Is offering a lifetime deal a smart growth hack or a long-term cash trap?

We ran a limited lifetime deal to secure quick upfront cash and get our name out to a wider audience. Now, those lifetime users make up the bulk of our support tickets and feature demands, while contributing zero recurring revenue for future server costs.

It made me realize that trading recurring revenue for instant cash can create massive maintenance debt down the road.

Have you ever experimented with lifetime deals, and did they help your business or come back to haunt you?