I did this as well and was very disappointed/frustrated when bulbs started dying only a year later. Usually they would start flickering more and more frequently

I did this as well and was very disappointed/frustrated when bulbs started dying only a year later. Usually they would start flickering more and more frequently until it was really annoying to be in a room with flickering light and I would remove it. GE even had a warranty so I shipped them back on principle (shipping was nearly the cost of the bulbs themselves) and GE never responded with replacement bulbs. What a crock.