Byte Reviews

While I once recommended Byte to everyone who asked, I now regret it. As many other people mention, their goal is 100% GETTING CUSTOMERS. They DON'T CARE ABOUT ACTUAL CUSTOMERS. They are far too focused on acquiring new customers and put all of their customer service and funding into this process. You will feel like a rockstar during the on-boarding process with how much they 'care'.

ONCE YOU ARE A CUSTOMER they could not care less about you. E-mailing customer service is an absolute JOKE and they take several days to a week to respond to anything. They do answer chat quickly, that is if you don't go NUTS trying to get to a REAL PERSON instead of their horrible chat bot. If you think Amazon's chat bot is terrible.... Byte's is about 50x WORSE that that one. You have to literally tell it how bad it is for it to let you connect to a person. No joke - type in 'this is stupid' and it will connect you. Their app is an absolute joke, useless and constantly has bugs and issues. I will say I followed EVERY rule and recommendation. I wore my aligners 23+ hours every day and used my HyperByte every day as told. My treatment not ending correctly was 100000% not on me, it was on Byte.

FIRST PROBLEM: You better hope you need 15 aligners or less because trying to get the rest of your aligners is a nightmare of a joke. You are supposed to request your continuation at week 12, but their system won't let you until week 13. It then takes them ANOTHER week to actually do anything about your request, and only if you e-mail AND chat with them to push them. It then takes them 3-4 weeks to get you the new ones. So now you are on week 14 just getting them ordered, so you will now be 2-3 weeks late on your continuation treatment. The continuation aligners are NOT THE SAME and cut and fit differently which then leads to the next MAJOR problem.

Heaven forbid your treatment doesn't do what it is supposed to at the end (because they did NOT make the continuation aligners right). I'm now working on WEEKS of trying to get their 'clinical team' to fix my treatment. I've sent the same photos and video dozens times and answered their questions 50 times. And several weeks into this they send some stupid 'aligner evaluation' that should have been sent the minute I said the treatment wasn't right. They then ordered 'touch up' aligners WITHOUT APPROVAL. I 100% do not trust this process and I know it will be screwed up again. Not only do they have no idea what they are doing and never read anything I say to them, they REFUSE to address my top teeth at all. They want an EXTRA $600 to finish my treatment the right way versus them GUESSING.

I've asked 10 times for them to take new impressions and give me a new virtual care to approve and they absolutely refuse. This is the only way I trust them to finish my treatment correctly because they have been an absolute CLUSTER of a process and total disaster to deal with. They are quite literally guessing how to finish my treatment at this point.

So now not only is my treatment going to be months late when I needed it done for a very specific time (which I even buffered before starting), but I'm sure it's going to be wrong again and I'm going to be back to fighting them AGAIN to get my treatment done CORRECTLY. You get an e-mail back from a different person every time and none of them actually listen or read through the information. Because they literally don't care, they just go through the motions.

It is 100% my belief that their goal is to annoy you so much that you give up on trying to get your treatment finished. The entire process is unprofessional and an absolute DISASTER. While there might be benefits to Byte like not having to go to an office, you have to hope for everything to go perfectly in order to want to use this. Because pretty soon your 'no hassle' and 'quick treatment' is going to be an absolute headache.

That was not the case for my HSA, it may be with others. They needed more information than what I was given. The only service date provided to me on my receipt was in August of 2023. Because of that, my HSA informed me that I could not use my 2024 funds to pay for my aligners. So then I started the process with Byte of getting a detailed treatment plan that showed all of the dates that I was changing my aligners out. I emailed them asking for this document, not a hard ask. I ended up going back and forth with a different agent each time trying to get this document. They kept telling me I didn’t need it or would try to pass me off to CareCredit or would just send the exact same receipt I already had.

I let this go on for a month, that’s on me. I then called in wanting to speak to a manager. The customer service representative told me that I didn’t need to speak to a manager and that I was talking to the wrong department entirely. She transferred me to a customer service representative in the Insurance Department. I really didn’t think that this was the right department, but I told her what I was looking for. She confirmed that I was with the wrong department. She told me that I needed to first speak to my HSA company and ask them for a form called “Orthodontia Treatment Plan.” Once I got that form I was to send it via email to the Claim Support team. They’d fill out the form for me and then I could give it to my HSA so that I could then use my 2024 HSA funds to pay off my CareCredit Card.

I reached out to my HSA, there is no such form. Other HSA’s may have the form, but mine doesn’t. They told me that all I needed was a document from Byte with the Treatment Plan and the dates I would change each aligner set. The same document that I’ve been asking for. For over a month. Now I’m waiting to hear back from the Claim Support Team to see if they can give me that document. I don’t have high hopes.

Before all of this, I had told my husband that this was so much easier than regular braces. That when our kids need braces we should do it this way. Maybe we will, but we will not be using Byte ever again. The aligners are great. The initial representatives I worked with were great. The post-payment support is not there and is, honestly horrible and Byte should be embarrassed. I gave them 1 star for the first 2 representatives I worked with. They both did their jobs well. However, if I could give 0 stars for the post-purchase support I would.

The retainers fit perfectly. They give you the bag like how everything comes. I expected it to be cheap because of the price. But from the boxes to the way they package them and the bag that you get, it's all high quality stuff. I really like the way they organize it. I was blown away with the quality of how they did everything. I'm paying 52 bucks a month. I'm gonna pay them off at the end of the year. It's easy. I use my app a lot. It has all the reminders and it makes it easier because it's convenient.

My favorite part of all of it was Byte wasn't pushy like typical salespeople are. From when I initially inquired to when I actually signed up, it was about three months. I was really on the fence about it. But they didn't push me, which made it less of a scam. They really did good. It's been worth the hype. They were there if I needed them. They did everything. I'm a mom and I don't have time to go in to a dentist and wait. I've already recommended it multiple times to people. It's so easy and affordable. They make it to where there's no reason not to have straight teeth. It's changed my life.

So far, I'm noticing a little bit of change in the amount of overlap in my front teeth. My front bottom teeth, which were significantly worse, has improved. It's not fixed yet, but I'm less than halfway through my series, so I expect it will continue to improve with time. But I've noticed it's gotten a little bit more straightforward, like the wearing process and what to expect as time has gone on.

The first few times that I contacted customer support about it, they told me they take some time to get used to. I contacted them again because I didn't think it was typical. Then they told me to go ahead and trim the aligners with scissors, and even though I would spend as much time as I could at cutting them so they would fit and they wouldn't dig into it, it was still an issue. The fit wasn't right. It ended up taking 3 months for the issue to be addressed and it was via email. Every time I would send them, I send them the images of the inside of my mouth. Finally, somebody told me I needed a new set. That person sent me a new impression kit.

The new aligners fit perfectly. But it was such a headache to get to that point. In those 3 months, I wrote and spoke to multiple people, but it didn't seem like anybody was willing to say that something was wrong with the aligners. The main issue was any time you send an email, even when they replied to you and you reply back, even if you're replying within a couple of minutes, it seems somebody else is reviewing the email. It was almost every time, I was starting from scratch. Any time I contacted somebody, it was a different person. I had to restate the issue and go through the same questions. It got very tedious after a while. Byte is an affordable way to get a better smile but they're lacking customer service. I would reach some people that were very attentive but some others didn't seem they cared. It was hit or miss.

The packaging of the second set of aligners was also very simple compared to the first ones. I'm in the third set of aligners right now. Again, I couldn't see the simulation that I first saw with the first set of aligners. It looks like they slacked down a little bit with the effort of the service when somebody asks for a warranty. But other than that, the customer service is great. The product is legit. It works from what I see from my experience as well as working.

The only thing is there are a few app glitches. I get notifications that it's time for my check-in every week but it should be monthly. That's a little annoying. But other than that, their customer service is responsive. Also, they honored my deal. I bought this warranty and I'm glad I did it. Otherwise, I have to pay three sets of aligners if I want to keep continuing. They never gave me any trouble and they addressed my concerns. I'm happy overall. If eventually my teeth get straight, it's gonna be worth it.

They had a new setup with their app for a second. It was hard to get in contact with them during that time. But right now, it seems as though their app is working really well. They send you notifications and checkups once every month, at least. They are really on top of what they're doing. I feel very acknowledged as a consumer using their products.

Right now, I'm a little bit confused with when they are gonna reach out to me when they ship out their next aligners or my next set of aligners. When I did call customer service, they were not able to assist me. I'm just a little bit confused on that part because I've been using the same set of aligners since May. I checked in with Byte yesterday so they're gonna send me a new one. Other than that, everything else is really organized and done pretty well.

Their response is that I should try to go back to the beginning of the aligners set and start over. This would mean reusing aligners I used over 320 days ago. I discarded the older aligners, but for the ones prior to last. For sanitation reasons and because they are severely worn after 40-60 continuous nights of use. They are designed for 7-14 nights of use.

Because I don’t have the aligners I wore 300+ days ago, and even if my current aligners fit perfectly well, indicating I’m wearing the correct step, I was told that I voided my satisfaction guarantee, and they will only continue my plan if pay for a new plan, at a discounted rate. I don’t see how I would pay for a whole new plan, after 980 days of treatment in the current plan has produced such disappointing results. Further disappointing is that they use the technicality of me having discarded old, worn-out aligners, as justification to cease my treatment. I can’t recommend them.

Original Review: I've been wearing the night-only aligners for over 2 years now, and there is still a long way to go on straightening my lower teeth. The disastrous portion of the treatment is the patient/customer service. Either a) their CRM system is horrendous, b) they are completely disorganized or c) they intentionally give you the run around to make you give up. They kick you around between agents that don't seem to read the history of the communications, ask for the same pictures over and over, and eventually they ask you to start a service request over again. It's truly unfortunate and very upsetting.

The longer version: On my first if not my only call to customer service during treatment, I asked them a question about the mechanism of how the product worked ("How do you straighten teeth without expanding the palate to make space?"). It seemed like a reasonable question. Instead of answering (turns out there's a very simple explanation), they immediately got defensive and told me: "We can't fix palates. That was in the terms and conditions you agreed to. We have concluded that you're not a candidate, but we can no longer give a refund because you agreed to the T&C." And that was that. I have not been able to get any sort of service from them since.

It turns out aligners would totally have worked for me; an orthodontist recommended the exact same treatment. Had Byte taken 5 minutes to answer my question rather than cut me off reactively, I would probably be done with treatment by now. Instead, I now have to start over again (with a different company of course) and am out the money I paid to Byte. I am trying them one more time to see if they can resolve it and in the last 30 minutes of being on hold, I can't tell you how many times they have said "If you are not a good candidate we'll refund your purchase price, guaranteed." What a joke!

If I could have seen a dentist in person, I would have preferred that, seeing how everything went. Doing it remotely isn't really effective. I would have paid more for Invisalign or something to get the office visit and have it done promptly rather than starting over and all these refinements.

I'm almost done. I wasn't happy with where everything was at by the time I had finished the initial plan. So, Byte sent me another set, which I'm more than halfway through now, just to get everything set a bit better. They had two options. I could have them during the day. And they had to be in for at least 12 or 14 hours. Or I could do the night time option and they just have to be in for 10 hours. I keep them in while I sleep, a few hours before I go to sleep and an hour or two after I wake up, depending on when I put them in before I go to bed. But just 10 hours and overnight, but no eating or drinking with them.

At first, it was weird having the retainers on and I thought it was gonna bother me when I slept but I really didn't feel them at all. They first day or two, there was a little bit of discomfort because my teeth were moving. But after that, it's like I don't even notice that they're there. Also, it's been super easy going through and I have the app on my phone, which is real easy to follow. They do little follow-ups and I know that they're looking at the pictures that I submit, because if something's wrong and they can see it, they'd call me up and send me an email. It's been really great.

Finally, on 9/8 I sent a text. No response. I asked today, 9/11 via text for an update but so far I have not received one. Due to this lack of response I still have no idea if I am done with my treatment as my plan says, if I am even wearing the correct aligners, and have not ordered my retainers as my plan tells me to do. This is not the first time I had to spend weeks getting Byte's customer support to respond after I had an issue. My plan has taken months longer than planned due to this repeated lack of response.

Trying to do aligners outside of the dentist office is an admirable goal but when they try to remove the dentist from the equation, it's a total disaster. There's no reason they can't offer better patient service except that it probably costs them too much money. They run this business in a manner where they don't care if you fail, in fact it's probably how they make their money. It's impossible to get a refund and as you'll see in the other reviews, the "smile guarantee" is almost always void because of some nonsense. I really wish this company would have worked but now I'm out $2,000 and my teeth are not straight.

The real issue and reason for 1 star is what happened when I got the new set. The second round of aligners I was sent didn’t cover my back teeth, which led to me constantly clenching my jaw to try to get them to stay put. I made a support request and was told this was normal and to continue wearing them. After a month, I was in excruciating pain. Like, crying every time I chewed anything harder than white bread excruciating. I went to my dentist who said the aligners were the only plausible cause and to stop wearing them for a few weeks to see if it helped. I sent the note my dentist wrote to customer service and they agreed with the plan of action. The pain went from 10/10 to 7/10 during that time, but 7/10 is still pretty bad. It seemed clear that the aligners were to blame so I stayed out of them for the next 3 months. That, along with 10 rounds of acupuncture, and I was pretty much pain free.

ANOTHER request to the support team (you can’t just follow up on one email thread, it’s a whole new request every time), and they agreed to send a new impression kit to get a new set. They arrive WITH THE BACK PART MISSING. Just like the previous set that caused this problem, plus they were too high in the front so they would dig into my gums. Yet another support request, again told that it doesn’t matter that they don’t cover all the teeth.

At this point I’m over it, have spent over a thousand dollars trying to fix their mess, and have irreversible TMJ damage so I requested to stop treatment and get a refund (seems like the LEAST they could do). I was told that I needed a dentist or a physician note to stop treatment, even though I already provided one the first time this issue happened. My (new, not the one who wrote the first note) dentist suggested I see an orthodontist since another patient had a similar issue and the companies typically push for more and more documentation before they take responsibility. The orthodontist I saw said the aligners are almost certainly the problem, but he doesn’t want to write the letter because he’s seen these turn into messy legal disputes. So, everyone sucks here, but mostly Byte, which I recommend you avoid.