the next two weeks. That gives you at least one week to set up and ensure that you have the materials required to keep the workshop running. Maintenance or not, there was no reason for your friend to miss out on starting the cycle.
Besides, if your friend is a casual as you claim, then they shouldn't mind getting their bike mount on the following day. It's not like the bike window is limited. As soon as he gets the cowries, he can buy the bike. He's honestly not missing out on much.
Finally, it's not acceptable to screw over anyone, regardless of the content they enjoy. I don't raid in this game beyond the roulette, but I completely understand the need to hotfix bosses from time to time for the sweaty tryhards who tend to be more passionate about this game than the average player. I don't mind taking a night off here and there to go play other games or spend a little extra quality time with my wife. I honestly don't feel like anyone is being screwed over here.
"You can't compare this game to other MMOs because they're not the same" is a very common argument people have.
Like Skivvy said, they're not the same game, obviously. But you can still learn from your competition and see what you can implement into your own game if they themselves have a good idea. Some structures and implementation does overlap, or at least is comprehensive enough for you to convert to your own game.
People wanted Transmog. Well, we don't have that, but we have similar and it can be further improved upon. Hell, it GOT improved, we didn't have a glam dresser.