[Reaver]

I am a jerk when players take this negative quality.

while they are not required to take any contacts at character creation, they CAN NOT get any new contacts past a 1/1 rating while they still have it (the negative quality) and this is for the simple reason that Runner networks are all connected. If someone has invested the time to hany you out to dry, new ones KNOW you are a risk, and they have no reason to trust or help you. Sure they might throw you a bone (if the bribe is right) but they will also sell you out as the first sign of raised eyebrow, or a question about you thrown there way.

after all, if you are foolish enough to piss off enough people to actually get "hung out to dry" in the first place, you are foolish enough to do it again... and it's in their (the contacts) best interest to make sure they don't end up getting burned.

[Angelone]

Hung out to dry is imo the harshest negative quality you can get, even with borrowed time you can go out with a bang. Shadowrun is really about who you know and without that safety net it's a long hard road.

[CitizenJoe]

Some players might take it under the assumption that other players are going to do the negotiating.  But as soon as the contact networks hears that THEY are dealing with this guy, their own contacts start drying up.