Starlink bug frustrates users: “They don’t have tech support? Just a FAQ? WTF?”

Starlink's lack of traditional customer support options is making life difficult today for new users affected by a bug that reset their accounts. A bunch of customers received an email from [email protected] last night that said, "Your Starlink Account Has Been Reset. All pending orders and deposits have been refunded. You are welcome to visit Starlink.com to place a new order at any time using the same email address."

One Ars reader who got the account-reset email contacted us about the problem, and many others are complaining in Reddit threads. Starlink's account-recovery page that allows users to request password resets with an email address or phone number hasn't been working for them.

"When I try to reset my password via the email option, I get the error 'User not found,'" we were told by Adam, a Starlink customer in Alabama who preferred that we not publish his last name. When Adam tried to reset his password by entering his phone number, he received a text message with a password-reset link. But that didn't work, either. "After I type in a new password, I get the error message 'User disabled,'" Adam told us.

Despite the statement about refunds, Adam didn't have any orders or deposits refunded. He activated Starlink service on November 2 but doesn't know if service was interrupted. "I have it at another residence, and I haven't been there since receiving the message," he said.

Starlink is operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX corporation. We contacted SpaceX about the problem today and will update this article if we get any new information.

“They don’t have tech support? Just a FAQ? WTF?”

From what we've seen in Reddit threads, the bug doesn't appear to disable Internet service. "I installed our Starlink two days ago, and received the email this afternoon that my account had been reset and that a refund was on the way. The Internet is still working at the moment but (i) can't log in and submit a ticket," one person wrote.

Another person who got the email noted that they cannot create a support ticket without being able to log in. A person in the same thread wrote, "Can't log in and if I do a password reset request it says my account doesn't exist. Only been using Starlink for a week. It also appears they don't have tech support? Just a FAQ? WTF?"

Some people had Starlink dish shipments in transit when the account-reset email arrived and were concerned about whether they would be able to activate service. "Still shows my Starlink kit in transit so will create a new account with the unit if possible," one person wrote.

"My wife got the account reset email within the last couple of hours. Tried to recover, the site says our account is disabled. Hoping there's a resolution to this because we bought this for our new house that we're supposed to move into next week. We haven't even taken the dish out of the box yet," one user wrote yesterday.

Emailing Starlink works... sometimes

PCMag recently examined all the options for contacting Starlink customer service. The top options include contacting customer support through the Starlink app or creating a support ticket in a web browser. But as previously noted, those options may not be available if your account is reset or disabled.

Emailing the address [email protected] is apparently the next-best option. "Users online report that this sometimes works, but it's not guaranteed. You might have some success, and if not, you might want to try putting the phrase 'Consumer Complaint' in the subject line of the email," PCMag wrote.

One user on Reddit yesterday said they tried the [email protected] email but hadn't yet received a response. "The Internet is still working at the moment but can't log in and submit a ticket," the person wrote.

Why not just call Starlink directly? Unfortunately, there is apparently no direct phone number for Starlink Internet users to call. As PCMag wrote, "The number 1-855-753-2495 will sometimes come up in Google search results as a direct phone number for reaching Starlink tech support, but it won't be as helpful as it looks. That's not actually a SpaceX-affiliated phone number—it's the tech support line for Subaru Starlink, the car maker's similarly named in-vehicle infotainment system."

Hopefully, the account-reset bug will be sorted out quickly without anyone losing an actual order or having their Internet service disabled. But the numerous Reddit threads on the topic show how Starlink's bare-bones customer support system can make things difficult and confusing for users. Starlink users on Reddit are quick to help each other, but that's no replacement for a real customer support system.

“I can’t find their phone number”

While many people already knew that Starlink customer support isn't robust, others were surprised to learn that they could not call customer support directly.

"For the life of me, I can't find their phone number or even a support email on the website. Can someone let me know an email? Or point out where I can find it?" one person wrote. The person also stated, "I'd really like to figure out what's going on, since next week I was going to cancel my DSL and unless I'm sure this is resolvable, I can't do that."

One customer in that thread wrote that "your only hope in this situation is to have another trusted Starlink customer create a Support ticket of your behalf, explaining the situation and identifying your account details. Support will enable you to gain access to your account [and will] require a reset of your password."

That's exactly what one user did, according to this comment. "My parents got the same message and they are new Starlink customers," the customer named John wrote. "So far my account is fine, but I've been a customer for over a year and a half. I've submitted a support ticket through the app about the issue and referenced multiple Reddit threads (including this one) on the issue, so I'm hoping they figure out the issue and get it resolved for everyone."

John received a reply from Starlink stating that the support team "resent a password verification to the account holders." But he wrote that his parents did not receive the reset message. Starlink support also "indicated that my parents' account was flagged for fraud for some reason, but they are not seeing anything in their bank records or credit card records indicating anything fraudulent," John wrote.