I believed that once---that is why I bought SUSE (twice). For my money I got ZERO help---at the time the only support was for installation--and of course installation was the only thing I did not have trouble with....

The reason for a **beginner** to start with free distros is simply the high probability of trying several before settling down.

Note that Ubuntu--one of the most popular current choices--does not even offer the opportunity to pay for the SW. They have established a business model wherein you have the option of buying support. Clean, simple, and (IMHO) the right answer.