Brightstar is a Scam

[SamGhazi]

I was sold a brightstar device protection warranty through Fido. My camera was cracked and had to pay a 100$ to get it fixed.

When I got my phone back,  weeks later I dipped a supposedly a water resistant (up to 1.5 m and can swim up to 30 min in fresh water) in a 50cm fresh water for less than 5 sec and it broke down.

I contacted Samsung warranty and they said that it is Brightstar's fault becasue after they repair a device, they do not test it for water resistance, so I went forward and contacted Brightstar to explain my case. Their response was they do not guarantee that the device you recieve back after repair will be water resistant. 

So Why not tell users about that ?? you think thats a minor detail !!!! It is not stated in the contract as well. 

Fido should not be affiliated with this entity. As a commodity that relies heavily on brand equity, Brightstar will drag you down and before you know it you'll start losing your customers. 

[FidoKenny]

Hello @SamGhazi

I'm sorry to learn that you still have trouble with your phone.

I would like to go over the situation with you. I'm sending you a PM now to get this looked into.

Talk to you soon.

[Mitchellhowardg]

• Hi everyone if your screen ever brakes and they don’t want to fix it under the warranty 
• make sure you get it back or Fido will charge you for the Ballantine of the contract 
• i never got my a 5 back now they want 416,00 the phone was sent in six weeks ago had to go by a new phone and switch to another company 
• now because I won’t pay the account they are sending me to collections 
• i have been a customer over ten years 
• beware if your screen cracks
•  Mitchell 

[FidoKenny]

Hey @Mitchellhowardg

I moved your thread here since the discussion is also about the device protection.

That's definitely not the experience that we want for any of our customers. In order to get this looked into, it would be necessary to contact our customer service. You can find our contact page here.

We can also send you a PM here on the Community. Let us know what's best for you.

[Conconc679]

The screen on my phone cracked while I was at work, so I talked to fido about my warranty that I'm paying for every month and they told me to call brightstar and that I can get a free screen replacement. 

I filled out all the forms on there website, sent it to them, and got an email saying that they need me to pay them because they found additional damage on my device.

I called in and they kept asking me to pay $130 because there warranty team determined there was a chip in the back glass (on my Nexus 6P). I kept asking if there was a way to get them to double check because I'm careful with my phone and can guarantee there wasn't any damage like that.

The guy on the phone was very repetitive on how I only have two options, to pay money on a screen repair ( that's covered under warranty) or they do nothing. When I ask to speak with someone else, he said sure, and then hung up on me. It was such a terrible experience. I tried calling again and got a simmilar responses.

Now looking online, it seems like it's really not just one event (with brightstar having a 1.2 star review with 100 reviewers)

Does anyone know what I should do? 

[FidoThomas]

Hey @Conconc679,

You're at the right place for help!

I get where you're coming from, the Nexus 6P is a device worth the investment. Mine's is completely smashed but still works like a charm hahaha

The first screen break repair is indeed included in the Fido Device Protection, but if there is damages to other key components then a repair fee may apply. In order to look into your options, you would need to contact the customer service! You can find our contact page here.

Alternatively, we can sent you a PM. Just let us know

[Jman007]

I AGREE.

If you are thinking of signing up with Brightstar DO NOT.  When you need ANYTHING they will not help you. Simply you will have 4- 5 phone calls with them, they will give you one "free" (you pay $10/month)  phone screen repair a year and then when you need your phone sent to you or replaced it will be the BIGGEST HASSLE you have ever had to go through with your phone. 

DO NOT GET THIS INSURANCE.  You can easily pay $200 for a used iphone and replace your phone yourself with less hassle (they also charge $200 but with MORE HASSLE). ALSO, even if you break your phone, its $100 or less to fix it anywhere in Toronto and you'll get it done with WAY LESS HASSLE than these guys do.

ALSO all their staff sounds like teenages working the phones. None of them are helpful. Its ridiculous.

FIDO: dump this garbage service. I know why you outsourced it but they are HORRIBLE. I will tell everyone i know to NEVER GET BRIGHTSTAR protection. EVER.

[Anissak]

HUGE SCAM! 

They make it next to impossible to receive any assistance, they take an obscene amount of information the has nothing to do with your phone (my full lease, utility bills etc.) and the staff is horrible providing inconsistent information! Plus they do not give you a moment to speak and are constantly talking over you!! 

I have yet to have my phone screen replaced after calling them on a daily basis and have spent my whole lunch on hold with them!

I would not reccommend brightstar protection to my worst enemy .. 

[FidoThomas]

Hey @Anissak, 

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us! I'm sorry to learn that you had such a poor experience with Brightstar  

Did they direct you towards one of their authorized repair center for the replacement of your screen?

[Anissak]

They finally have forwarded me to a third party however NOT HELPFUL!!

The third party cannot repair the phone properly, they will replace the screen BUT in doing so the phone the phone will no longer be waterproof, which will in the long run make the phone more susceptible to damage in the future. 

Do yourself a favour and get Apple care so you end up with the phone you paid for after repairs. 

[FidoCharles]

Thanks for the update @Anissak

Note that any repair can affect the device performance, but I can definitely understand your point regarding this

You are using an iPhone?

Did Apple have a look at the device?

[Anissak]

Certainly, however and Apple certified repair comes with a quality guarantee. Yes Apple is able to fix it (it is a very minor crack in the screen) and guarantees the water resistance of the phone following repair. Unfortunately without Apple care the cost is $365. 

If providing coverage for iPhone users, brightstar should have Apple certified repair options, otherwise customers are at a loss. I truly wish I did my research and not trusted the sales person and went with Apple care instead. 

[autisticks]

I have been paying through insurance with Fido for the past 4 years when I initially bought my LG G3 back in 2014. Eventually the phone broke and I decided to use my insurance to get my phone replaced and expected it to be an easy fix.. I was sent in total around 4-5 different LG G3's from your previous Insurance until I finally recieved one that was in decent working condition, either they wouldnt hold a charge.. or the volume wouldnt work, screen wouldnt work, etc.

I did a phone upgrade 2 years ago to my LG G6 after I was informed that you had switched over your insurance companies as the last one was not up to standards so I had decided to continue my contract with Fido.

My phone was stolen back in May so I had once again decided to use the insurance I have been paying for to get a new phone, but alas the same problems as the previous company happened again and I recieved poor customer support through Brightstar again and again and went through around 3 different LG G6's until I recieved one that would pass as working well enough.

Unfortunately I did not realize the refurbished phone that they had sent me had faulty wiring and fried the battery in the phone in November, only a few months after I had recieved it. No worries, this was covered under the insurance to get a battery replaced so I went through the procedure of getting it changed over. Then this past weekend the phone fried the new battery that was put into my phone. I took it into the repair shop and expected to go through the same process as before, as frustrating as it is to go through. BrightStar is now informing me that due to a small chip on the back of the phone they need to replace the entire back of the phone just to put in the new battery and charge me $100 when its not what I ever took it in for in the first place. The whole process seems like a money grab, but Fido has me locked into a contract right now so it feels like my phone is now held hostage until I pay the money to get it back.

I recommend going through anything but the insurance through FIDO, you are better off than dealing with the extremely poor customer service over there as well as how unapologetic FIDO is for getting you to sign up with them.

[FidoKenny]

Hello @autisticks

This definitely doesn't sound like the greatest experience.

I would like to take a look at your account to see what happened exactly concerning your phone repair.

I'm sending you a PM now to get this looked into. Talk to you soon. 

[Pandacita]

I was sold a defective phone and I am being charged an additional 100 dollars plus tax to fix my phone ... this is very poor customer service on Fidos end.