It is SE's 'fault' for introducing a system where you are rewarded for repetition, not for skill. I think most people would prefer to be rewarded for being good, not for how often they are willing to do the task. Here, being good is not enough. You have to also be willing to do it many many times.

It is SE's 'fault' for introducing a system that can be de-moralizing. Consistently seeing one's hard work (collecting items for provisioner status) be all for naught is not exactly what a lot of people would call 'fun'. And we are supposed to be here for 'fun'.

It is the player's 'fault' for not realizing that this is how the world is. They must (especially by now) understand the world is purposely designed to be extremely repetitive, randomized reward system, and a high probability of there being no fruits for their labours.

It is the player's 'fault' for complaining. (Note: It is fine to criticize, offer feedback, ask for change. This is different from just complaining/crying/being sad). We know what the odds are when we go in (or soon after), and we should decide whether or not we wish to participate.

Just like if you go play roulette, then complain that you lost. You should have realized it is a gamble, and you may not be the lucky person to walk away a winner. This is no different. Being provisioner simply means you get to put 4 chips on the table instead of 1, but you could just as easily loose it all.

I'm sorry to the OP (and anyone else) who had to invest a lot of time and did not get enough for their efforts. I truly sympathise. But hopefully everyone fully appreciates by now that this world is meant only to reward the lucky or those who can sink a vast vast amount of time into repeating the same activities over and over.

Please set your expectations accordingly to reduce the chance of being sad in the future.