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WARNING Do not take device protection with Fido/Brightstar

SailorAhoy
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

WORSE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE

😤😠😭😱💩😠😤

 

Dropped my year old iPhone 8 and had a couple of minor cracks, whilst it was perfect working order in every other way and I decided I would use the device protection I had been paying for a year and get it repaired. 

 

Firstly, what a massive pain to even make a repair request. Filled the online form but it wouldn't let me progress. Contacted them via there form, was just told to call. Apparently Fido store hadn't set it up correctly and I needed to submit a bunch of my personal documents. I did and heard nothing. Checked online, docs had been rejected but no reasoning had to ring again. Send docs again and then it took me through and allowed a request to be made.

 

It only goes downhill from here folks. And apologies if I ramble but this S*** show needs context. 

 

Not wanting to post my phone around, I opted to take the phone to one of their recommended repair stores. Well watched him drop my phone, try and fit multiple screens including one for a different sized iPhone. He constantly delayed me and I ended waiting in the shop for 2 hours (I'd already left it with them for 4 hours and come back the time they suggested). After all that, he told me he couldn't complete the repair and that infact my touch screen was no longer working. I had watched the touch screen work, I had watched him test it and for him to discover he couldn't secured the screen because it was for a different model iphone. So what happened??? He certainly couldn't give me an answer and just told me he'd reject my claim and brightstar 'should' send me a replacement. I lost my cool as I think most people would. I'd gone from a working phone to an iphone I couldn't do anything with cause you need to use the touch screen. Cherry on top! Repairmans form of compensation was a cheap generic $1 glass screen protector, for my smashed screen??? Well lets say I flatly refused that pathetic gesture and left before my head exploded. 

 

Went home and immediately attempted to contact Brightstar and Fido via online forms cause duhhhhh I couldn't make any calls on my now defunct iphone. Both forms promised me a response in 1 business day. Guess what? no response. But whilst checking messaging brightstar I noticed my service request had changed to say a replacement had been requested. 

 

I still message both the next day because other than a replacement is going to be sent, I have no real clue whats happening. 

 

I do get an automated message saying a replacement is shipped and I need to make sure someone is there to sign for it. Sooo with no option to take a personal day from work, I sat and waited. Then I get a notification its been delivered. Yep, UPS hadn't even rang the bell. They dumped it broad daylight on my door step and there was certainly no signature. So I'd wasted a precious personal day for no reason. 

 

I open that package, first off there's a heap of postage labels but no real instructions on what I needed to do. I pull out the phone and immediately I notice theres a gap down the left hand side of the screen and that something white is wedged in that gap between screen and phone casing. Now I knew a refurbished phone was probably inevitable but to be sent something with such a visible flaw?? There was not way I was accepting that as my replacement, I wasn't even going to put my SIM in and set it up. 

 

Now those are the core problems and I won't bore you with the exact details of the emails that followed, it took me another 3 days of chasing to get any real response. Even then the most Brightstar responded with was about 6 sentences and didn't even acknowledge half of the things raised.

 

Right now, its been 21 days since I made the request and I currently have no working cell phone. Brightstar will not doing anymore without getting my credit card details (erm, no way!) and going through warranty forms for the terrible replacement they sent. Fido haven't even responded to any of my attempts to contact them at all. 

 

It's be one big circle of blame and I'm stuck with no working phone and no one trying to put that situation right. Now I'm just trying every way imaginable to escalate the matter and for someone to do whats right and fix the situation. 

 

I hope people see this before they head to the Fido store, do not listen to their protection rubbish. You are not better off, Brightstar is pile of lies where every step shows incompetency. How they continue to be allowed to do anything is astonishing. 

 

STAY AWAY FROM BRIGHTSTAR!!!!!

3 REPLIES 3

FidoNick
Former Moderator
Former Moderator

Hey @SailorAhoy, thank you for sharing your experience with us.

 

We do want your experience to be a positive one and we're sad to hear it wasn't the case.

 

In terms of the Brightstar replacement, a credit card payment of the deductible is required in order for them to be able to send the replacement phone. There really is no way around that as this is the way the service works.

 

On our end, we'd love to look into some options to see what we can do to get you a new phone. I'll send you a PM so we can get started.

 

 



SailorAhoy
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

But why should I pay a deductible for damage done by them and that they sent an unacceptable replacement? The fact I need another replacement isn't through any fault of my own, its their fault and I won't pay for that. I'm already at a material loss in this situation.

 

Their processes are not set in stone, there is always ways around them, especially when they need to put something right for their customers. 

SailorAhoy
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Ohhhh just for all the customers out there who have or are considering the device protection. Please take the time to read all the others posts on the community site and all read the trustpilot review for this company. The company has a trust rating of 0.5 out of 5. 

 

I wish I'd seen these before I was in this situation.