ComplaintsforBrightstar Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  A credit union staff who helped me download Zelle on phone, so I that a transfer can be transacted from my daughter to me. During my conversation with the staff, I told her that I am leery of this these type of transfer companies. We attempted to link my BrightStar debit card to the Zelle app unsuccessfully. I asked her what I should do. She said contact *****. Since the transfer is time sensitive, while in the BrightStar parking lot, I googled Zelle and landed on page with Zelle customer support. I called the number and explained to the person on the other line that I am having difficulty linking my debit card to Zelle. He immediately said that he can help me. He asked me for my number so he can send me a disclaimer that they will not take any money from my account and provide his name, his ID and his phone number and assured me that no money will leave my account. He then asked me to follow some steps, so that he can troubleshoot the account. I started questioning the steps, but he reassured me that based on the text message that had sent me, they will not take any money from my account. He asked me if I have CashApp. I was surprised and questioned it again. He reassured me again. He had me download an app (Ive done this in past with various other companies like Apple). Then, he told to me *******, I questioned it and before I knew it I was out of $1,126. Since, I was in the parking lot, I ran inside the credit union with the guy on the phone to talk with the staff. The phone was speaker, so the staff said that it doesnt sound credible, they hung up. I received a provisional credit in 7 days from BrightStar. I received a letter of 10/30/2023 informing that they will deduct the $1,126 from account on 11/1/2023. The money taken from my account on 11/1/2023. I have tried without success to obtain clarification on BrightStars decision. I got l scammed & defrauded, which is covered by the credit union fraud insurance.

  Business response

  11/06/2023

  Dear ***********************************,
  
  We received your inquiry on 10/31/2023 regarding the reopening of your case. We have been diligently working with our third-party partners to successfully recover your funds. As a result, your account was ************************ on 11/3/2023. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any additional questions.
  
  Thank you.

  Customer response

  11/07/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********************************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a telegram call from ******* from Bright Star Credit Union on 10-04-23 at no 3:33pm Stating that on that same day she received a letter in the mail from Jaguar Land Rover of **************** stating that my vehicle is being auctioned off 10-05-23 and I stated my vehicle has been in service and me nor my attorney were notified with that information as I advised her the vehicle was a lemon and provided my attorneys information as she stated she would call me back the same day once speaking with with the attorney in which I advised her that Im going to pick up my vehicle the next day she never called back, I tried to call the number back the next day it was the main telephone I emailed someone I knew that worked with me before at bright star they stated that there was no notes in my account as that see that I always make my payments and when I went to the dealership to pick up my vehicle 10-05-23 they stayed someone from bright star credit Union came to pick up the vehicle and service managers ****************** and ***** stated they gave them my keys that morning and they drove off I considered my vehicle to be stolen because they had no names or information accept they claim to be from bright star credit Union and once in the after after 4pm 10-05-23 ******* stated she had my vehicle towed 10-05-23 and the place close in twenty minutes why would she have my vehicle towed I dont owe money and not email or call to let me know and my attorney had to provide her direct number to me and now she stated that I have to pay the towing company and $3,681 that she claim to have paid Land Rover and stated she dont have an itemized bill and never discussed fees to be paid to pick up the vehicle on the call 10-04-23

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  We  received Notice of Claim of Lien & Notice of Sale from Jaguar Land Rover dealership in ************ on 10/4/2023, as per dealership, member left car and never came back to pick it up, when we reached out to member same day, she refereed us to her attorney who indicated as she did that they are targeting a lemon law legal case against the manufacture of the car for the issues shes been having, we informed the member and her attorney that we are going to lose our lien the next day on 10/5/2023 as car is set for auctioning 10am, attorney indicated they are not going to pick up car,we have made arrangements to take car same day to save our asset, we had to pay $3,675 for storage and admin fee. The next day member called and wanted the car, we informed her we have no issue giving her the car back as long as she pays back the fee we had to pay to save our interest in the car, that is clearly mentioned in the security agreement paragraph 8 which states that the loan is in default if your security interest is put at risk, and this has occurred when we received the Notice of Sale for the vehicle. Member paid the fee we have requested on 10/6 but refused to pay the repo fee we have paid to our agent, and was able to pick up her car again from our repo agent lot.
  
  I have attached the Notice of Sale for clarification of the incident.

  Customer response

  10/13/2023

  Thats correct Jaguar Land Rover tried to sale my vehicle after I already had hired an attorney and stated that I was afraid to take it back and they promised me a brand new vehicle service ******************************* if I returned I returned the next day because they broke my wheel ****** the vehicle before I returned on several different occasions after the vehicle was driving less than ****** in on coming traffic they illegally charged my card left on file $888.28 without my authorization which is now a fraud investigation the **************** need to inspect my vehicle and any other vehicles before they are sold this could have caused death my dream vehicle became a nightmare and instead of my new vehicle bringing a peace of mind in became a waste of time. I hope they are held accountable 

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fraud

  Business response

  10/06/2023

  We are in receipt of your report of a fraudulent account opening. Due to signs of identity theft associated with the account, it was immediately closed on the day it was opened. Kindly review the attached documents youve supplied for confirmation as this is shown on the document. Please contact BrightStar Credit Unions **************** at ************** for further assistance and guidance on identity theft. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I am not liable for this debt with BrightStar Credit Union, I do not have a contract BrightStar Credit Union. They did not provide me with the original contract as requested.

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am not liable for this debt with charter communications, I do not have a contract with Brightstar Credit union, they did not provide me with the original contract as i requested

  Business response

  08/29/2023

  This member had a checking account that was charged off in 7/2019 for $325.78, the charges were not charter communication as the member has mentioned, its a mix of Publix and restaurants, in addition to the courtesy fee for the overdrawn of $34.00 this account has been charged off 4 years ago and the member never filed a dispute.

  Customer response

  08/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20467658
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  i never opened an account with bright star during that time or ever. This was not opened by me  

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  09/20/2023

  I have attached the verified signature card and documents provided by the member at account opening.  

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20467658
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I am a victim of identity theft. I never went to this bank at all. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  09/21/2023

  A member of our Fraud and Compliance team will be reaching out to complete an ID theft packet to resolve the issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I closed a secure credit card with Brightstar Credit Union on 03/01/2023. Brightstar processed the closure on 03/02. Brightstar Credit Union has not updated my information to the credit bureaus. I submitted a dispute to Equifax and the results I received back recently says that "no data was available " as of February 2023 which is inaccurate. When I view my report on Equifax it says Brightstar "updated" my balance on 03/03/2023 with the same exact information from February. The last reported balance in February was $1009 which was paid, days after it was reported. I would like Brightstar to update this account to all the credit agencies as paid in full and closed.

  Business response

  03/30/2023

  Dear **********************
  
  
  This is in response to your concerns regarding the Secure Credit Cards associated with your membership number 905519.  A payment was posted to the credit card ending in **** on March 2, 2023, and the account closed on March 4, 2023. The status of the credit card is reported to the bureaus at the end of each month.  As of February 28, 2023, the card was still open and was reported as a current account. The account will be reported as closed on the March month end credit file.
  
  A dispute was received on March 4, 2023, on this account and another one on March 24, 2023.  The response to the disputes was submitted on March 24, 2023, within the time required time frame. The status was accurate when reported but since it was closed at the time of our response, the response status was entered as closed.The update to your credit file should be reflected within 5 days.
  
  A dispute was also received for the credit card ending in **** on March 24, 2023. The card was reported as Lost or Stolen with the additional Special Code for Lost or Stolen and a last reported date of September 29, 2022,as required.  Since the new card is now closed, the response, completed on March 24, 2023, was submitted as closed.  
  
  Please contact me if you have any additional questions.
  
  
  
  Thanks,

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I can't get information on my home equity loan. I've called and waited on hold to be told a supervisor will call me back and never received a call. I've contacted them online, and they told me I have to call. I've been making payments with extra on top of the amount required, and my balance is going up. I've also been charged flood insurance when my condo is not in a flood zone.

  Business response

  03/16/2023

  Management has reached out to the member to discuss the issues.  We have also reviewed and removed the insurance policy that was placed. 

  Customer response

  03/17/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  12/05/2022 $51.01; *******************.com; *********************** 12/16/2022 $45.98 RH sounguesu.com 12/16/2022; $53.55; RH poocroc.com ; *********************** 12/19/2022 $45.88 RH pooocroct.com; *********************** Totaling $203.26 All of the information including verification through account and attachments were provided to the Fraud team . dispute ID *****, fax **********;email; *******************' hand delivered to *******, **************** Representative; January 31, 2023 at 11:05 am ; None of the information was accepted by the Fraud Team. Therefore BSCU is violating it's own policy of charge back for customers

  Business response

  03/22/2023

  The member is disputing three charges. We sent the claim to FIS, claim number D2302601278.We denied provisional credit. We sent a  Need More Information (NMI Letter) when we first denied the claim. Then FIS sent a NMI letter (which we mailed to her). ************** then sent over evidence which we uploaded to FIS on 2-1-2023.
  
  Contacted the member to go over the process. She was at an appointment, she will call me back (gave her the **** number) in two or so hours to discuss any further concerns.

  Customer response

  03/25/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company violated my consumer rights and In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting act. The List of accounts below has violated my federally protected consumer rights to privacy and confidentiality under 15 USC ****. 15 U.S.C **** section 602 A. States I have the right to privacy.15 U.S.C **** Section 604 A Section 2: It also states a consumer reporting agency cannot furnish a account without my written instructions 15 ***********. (a)(5) Section States: no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.15 U.S.C. ****s-2 (A)(1) A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate.15 U.S.C. 1692C - (a) Communication with the consumer generally Without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, a debt collector may not communicate with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt 15 U.S.C 1692b - (4) not communicate by post card;(5) not use any language or symbol on any envelope or in the contents of any communication effected by the mails or telegram that indicates that the debt collector is in the debt collection business or that the communication relates to the collection of a debt.

  Business response

  03/13/2023

  Member had an auto loan and credit card, members loan became delinquent, and at that time we were notified by other credit union of possible fraud activity by the member in obtaining about 5 cars at the same time from different financial institutions, We have repossessed the car as being delinquent 24 days remaining balance and total credit card has been left unpaid by the member, The member failed to pay their obligations and it is being reported as such.

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I deposited a check at BrightStar that took 24 hours to clear the other bank and they continue to place a hold on my funds for an additional 7 business days (while lying to my face saying the check hadnt cleared yet when I have the proof that it had and they are merely taking advantage of the float. So essentially they are holding my money hostage (its already out of my other bank account). They literally said to avoid this I could have done a cash withdrawl from the other bank and then deposited that cash there (this was a very large deposit), an utterly ridiculous statement. To make it worse- I first called their customer service number and the person on the phone told me the branch would be able to make those funds available immediately- I then go into the branch (**** street location) and they tell me the same exact thing I was told on the phone. I have a loan with them otherwise I would have closed my accounts immediately. To say what they did was unethical is an understatement (of course the bank needs time to make sure a check clears the other financial institution but once it does having to wait 7 full business days beyond that is absurd- and they have no good answer to it other than thats the policy. Would have preferred the more truthful we do this to make money off the float as that of course is the real and only reason for the policy (again- the check already cleared the other financial institution so there is no exposure to BrightStar in making the money available within 24 hours of it having cleared).

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