The T&Cs are very clear and I don't see any room for an alternate interpretation of the rules as they're written today. There is no way the interpretation you're being provided is correct - no matter the source - unless it is an interpretation of a future version of the T&Cs. Considering the post you provided was from 2.5 years ago and no changes have been made, I don't think they were planning to update the T&Cs. You should receive benefits according to the current version of the T&Cs.
It simply does not make sense to provide someone who earns elite status on February 28 with benefits for 12 months while providing someone who earns status on March 1 with those same benefits for 24 months. The reality of benefits is there is always some overlap and no active elite members ever realize the entire benefits period because of this natural overlap. The only people who truly receive their benefits in the manner described in the T&Cs (up to ~25.5 months) are those who decide not to continue earning elite status during consecutive years.
There is no way to correct this issue while maintaining the static periods for Qualifying (January 1 through December 31) and Benefits (March 1 through the end of February). They would need to switch the Benefits period to a variable 12 month period for each elite member. Knowing what we do about SPG IT, that won't happen.