Speaking for the PC
I'd bet most PC gamers have come to accept the inevitability of a patch release. No game is perfect at retail version. There's a line though that every reviewer draws (independent and the spoonfed ones). This include multiple failures on different specs, total unplayability etc. but Skyrim didn't cross that line. An indication of that is the testimony of some that the game was flawless during their play. This means that the game is at least playable for the majority of buyers.
Of course if there is that small percentage of users who experienced eternal bliss from day 1 of Skyrim's release, then there are those who experienced hell all throughout. However if the "hell" experience was that tremendous, it will automatically run Bethesda to the ground. No boycott, lawsuit, or any form of campaign is necessary.
I always had the policy of buying games 6 months to 1 year after their release and I was a satisfied gamer. The only cases when I broke that rule was for Civilization V, Starcraft II and Skyrim. But to be honest, Skyrim was indeed the worst offender for bugs among the three.