Disappointed - BOGO Discount and Nurse Discount not applied

[jasmadison]

We made the switch to Verizon from another midwestern carrier in December with the lucrative BOGO (~1100 over 24 months) discount on iPhone 12 Pro Max. I originally tried doing this over their website, but my credit (which is fine) said I wasn't eligible for payments and had to pay in full. I then completed the purchase over the phone and ordered two iPhone 12 Pro Max (1x256 1x128) and brought one device with BYOD. After completing the purchase over the phone, I noticed my receipt had the wrong color for the phone I wanted to order (I stated I wanted 2x white phones and a blue one was ordered). Per Verizon's terms, it was fine to make an exchange for this, so that's what I tried doing. I sent the phone back immediately when I received it and was told to create a new order for the replacement. It was also confirmed that this would keep the BOGO discount.

Talk about a mess - I don't like sounding like a complainer, but Verizon has some of the absolute worst customer service when it comes to getting a straight answer. I couldn't make a swift exchange because the color I wanted was on backorder for a week at a time, and every time it was supposed to ship out, it would get cancelled. When I called (each time) about the status of my replacement, the answer was that they didn't know why it was cancelled and would create a new order. I also should mention they made me call the fraud department multiple times, and this still didn't do anything.

After a full month of not having the phone/porting over, I called a local VZW store and got my replacement phone that way - again, it was confirmed that I would receive the original BOGO discount. Even though they didn't have my first choice color, I got something that I was "fine" with. Everything seemed OK except for my number port, which was solved quickly over the phone.

It's been now 3 months and still no discount has been applied. I have contacted Verizon on both phone/chat after each bill, and the answer always is something along the system will reapply it within a few billing cycles. How long is this even supposed to take? I should also mention that (apparently) there are notes on my account explaining this whole story - but why can't someone just automatically apply it? I know on my first bill the discount was on there (around 40 something) and then was removed on the next due to the device switching.

I would also like to mention my sister applied for the nursing discount through ID.me, and apparently they were having issues with that as well even though I received a confirmation text saying it was going to be applied on the next bill? We followed up and they asked to resubmit - still nothing.

In a way, I kind of regret my decision to switch our 3 phones over. Our bill was significantly cheaper without discounts, and we never had issues like this on our previous carrier. I'm also in a fortunate position that I could have bought my phone in full anyway. Does Verizon have good perks and good cell coverage? Yeah...but that's all I can really say. Not having someone to take care of escalated issues that need extra care really just leaves me with no faith in the company.

[vzw_customer_support]

We always want you to get any discounts you qualify. Let's see what's going on. Let's get to the bottom of this. Please send us a Private Note for assistance.

[jasmadison]

I sent a private message, but I haven't received a response yet.

[jasmadison]

Weird - still no reply with an explanation as to why neither discount is applying. If I knew it would be this much of a hassle/issue, I would have just stayed with my previous carrier.

[vzw_customer_support]

jasmadison, we certainly want to get you an explanation. Has there been any update to this?