Review by DprssdIsntFn 
member for 8.3 years, 674 visits, last login: 3 days ago
updated 49 days ago
 33815
 $80 per month "Internet and IP Phone service almost always available." "Mediocre tech service." "Decent (but pricey) service."
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
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Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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We've been with Brighthouse for several years. Originally, service was limited to Internet service only. Currently we have Internet and IP phone service. Service is almost always available. i.e. outages are rare even though mid-Florida is known for it's high number of thunderstorm days (over 90 thunderstorm days/year) and number of local lightning strikes.
Recurring issue 1: Brighthouse provided DNS can be problematical. This can significantly slow down or disrupt website access. I find I need to switch DNS providers fairly often. Alternative DNS providers I use include Google {8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4} and OpenDNS {208.67.222.222}.
Recurring issue 2: Problems requiring a visit from a Brighthouse tech have yet to be resolved on the first visit.
Example - The latest problem was alleged to involve an unannounced remotely installed firmware upgrade to our cable modem. The sequence of events was:
1) Multiple calls to Brighthouse support because IP phone service stopped working. Symptoms: Phone had dialtone. All attempted calls resulted in busy signals. Calls to tech support would result in a remote reset of cable modem. After 4th such remote reset, tech was sent out.
2) First tech visit: Tech claimed signal strength on line was -53db. Claimed IP phone service cutoff was -55db. Tech removed leftover {Brighthouse installed} splitter from when we had triple play service. I never saw tech actually connect and measure anything. Implied that a drop in signal resulted in a latched fail mode. Tech did not mention remotely applied firmware update.
3) Second tech visit: Tech claimed remotely applied firmware upgrade was buggy. He further claimed he had called in and had the 'fixed' firmware upgrade remotely applied before his arrival. His tale of the buggy remotely applied firmware was believable and corresponded with service issues {Internet access reliability} I had already noticed in other areas. Once again, I observed no equipment being pulled out and attached to cable modem to confirm any of this.
4) Third tech visit: At this point, tech support was called and told unconditionally to replace the cable modem with a new one. Tech arrived and confirmed the 'buggy firmware' issue. Tech replaced old cable modem with different brand new cable modem. All phone and Internet access issues resolved.
The good - the problems were successfully resolved.
The bad - the problems took two weeks to resolve and involved multiple phone calls and multiple tech visits.
Score - mediocre at best.
Overall score - decent, usually reliable service. When problems do crop up, resolving them requires patience and constant follow up.
Comment - if there was indeed a firmware upgrade involved, then tech support already knew about the possible problem before our first phone call. If that was so, then we should have been told of the upgrade on the first call and a replacement cable modem should have been provided either through a visiting tech or by asking us to pick one up. Every call after the first one and every tech visit after the first one was wasteful of Brighthouse resources and extremely aggravating to experience.
Note - The firmware upgrade story may or may not be true. I did independently observe IP number assignment range changes at the cable modem when I was first looking into Internet service issues several weeks before the IP phone service started acting up. These IP number range changes also correlated with apparent routing changes observed with traceroute. I'm fairly confident BH/rr recently performed an equipment upgrade in our area. So a remotely applied 'buggy firmware' issue is believable.
I wouldn't have gone one so long about this example but, as noted above, no problem requiring a visit from a BH tech has ever been resolved on the first visit. For the most part, I don't consider this a 'tech' issue. Rather, I strongly suspect that BH doesn't provide enough resources to resolve everyone's problem the first time. Hence the need for repeat visits.
We've had BH provided service at this location since 2003.
Comments:
 Reviews:
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| I'm here to help... Hi there,
I work for Bright House Networks and lets see what we can do about getting those unresolved issues taken care of. Please open a thread in our new Direct Forums and I will be in contact shortly. If you have problems locating them here is the link...
» Bright House Networks Direct
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~All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer ~
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 ·Bright House
| Re: I'm here to help... I appreciate the offer of getting 'unresolved issues taken care of'. However, we currently don't have any unresolved issues. The new cable modem resolved the IP phone service issue and the unreliable Internet service issue (site time out).
I wrote this as a review of our experiences as a long time BH customer. I didn't write this as a complaint of an on-going problem. As a review, people interested in purchasing BH service have a right to know the ups and downs of said service.
Generally speaking, the service itself is usually reliable.
However: This latest experience with getting an issue requiring a site visit for resolution has reminded us strongly of all our previous experiences with other issues requiring site visits. Every single such episode we've experienced over the years has followed the same pattern of multiple visits. If you read between the lines, you can also see that we often have no assurance of what the actual problem is.
In this latest example, I'm guessing the first and second tech visits were done as placebos and neither tech had a replacement cable modem available.
Now, whether the placebo visits are consciously done with the foreknowledge of management or done simply because the techs are looking to avoid being yelled at by customers because they're not provided with sufficient spares doesn't matter.
This is strictly a management problem pure and simple. I don't blame the techs at all. I _am_ disappointed with BH because, after all these years, I would have thought their tech management practices would have changed. They haven't.
Speaking as an ex outside Management Consultant/Business Practices Analyst, improving customer support and experiences is not rocket science.
Thank you for the offer of help, but the remaining real 'issue' needing to be addressed lies elsewhere. | |
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·Clearwire Wireless
| Well then there are remaining issues as gleened from your first post  I can't work on those improvements without looking at specifics related to your post so I'm contacting you via IM. | |
| | | | | Re: I'm here to help... I am having issues with my internet. Web pages are timing out intermittently..more often timing out than allowing me to surf the web without a problem. Can u help? | |
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| | | Of course... please submit a thread in our Direct Forums and I'll get right on it. | |
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| | Crab Have been with bright house for the past year. They been good ever since, never have problem with bill ect... For the internet I signed up for 19.95. Got a bill from bright house saying that my price will go up to $35.00 every month now on for one year then again after next year it will go up higher. I found that crab to believe it. They said that someone should tell me this info when I first sign up, again that is BS. So we are done with bright house! | |
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·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: Crab said by Anchalee :Have been with bright house for the past year. They been good ever since, never have problem with bill ect... For the internet I signed up for 19.95. Got a bill from bright house saying that my price will go up to $35.00 every month now on for one year then again after next year it will go up higher. I found that crab to believe it. They said that someone should tell me this info when I first sign up, again that is BS. So we are done with bright house!
Sounds like you are were on a promotional Roadrunner Lite rate which has now expired. You do have options so if you will post in our direct forums I'll be happy to take a look and see where we go from here.
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~All truth goes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer ~
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