Trade in program not easy

i am going trough a bad experience with BrightStar, Apple’s chosen partner for trade ins. I mailed in my phone as detailed in the instructions and now they have canceled the trade in. I am left with no old phone or refund. I spent 58 min with BrightStar on the phone because they claim they have not received the box. The UPS tracking number states it was delivered. Is the program a scam? How does Apple take responsibility for this fisco?