I think I got duped.

Question

I received a Verizon email back in September saying I had an "exclusive" deal that would give me new iPhone 6 and extra free data and $200 for my iPhone 4S. Sounded too good to be true but I called and the rep said it was indeed an exclusive deal for being a valued client--yada, yada, yada...  The rep was really nice and casual about it all and it felt like she'd been doing the job for a while--at the end of the call she had me in a pre-order iPhone 6 Plus and I even called back shortly after hanging up to add the insurance that she suggested.
A couple of notes:
I ended up going with an iPhone 6 instead when I deemed the other one was too big. I've never been one to go out and get the new device and I've never waited for an iPhone to be released. The iPhone 4 was my first and I didn't get it until summer 2011 and I was thoroughly impressed. It wasn't until I thought it wasn't going as fast as my wife's iPhone that I upgraded to the 4S. In short, I was very satisfied with the iPhone I had before I received the email.
I received the iPhone 6 a couple of months later and my $200 gift card about a month or two after that...I bought a cover from a Verizon store and applied the rest to my bill.
Yesterday, I received a $299 charge on my bill. My first call to Verizonwireless took almost my entire lunch hour, the rep wasn't helpful though he was trained to feign helpfulness with artfully placed statements...  I called back after work and cordially asked to speak to a supervisor. I was transferred four times and each rep identified themselves by name. I asked very politely if each was a supervisor, declining to identify my issue other than to state it was a billing dispute. The last customer care representative said there was a wait to speak with a supervisor and offered to help. I said I was fine waiting until a supervisor was available. About 10-15 mins later I spoke directly with a supervisor who in less than five minutes understood my concern and offered to credit my account $99. She explained that there were consecutive offers and some of the reps got them confused when the offers were released. She offered the $99 credit because as she says if I had gotten into the program and sent the phone back I wouldn't have been charged but since I did receive the gift card, then she would credit the $99. I agreed and was happy to be done with the matter.
When I got back home I relayed my story to my wife (who happens to be a former manager with Sprint) and realized I am paying full price for this iPhone 6 and I gave away my iPhone 4S for free.
The first sales rep I spoke with wasn't new, she knew what she was doing...  The supervisor understood my situation very quickly and offered to credit my account within one minute of my explanation. To have her say the offers were confusing to the Verizonwireless sales reps...not a good excuse. I feel like I was a part of a long con. I've been with Verizonwireless since 08' and pay routinely with a steady stream of auto payments. Tonight I am looking at the offers from T-Mobile & Sprint to buy out contracts and replace existing phones with other carriers because it feels like I've been duped. I don't want to keep paying a company to be shifty and shady. I am wondering if my situation is unique.

Answer 1

$299 was charged because I didn't return the device via the Edge program. However, I called after received the first email that advised I would be charged back in December and the Verizonwireless phone rep told me to disregard the email as I had already sent the phone in and had received the $200 gift card. The customer care supervisor who credited me the $99 told me the offers were confusing to some of the reps when they were put out together. So you see why I am concerned? Had I not received the first email in September and called to speak with the sales rep I would have waited until my June 2015 upgrade date. It only made since when I had the $200 gift card offer to offset the extra $27-$30 I'm being charged (in addition to the tax of the full price of the phone I paid in my first installment) but now that's a wash.