ROTFLMAO! If you believe that, I have this great bridge for sale in Brooklyn. You can have it for a bargain price. I'll sell it to you and you can start charging tolls for all the cars that cross and pay for it in a month from the tolls you charge.
No, CA Guy, that was NOT your total price. That was the down payment on the two year contract price which brought it down to the regular amortized cost of $650 of the basic iPhone already built into their standard contract. The rest of your payments were hidden in your 24 monthly payments of your contract obligation. What do think there's a free lunch and that AT&T gratuitously sold you a thousand dollar iPhone for $400 just to keep your business? Having done business with them (and frankly I hate them and have kicked them out of my office with prejudice and would switch from them as carriers were it not for too many family phones--don't get me started on the below sewer level customer service I've received from AT&T) I can assure you they are not in the business of doing good deeds. . . and will screw it to their customers any chance an opportunity arises.
They did NOT give you $600, they charged you $600 and you paid it. You just did not notice the anesthesia.
Again, there was no charge beyond that $399 and my regular service fee of $60 a month last time. They wanted to do what you said this time.
My phone was $399 period.