The decision to release too early probably was just a business decision that came from management, quite simular to the initial release last year. The decision is understandable, from a certain point of view. They wanted to have a big PR event which resulted in gaming sites and magazines re-reviewing the game and the previously unexpected DLC. Some if not most of the forum members first learned about this DLC thanks to @Croms_Faithful.
The update also most likely had management’s intended effect, in that new players most of whom won’t experience the bugs immediately, of generating additional sales thanks to the discounts and free weekend. Furthermore, management expected the risk of leaving bugs in the program acceptable because the new players may remain a low level for a few days, at most a week or two at the most, giving time for the programmers to get a fix out.
In hindsight the update didn’t go over well with existing players. The decision to release early was undoubtedly out of the programmer’s hands. If they had any say, the update would’ve stayed in Testlive for at least another week or two.
In addition, while various forum members often complain about fixing bugs before releasing new material, they need to understand Funcom has expenses beyond just payroll. They have operating expenses such as rent, license agreements, legal fees, possibly utilities, etc.