They said the work from home opportunity was only temporary and will be shifting back to the office depending on case reports by the CDC which they estimate is soon. I said unless they have an absolutely good reason they need people in the office I just don't think its worth the time to travel back and forth across 3 cities every day and mentioned the rising cost of gas as well making the job pay less than what I'm working now even with the slight increase in pay. They were pretty adamant about their decision and we said our goodbyes and I wrote them off in my head as another dead end.
I get a call this afternoon from the exact same HR representative about the same offer. They don't remember talking with me but I reminded them that I insisted on working remotely and full time, no hybrid either and for some reason they changed their tone from last time I spoke with them and all of a sudden they want to reconsider about working remotely full time and asked when I'm available to interview with their department manager for a skill assessment interview tomorrow and I accepted.
Moral of the story, don't cave into employers that want you in the office. If you absolutely want to work from home full time then you let them know you wont accept any less. They need you more than you need them. It also helps when you already have a job so you aren't nervous and have the means to barter effectively.