Does Brightstar Care guarantee the lowest price for items purchased from them or their affiliates?
Brightstar_Care Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
, BrightStar Technology may charge you up to an additional $1,000 per aggregator for the initial integration and up to an additional $500 for any subsequent EVV version upgrade.
4.7 Vendor Evaluation Fee
If you request our approval to allow you to use an unapproved vendor for products or services and that request requires us to invest time and expense to evaluate the unapproved vendor, then you must pay us up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) for our time and costs conducting the evaluation if we choose to add the unapproved vendor to our approved vendor list ("Vendor Evaluation Fee"). Generally, no Vendor Evaluation Fee is payable if we do not approve the unapproved vendor. However, we will charge a minimum fee of $2,500 if the vendor, as part of its proposed scope of services, will need access to any of our technology platforms; this fee is to pay a third party for its risk-assessment services and is due whether or not we approve the vendor.
4.8 Other Charges and Service Fees
You understand and agree that the BrightStar Care Agency Program is developing and that, in addition to those charges and fees set forth in this Agreement, there may be other charges and service fees that will be assessed to you by us, our affiliates, or third party vendors in connection with existing components of the BrightStar Care Agency Program or the addition of modified or new components to the BrightStar Care Agency Program. You agree to pay all such other charges and service fees in a timely manner. For example, we may charge an administrative fee to cover our costs in providing administrative services as part of any optional accounts receivable financing we arrange with lenders and make available to franchisees.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 117–118)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
Based on the 2025 Brightstar Care Franchise Disclosure Document, there is no mention of Brightstar Care guaranteeing the lowest price for items franchisees purchase from them or their affiliates. The FDD does outline a Vendor Evaluation Fee, stating that if a franchisee requests approval to use an unapproved vendor for products or services, and Brightstar Care invests time and expense to evaluate the vendor, the franchisee may have to pay up to $5,000 for the evaluation. A minimum fee of $2,500 is charged if the vendor needs access to Brightstar Care's technology platforms to pay a third party for its risk-assessment services, regardless of whether Brightstar Care approves the vendor.
Additionally, the FDD states that there may be other charges and service fees assessed by Brightstar Care, its affiliates, or third-party vendors in connection with the Brightstar Care Agency Program. For charges anticipated to be more than $25,000 per year, the addition of these charges and/or services fees will be agreed upon between the franchisee and Brightstar Care, unless a charge of greater than $25,000 is adopted by more than 75% of the existing franchisees in the system, in which case the franchisee must comply with the requirement to ensure brand and system consistency.
Because the FDD does not address price guarantees, it would be prudent for a prospective Brightstar Care franchisee to directly ask the franchisor whether they guarantee the lowest prices on required purchases. Understanding the pricing structure, vendor relationships, and potential for cost savings through alternative vendors is essential for managing expenses and maximizing profitability.