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Brightstar is a Scam

SamGhazi
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

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. 

93 REPLIES 93

LannyV
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

How do I respond to a PM???

Hey @LannyV,

 

You would need to click on your profile picture at the top right and then on the envelope icon which will bring you to your private messages.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 



LannyV
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

Yup this is a **bleep** company. Paid for years now need coverage. Jumping through so many hoops it's not worth it. I will never use these guys ever again. Fido should wash their hands of these crocked basterds!!

Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

Hi I also am having a terrible experience with them right now...I have been paying for insurance for my son's iPhone for 2 years...the screen broke and they seemed it repairable...all I need to do is make a payment for the deductible and I am supposed to get a new phone...well not easy for them...we have tried three different credit cards and they cant seem to figure out how to put it through...my claim runs out tomorrow...so I guess they won we wont be getting a new phone...what a scam this is

Hello Vickifree21,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  I'm sorry to hear that your son's phone had its screen broken.

 


@Vickifree21 wrote:...the screen broke and they seemed it repairable...all I need to do is make a payment for the deductible and I am supposed to get a new phone..

  Just to clarify, is the screen repairable? If it is, then I don't think they will replace the phone. I think they would repair the screen. There are processing fees for both repairs and replacements (see here). In addition, if they are replacing the phone, you should note that the replacement may be:

 

      ...a wireless device of like kind and quality with comparable features and functionality to the Protected Device and may be new or reconditioned. ~taken from link above.

 

  With the credit cards you tried, were they pre-paid credit cards? Apparently, pre-paid credit cards cannot be used to pay the processing fee(s). Have you tried to contact Brightstar? If you tried regular credit cards, perhaps they can manually process the payment over the phone.

 


@Vickifree21 wrote:

....my claim runs out tomorrow...


  Are you referring to the 60 days since the incident? I can't be certain, but from how it reads on their website, it appears you might have an additional 60 days to complete the file from when you filed the service request??

 

Brightstar.jpg

 

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 


Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

The repair shop has deemed the phone unrepairable...I have talked to brightstar 5 times and they couldn't take my payment over the phone with 2 different credit cards...the cards were fine but now the claim has ended and he doesnt  have a new phone...one person even hung up on me.  I am done with fido as soon as my phone is paid for...I have been paying for this insurance for two years...they weren't willing to help me at all

Hey @Vickifree21

 

Thanks for sharing your feedback with us, very sorry to hear about your phone. That's not how we want things to go for you.

 

We'd hate to se you go over this. Have you tried contacting Brightstar to follow up on the situation? Were they able to explain why the payment wasn't processed ? 

 

If the claim expired due to an error on their end, you should be able to file a new one! Have you tried to? 

 

Let us know so we can help. 



Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3
Click here
 

I was going to try to file a new one and no they did not tell me why my payment could not be processed...I will give it one more try...

Thanks @Vickifree21 !

 

Keep us posted.



Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

This is probably why I cant pay on line because its pending 

Screenshot_20191226-160703_Chrome.jpg

Hey @Vickifree21,

 

Did you speak to Brightstar since the new claim was submitted? Can you give us a bit more info on what happened with them since you opened a new request?

 

 



Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

I keep responding but you keep erasing my message

Hi @Vickifree21

 

We haven't erased your message, if we were to we would also advise you as to why it was erased.

 

Where are you responding exactly?



Vickifree21
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

From my smart phone...could someone fix my claim though...it says pending...thank you ❤

Hi @Vickifree21

 

I'll send you a PM so we can look into this. 



darsh1996
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

 I had Brightstar protection plan since a year. I lost my phone last week and I call them to create service request. the customer service representative was so rude and not providing proper information and she was eating something while talking to me. 

they ask me for my utility bill but the utility bill was not on my name so I asked for any other document that  they consider. they said house lease so I provided house lease to them and they rejected it. and they did not contacted me but when I call them to take follow-up on that  time they said it was rejected.

again I asked for other document that will work for them so they required my college transcript. I submitted my college transcript but did not replied yet.

 

really bad experience they even don't bother to email it back to me. I am without phone since a week.

 

Hey @darsh1996

 

Welcome to the Community.

 

That's not the kind of experience we want you to have, very sorry to hear that things didn't go well on your end! 

 

Being without a phone for a few days is painful, I can't imagine a whole week! 

 

Some of the documents required need to have specific information and if it's not the case, they might get rejected. I understand that it delays the process but it's necessary on their end to be able to process your request. 

 

Have you hear back from Brightstar regarding your college transcript?

 

Let us know! 



darsh1996
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

 

 

I called to hear back from them and they rejected my transcript.

they required my official transcript and it will take up to 2 weeks to issued from the college and also I have to pay $15 for my official transcript.

I did asked  them if they are okay with my college enrollment letter so I don't need to wait for the 2 week.

but they want me to wait for the 2 weeks to get my phone back.

Hey @darsh1996,

 

You can check out this thread for all the documents accepted by Brighstar and requirements. If you have any of those available, I'd suggest double checking with them if you can submit any of these alternatives instead for a speedier process.

 

Keep us posted.

 

 



geeee3
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

From the number of posts on that topic I see a lot of people have the same problem. This is very bad news for Fido.

 

I pay 10$ / month for the device protection package. 

 

I have an iPhone 6S.

 

Last February 2019 my  home button broke.

 

Brighstar collected my 200$ and sent me to UBreakIFix. 

 

They told me they couldn't do anything, so they sent me back to Brightstar. 

 

A few days later, I get a "new" phone 6S in the mail, with a 16GB drive instead of the 32 of the previous.

 

8 months later, that "new" phone breaks.

 

I go to the Apple store. Surprise: they tell me the warranty is void because that phone was bought in May 2017.  Remember, I got this device in February 2019.

 

I call Fido, and they tell me to go see Brightstar.

 

To all readers: What do you think Brightstar told me?

 

...

 

See the pattern here?

 

So the scam is that Fido's warranty cons you out 10$/month and 200$ every time your phone breaks to send you a replacement which then breaks and is out of warranty, so you go back to Brighstar to get ripped off over and over again. The cycle of fraudulent corporate behavior. 

 

This behavior is unashamedly supported by Fido, where you become a ping pong ball between them and Brightstar's horrid customer services. For 10$/month plus replacement fees. Unacceptable.

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant,  but this swindling has got to stop. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At UBreakIFix they told me they don't repair iPhones with that motherboard problem. 

 

 

FidoRanya
Former Moderator
Former Moderator

Hey @geeee3

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, that's definitely not how we want things to go for you. 

 

When your device is replaced by Brightstar, they are the ones responsible if you have an issue with the phone. There is no warranty provided by Apple in that case. This information is shared in the guide we provide when you subscribe for the service and when you process a replacement.

 

Is there a reason you went to the Apple store instead of reaching out to Brightstar? 

 

As for your device being exchanged for a 16 gb when you had a 32 gb, was that addressed with Brighstar at the time of the exchange?

 

We definitely do want to help in these situations I assure you, however since Brightstar takes care of the exchange or repair, we need to refer you to them in most cases.

 

Let us know!