User blog comment:Blood Reaper/Todd Howard Hinting at Future DLC's and Patches/@comment-66.191.127.199-20120218175607/@comment-3428817-20120219235108

Actually, I find them extremely useful, especially if your over-encumbered. If over-encumbered, you can still ride a horse and fast travel. I only find them annoying when you get into a fight. They either run right into the fight and get killed, or they run so freaking far away, it takes you 24 hours in-game time to find them. And they cost 1000 gold coins each.