Was offered iPhone trade in promotion by Verizon store associate NOT honored by Verizon

[grazivity]

I went to a Verizon corporate store to get a new Iphone on June 24, 2018. I was offered a promotion by the associate there that would make my current iPhone worth $245 or $10.21/mo for 24 months in trade in value. I agreed, bought a new iPhone 8 and have the receipt where it shows my old phones value along with the promotional value. I got the packing envelope from the associate to trade in my old device by mail. I sent my phone in by mail and received a confirmation email that my phone was received, and that the final trade in value was $10.21/mo for 24 months, as expected. I wait the 1-2 billing cycles, but never receive my credit. So I call customer service and they agree they've received the device and that the credit will show up on the next billing cycle. A couple billing cycles go by and still nothing, so I call again. Same story, they see the device was received and it's value and they will add it to my account going forward. A couple more billing cycles go by, same story.... IT'S NOW MARCH 28, 2019. I called today, again, to see why the $10.21/mo credit is not being applied to my phone plan. And after 9 MONTHS of calling and asking what's going on, a representative in the device trade in serevices tells me that my phone was not eligible for the promotion becuase the promotion started on July 1, 2018 and I bought my new phone on June 24, 2018.... what? The Verizon store associate, from a Verizon corporate store, offered me the promotion. He confimed my trade in value on his tablet, as did the confirmation email I received. Now after 9 MONTHS of asking what's going on, I am being told that I did not qualify for the promotion? And that it is my fault that I did not know the promotion had not yet started for ONE more week? Why was it even offered to me then by the VERIZON ASSOCIATE?! He offered me the promotion! He showed me the promotional value of my phone! I agreed to trade in my phone based off that promotional value. Now the representative is telling me that my phone trade in value is $82.... not $245 that I was told it was worth, and a big reason why, I bought the new phone. How can they go back and say it was MY responsibility to read the fine print of the promotion that the VERIZON ASSOCIATE OFFERED ME?! I don't get it. On top of that, I can't even get my phone back. I would have never traded it in for $82 value knowing I only had to wait ONE week to get the promotion anyway. The only nice person was the main customer service operator (not the rude trade in representative), WHO WAS ON MY SIDE, got her manager to give me half the credit of that promotion that I was offered, again, BY A VERIZON ASSOCIATE AT A VERIZON STORE. Seriously this has to be the worst customer service experience I've ever had. That could have easily been resolved with just honoring the promotion I was offered and agreed to. Absurd.