For the lazy, the monetary reward was worth getting killed by the NPC. However I happen to do the quest for the Faction. As usual, rather than find a reasonable solution to a problem, the easy way out was chosen, never mind that legit players get screwed.
I'd say at this point, the money you get from doing that quest is irrelevant now. I can see how it's a little cheese on day 1, but now that we're a few weeks in, It's reasonable to put it back in.