Fans of the Samsung Galaxy S8 were delighted to know that the Korean conglomerate was offering a $200 discount to those who will trade in their current smartphones in exchange for purchasing the new flagship phone from Samsung. As it turned out, Samsung will not honor every eligible trade.
According to a man named Don, he was refused the $200 discount despite sending in a brand new Alcatel phone for trade-in. Phone Arena reported that Don bought an Alcatel OneTouch Pixi Eclipse from Walmart for only $9.99 with the intention of using it to get the $200 gift card. Unfortunately, after sending the new phone to Samsung, the company replied saying it did not meet the qualifications necessary to be eligible for the discount for the Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus.
Samsung told Don that the trade-in phone he sent did not have a functioning screen or may have had a cracked screen. While it is intriguing that a brand new phone will be categorized under "not functioning/cracked screen," there is the possibility that the screen was damaged during shipment. Either that or Samsung is not doing a good job screening the phones. It is especially confusing considering that the applications of other prospective buyers who sent in the same Alcatel OneTouch Pixi Eclipse were accepted.
Aside from carriers, huge retailers are also offering a $200 gift card for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in exchange for an old smartphone. According to Android Authority, Best Buy is giving away a $200 gift card along with an Insignia Holder for anyone who buys a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus. Android Authority also suggested that those who currently own a functioning Samsung smartphone, particularly a Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S7 or a Galaxy S7 Edge, may exchange their devices directly with Samsung to get a discount of up to $350. That brings the price of the Samsung Galaxy S8 from around $725 to $525 or even as low as $375.
