" In fact, such generosity can bring a company quite a lot. For one, it fosters customer loyalty. And these loyal customers don’t just offer repeat sales. Many offer advice about the new products or product modifications they want. Some of the more talented offer their services to improve existing products and designing new ones, providing a break-neck pace of innovation. And more than a few offer to help other customers out. So a company gets quite a bit for “free,” reducing the usual expenditures it would have to make in product development and customer support."
