Unless these were gifts, you paid for them. If the phones were "free" or just a penny from a mobile carrier, the real price of the phone was hidden in the monthly service charge. That's why you had to sign a long-term service contract to get the "free" phone.
Thank goodness the carriers have been moving away from that kind of deceptive pricing.
Thank goodness the carriers have been moving away from that kind of deceptive pricing.