Then i guess you copped the phone @ full price in the beginning (Note 7) because those who didn't were stuck with monthly payments on S7/S7 Edge or whatever other phone they had, and if they wanted the Note 8 they had to pay up or pay off (most cases pay off) those phones.
Long story short...
I bought the 7 out at a discount for $350...I been with AT&T for over 20 years so sometimes when I ask they hook me up...Deal was I had to buy two, mine was paid off and my wife's phone was put on the next plan...
Because of that discount I had a ton of problems swapping out the phone that was paid off when the recalls hit...The dikkheads at the store kept trying to charge me the full price difference for a replacement...My wife ended up calling them complaining so they wrote off the Note7 and mailed the replacement home...Because of all the bullshyt they put me through It was also agreed and put in my account notes that when the new phone came out (s8+) I would be able swap the replacement free of charge...I later called and had that changed to the Note8 since i wasn't interested in the s8+...
As for the Note7 that started all this shyt...They told my wife it had to be returned at the store...So I took it to the store and when they brought up my account they told me they dont see an exchange in the system...They said I could leave it with them but can't give me a reciept since there is nothing to process in the system...meaning no proof I ever returned it...So I said fukk it and kept it since they wrote it off...
That's how I ended up with a free 8 and I still have the 7...