Home service, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services
BTES is a municipally-owned electric utility that provides electric, high-speed Internet, telephone, and cable TV services over a fiber-optic … See more
My bill is usually due on about the 28th of each month but for some reason I did not receive my bill until the 1st of the next month ( I paid immediately at drop location of Vol Pkwy). I rec’d reminder notice on 2 6 so called customer …
WAITED ON HOLD TO SPEAK TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP FOR ALMOST AN HOUR.
WHEN A REP DID ANSWER I WAS TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I just spent a freakin HOUR of my life trying to pay online on your horrible and confusing website just to have it tell me I can’t!!!!!!!!! What a sick joke screw whoever put this together online
The worst company I have ever had in my life. Customer service is pathetic. Horrible. I wish we had a choice to pick another company. Absolutely hate BTES
Worst place ever. Very unreliable service. Rude people and unhelpful. Been waiting on a call from a manager for a month now. We need another power and cable company this place awful.
Worst power company I have ever delt with, beware if u pay your bill by phone and get confirmation numbers, I was told by them those don’t mean anything, my question is why do you give number when you pay your bill, get a dictionary or go back to school
What another reviewer said about hatefulness does not even begin to describe these creeps. I’ve never dealt with such a power company in all the places I’ve lived.
This company outright lies…Says your enrolled in hot water program and even sent out technician and tells your good…but when something goes wrong your not in program….WORST EVER….WATCH OUT… …
We love BTES! Everytime we have had an issue they always call right away and if someone needs to come out they are here asap! Price and service can not be beat!
Ive been in my apartment for close to 2 years and have called multiple times about how crappy the service is here the internet is horrible i pay for 30 MBPS and barely ever get that over all the electrical part of it is very good never had it go out but maybe once but the internet is a serious ripoff.
I’m not even a customer yet, but I’ve left multiple messages and can’t even get a return call. It’s not like a person has $700.00 laying around to pay for a deposit. I thought AEP was bad…..pahahaha
The worst internet around! They also don’t have a steady due date for bills! Your light bill could be due anywhere between the 14th and 18th if the month and is different every month!
If you think customer service is bad now You should have been with them a few years ago.. I know some are a little snobby but usually they will work a few hrs with you.. I remember the day the grouchy old lady sit at the desk and acted …
Has a program for people who can’t afford 500$ bill but dont tell you….black out on Wi-Fi and don’t even fix it till next buissness day …ppl at walk in Windows are very rude and short with you … They could be so much better if they want to. have to give a star just to comment
Prices for electric and internet are so much better in Tn than those in the Va side. I pay half as much in a 4 bedroom house with a full basement as I was in a 2 bedroom apartment 😕 Amazing!! 😊 …
This place is horrible for customer service… been in the industry for over 20 years customer service should never be this bad. Was on hold for over 20 minutes and the lady who answered the phone still did not help me. Very rude! Asked to …
Internet goes out … Support does nothing… Been calling the support # for an hour and after it says to hold for a rep it actually hangs up on you… Got through once in the whole hour and it fold me to leave a message … …
If I could put a big fat zero for customer service I would surely do it. Worst customer service ever. They don’t care about their customers at all. As soon as I can move out of their service area I will definitely be gone. It’s a shame they don’t have any people there with enough compassion to fill a thimble.
I don’t understand what they do, The internet is perfect but almost every weekend the internet goes down 100% I have been a customer with them for a while, I have lived two separate places and this problem always happens. My friends at work that have them also complain about the same issue.
Terrible service your ratings speak for themselves. Too bad your the only ones in bristol. And lemme guess your gonna reply with “we are sorry for your neg experience please contact us so we can put you on hold for 1hr and then tell you there is nothing you can do”
Literally could not be any worse. This internet is garbage half the time. The tv looks like it was craft by a caveman and a keyboard. The customer service is so bad you may as well talk to a wall. This place is the absolute pit of Bristol TN
If your looking for the worst customer service and products around the region. You have found them. BTES is literally a joke. It’s ridiculous it’s the only option we have available. If at all cost go through someone else if you’re allowed.
Like others on here I would like to give zero stars but havta give at leaste 1…we are constantly seeing commercials about just how much they care about customers and reliability of services but that is not so,i reported a light out well …
Literally the worst internet/power/phone company I’ve ever seen, internet goes out at least 5 times a month. Customer support is ridiculous and the worst part is they are your only option. You choose garbage internet or no internet.
Please…… Your a horrible company as it is… But charging $10 to pay over the phone ugggh and step into this century quit stealing from people and get a freaking atm and credit card reader in you business its 2018…. And step up 100% up on the customer service skills. Whole company needs new workers except for like 2…
Whenever I have dealt with BTES they have been very professional and very helpful. I work for a local non-profit charity with 13 buildings that are spread over two campuses. If I have to call, BTES always responds in a timely manner and solves our problems.
They have left me on hold from 4:30 “when I get off” until they close. This is now the Second day in a row they have done this to me. Again I won’t have any heat or power now and this is all Because if they’re mistake processing my payment
Extremely pathetic for a million dollar company state they can NOT provide a payment arrangement for someone who has not requested one since Sept 2020. Yes , over a year ago. The ignorant explanations you provide are nothing but BS.
Just stating facts…
All 5 star reviews are lies. The internet speed you pay for is never what you get. I pay for 30Mbps and my devices rarely reach a third of that. If you call them they’ll ask you to run a speed test, which will show your slow speeds, then …
Most reliable power and fiber service I have ever had. I love bank draft, I don’t ever have to worry about remembering to pay my bill or it being late due to this great service they offer!!
Terrible. Their meter didnt give out a proper reading so they just made up a price for me based off the year before (when I didnt even live there) which was more than I was using. It’s a monopoly so you can’t go somewhere else you just deal with their high prices and bad service. Internet is out city wide as I write this
Why is BTES allowed monopoly to places like Cottages of Feathers Chapel. BTES cable is worse than any programming I have ever had. They charge way too much for speed on the internet. Cable programming has nothing like Dish or Direct TV. We …
Terrible monopoly. They charge you whatever they feel like. The math doesn’t even add up on the bill. Terrible company and another reason to move away from this horrible area! Edit: Called customer service which does no good at all because there’s no explanation for a $50 increase when the avg temperature was lower.
Called customer service around noon today for a service issue with the cable television. The technician, Kenny Venable, was onsite within 3 hours. After a quick troubleshooting process, Kenny found the wire crimped inside the box outside …
Our power went out this morning and within 30 minutes BTES had responded and was addressing the problem. Within the next hour we had our power back. And when I went out to talk with the men working on our power box they were very kind and explained the problem to me. Great service and great quality! Thank you, BTES!
I have their phone service for my law practice. They allowed a rouge phone user (remotely) to illegally take control of the phone service for international calls and then billed my account over $400.00. I asked them please to not bill me for the charges since it was done remotely and illegall. They refused. I am switching.
Why use that one bill? your bill goes up bc of ur cable and internet! Cable is 50$ with 70 channels, internet is 50$ … with spectrum cable is 45$ with 125 channels and internet is 45$!! All together with Btes is either 109$ or 134$ PLUS TAX! Spectrum is less than 100 with taxes included! cable and internet is better an ffaster
The water heater that BTES installed 15 years ago wasnt getting hot enough. Within an hour the friendly service technician was here replacing outdated parts. I feel like I have a brand new water heater and it didn’t cost a thing because I …
In light of all the drama lately, these guys STILL provide 5 star service. From troubleshooting a failing secondary WIFI receiver from an outdoor trailer in their parking lot to phone tech support to pair it back to the existing network, they continue to blow Comcast out of the water!!!
BRAVO
Never will I go with these money hungry people ever if you find yourself upon hard times witch every one does they don’t want to work with you they charge every one a high deposit as much as 300.00 Don’t believe me call them ,they know that …
Moved for Johnson city to Bristol TN Because I bought a house everything was running smooth until I encounter BTES I lived in Johnson city for 6 years so I used Johnson city Power board loved this company they were always great, so I …
I have never in my life had to deal with such hateful people. They have a ridiculous start up policy. Your deposit is determined by the highest bill the home has ever had then they double it to come up with your deposit. So the people …
We would like to give a shout out to BTES! Customer service A plus! Thank you for being so fast to respond when we needed you and explaining everything to us.
Literally the worst company. Ive complained. I e written emails. I’ve called TVA. BTES is a lousy utility company. Never ever ever get cable through them. Bristol residebtscare forced to use them for electricity. Don’t bundle. If youre ever …
One of the absolute worst institutions. They required, or should I say forced, customers to go to IPTV. The IPTV goes down several times a week. Since October I can’t count a week in which it has not went out. Their rates are exorbitant. …
Excellent service. I have power and internet through BTES. I am currently using the gigabit internet plan. While it is not synchronous, I will still take 1g/100mb speeds for under one hundred dollars a month. This is what happens when you …
They charge ridiculous fees. $500+ for a deposit plus a $20 hookup fee for power that’s already in the house, just switching names. $13 to pay by debit card. The old lady that keeps answering the phone is rude and never fully explains things. They have a monopoly and it’s terrifying.
If I could put negative stars I would. They lied to us and told us our landlord required them to put some kind of box on our water heater which regulates how much hot water you can have a day. I have small children, I’m constantly running …
Much slower speeds than you pay for. Often times too slow to even run something as simple as Netflix. It’s been one issue after another using BTES as an ISP.
Inconsistent internet, frequent outages, overall poor quality. For some reason they also like to run random tests on all the ports on your router, similar to a DDOS attack, in what I can only guess is a search for people running servers. …
Horrible service when it comes to people inside and anyone answering the phones. I had no help at all and was rushed while setting up my account to be able to pay with a check by phone, so my information was not correct, due to this I had …
I agree with Joseph. We moved here a year ago and they doubled our deposit from the highest bill at the residence, which was 400 dollars, so our deposit was 800 dollars. How is that fair that they go on a bill that was not even created by …
Hands down, the best internet service we have had. We have had no outages and the speed tests always return with a solid connection at the speed expected from our service. We also have our electric service with BTES and have had no troubles there either. The rates are reasonable as well.
WORST internet service I’ve had in the 8 years I’ve lived in Tennessee. Techs don’t know anything except the cookie cutter answers they spew out of a book without any real knowledge of the system. If your internet is working fine one minute …
Stay away from this business for Internet and cable TV services. The cable service is absolutely horrendous with half of the channels having such poor reception they are not worth viewing. Besides the horrible service quality, customer …
This place is pathetic and run by heinous people with monstrous policies. My husband and I always pay half of our bill at the beginning of the month and the rest at the end of the month. That’s the ONLY way we can do it because I’m the only …
Power bills are always higher then they should be! I haven’t been using my heat much due to the nice weather but yet My Electric bill was extremely high. No way I am using what they are claiming such con artist!!
Brand new account holder, just moved to the area.
Worst website account navigation I’ve ever experienced with a Utility company. Absolutely no detailed account information regarding terms and conditions, no …
BTES has been great the past 6 yrs I have used them. No problems ever from the cable or internet service. Actually has been the best cable and internet around the Tri-Cities area. Not sure if you have ever tried Comcast or Charter but …
This power company exploites the fact that they are the only option in our area. Requiring deposits for people with 700 credit scores just because their computer said so. Ensuring that you will not ever get that deposit back unless you …
You have to use them for electricity. But find another way to get your cable and Internet! Their service is terrible. Multiple outages and sometimes days before they address it. Obviously not up to operating a broadband system.
Paying for 50Mbps/100Mbps and only getting 5Mbps down and 9Mbps up, literally can not even watch a 5 minute YouTube video at 720 to 1080p. Better of using the 3G on my phone, this is a scam and is wrong. How can you let someone pay for …
Tired of the bad reviews, I’ve never had bad issues with BTES, internet is great and stable, as a IT professional I don’t see it being worth it for the 1gb internet. You can get 1gb to there speedtest server but outside of that it’s very …
Really awful company, and the best part is you have no choice but to deal with them. They will demand a deposit to get service turned on that is just ridicules. And guess what? Yeah, they dont take debit cards to pay it either. And do you …
Any time I have had a question, BTES was quick to respond and provide assistance. Also-we have only experienced one power outage that I can remember and it was resolved super fast! Their commitment goes beyond customers and is extended into …
I went to switch to charter due to my poor 60 mbps service that was rare to hit over 30mbps. Charged me $500 to cancel my cable services, then they (hatefully)tried to lie to me and say that charters buyout program would not pay me . Sure …
I would like for this company to take a look at there app. Sometimes when I log in on there app it freezes my phone up. It tells me this app is not working. Please take a look at this. I have reinstalled this app several times but it still has this problem???
Customer service is horrible! App doesn’t work, website says payment options can’t be reached, 423 & 855 numbers disconnect you and tell you there’s a problem with their service. How much you wanna bet I’ll be penalized as a result? This is …
Absolute garbage internet service. Always have problems and I know several people that have the same issue. When we call they always say there is a problem with our router. We have bought 3 new routers and the one we use now is a $200+ …
If you pay 1 day past your due date they will not let pay with a check anymore for 12 months! You have to pay on the exact due date or you lose check pay!! And in those 12 months if you pay one day late you have to start your 12 months …
Horrible customer service. Horrible internet and power service. Horrible company in general. Their “24 hour” assistance line is nothing more than a bot that hangs up on you without giving any options to speak with a person. The internet and …
I work two jobs. Simply missed a payment and when I tried to make arrangements the threatened to turn off power if not paid immediately. I was 13 days late, really 13 days. Been a customer for 15 years and if there was someone else to get …
You also have to pay on time, not be one day late for a year to get deposit back. I paid 450 dollars in 2006 when I moved to Bristol, I have yet to get my deposit back. Because sometimes you can’t help but be late. But I have a question, …
They have been super awesome and easy to deal with with all 3 of our moves. The lady this time with the pretty blonde hair with colored highlights (I don’t know her name) was amazing with getting our services switched! I only give them 4 …
There were supposed to turn off my cable and internet. They took the liberty of turning off my electricity as well. Told me it be 50.00 to turn it back on. They said I want specific. So I went down to listen to the call as well. Finally the …
This company is absolutely corrupt. I will be moving out of Bristol just so I don’t have to deal with this company trying to extort money from a disabled veteran. Not customer friendly and a pain to work with.
Unbelievably costly once you add in 2 pages of ‘questionable ‘ taxes, and vague fees. Bundling phone, wifi and basic cable plus just 1 premium chanbel adds up to more than I paid in LA XA for same bundle!
If I could rate 0 Stars I would……. this crooked company will shut your service off and say that you were in non payment status….. If it wasn’t for my bank transaction history to prove they got their money they would try to charge a reconnect fee. Be sure to always keep your bank statements. I
We’re going on 30 hours with no digital cable. Our phones were down for ~3 hours and the internet has been off and on, all day. We live in the middle of Bristol, within walking distance of State Street, and there have been no recent storms …
Charged me like $500 bucks for a deposit for electric services for a trailer. Very high. Also, if you own a multi unit facility you have to redo the application process every time you need to put in your name when it goes vacant and you …
This is the absolute worst electic company I have ever had to deal with. I used my grandmother as a guarantor for the starting of my service and she told them up front that it would not be long before she would have to cancel her service …
This company is very expensive for internet that goes out weekly & sometimes at the same time for a set amount of time daily. The speeds are also not true speeds. Sometimes you only get half of what you actually pay for. Yes, I know tech, …
I own 9 houses some in Bristol VA and some in Bristol TN.. BTES is a good company.. BVU on the other hand is not! When I see bad reviews on here about BTES I think go get a dose of BVU and you’ll see a huge difference.
I’m a single disabled mom. I had a family emergency and spoke to Diane. We agreed that if I paid a certain amount she would work with me until the next day for the rest. So I went and paid what I promised and they cut off my power. They …
This place treats you any kind of way they want because they know you can’t go anywhere else. They make everything as hard as possible for you. My son and I both paid the same bill not knowing the other paid it already. I went up there to …
Extremely shady. Got a disconnect in the mail on the 12th, shut off was at 5pm… On the 12th, and no explanation for the oddball $25 bucks. Even more odd this is all happening the same week I get paid, twice in a row. I have receipts …
BEWARE! Stay away from their INTERNET! Don’t sign nothing! Installation fee is not waived!! Will have to pay if you have to cancel! Price is $500.00! Was lied to and was very deceived! Lady at the COVID mobile home told me I wouldn’t …
We have been with BTES for over two years now. They showed up today at 2:45pm on a holiday (Martin Luther King Day) to shut off our power. We were given zero notice that there was an issue and told we had until 5pm or our power would be …
They cut. then call you to tell you that you need to pay $75 dollars to reconnect and can charge you up to double the last month bill. why not call before you cut? . and will not give you a detailed invoice on why it cost $75 to take 2 …
My father called to sign up for Internet service. He has had BTES in the past so it should be fairly simple to have it switched back from a competitor. …
There are the worst company to get your service frome I’ve been without power for 3 hours now I wish there was another services provided I would be there first customer
The staff quickly and effectively helped me understand a family member’s account while I was acting as Executor. Appreciate their understanding and kindness during a hard time. No wait to get to talk to someone. Easy to park and access.
I have called 4 times about no Wi-Fi service at my home for the last 40 days.
I also visited the office in Bristol and was given a new router to self-install to see if that was the issue- still no internet service. I then initiated a …
Paying top prices for internet and setting here again with no internet. I work from and this company is going to cause me to get fired because of all the days missed
The internet is constantly going down at least once a week around the same time and it takes them over five hours to even make a simple Facebook post to inform customers of an outage and they always use the same vague “Upstream provider” …
We have had power, land line, cable and internet with BTES going on fourteen years. In all of those years, we have rarely had any outages or issues with any of the services. If we had have an outage or issue, once we contacted them the issue was resolved immediately. We have been very pleased with BTES.
40 year + customer. things got pretty bad from covid 2020 era till early 2022. things seem to be getting a little more stable. more deforestation crews out to doing line maintenance. these blackouts are inexcusable though… when did we …
For us BTES is the best Internet we’ve had in years. We are basically connected straight to the Internet backbone. Everything feels very responsive. Our last provider routed us halfway across the country to go anywhere. We have the …
Although we have electric on prepaid plan and we get sent emails daily with daily usage and daily cost i still cannot really track costs, As they “ESTIMATE” costs on some days and then come back and add difference later to the next day. …
585.00 to turn on the power is a lot like armed robbery cuz they can name whatever price they feel like and they know we have to have power so therefore they are going to get the price they want…
This place is a joke. Extremely nasty rude staff. Especially Brenda and the idiots working the windows inside. I have never liked this place. The old man Mike that is over it is the worst. They also charge wayyyyy to much for electric and cable. Awful place!!!!!!
!!!!!!STAY AWAY!!!!! I cannot share all I want to say but STAY AWAY FROM BTES for cable, internet, and phone. I have their internet and it is horrible! It was proven my speeds at my home are slow and its because they cannot serve the area I …
I wish I could give negative stars. Worst customer service experience ever. Horrible attitudes from people on the phones. Uncaring and dismissive attitudes. This company also is a monopoly, which is technically illegal. There are no …
I would love to post a review, but since we had BTES internet and cable installed 5 days ago, we have had little to no service. If it ever works, I’ll leave another post as to whether it’s any good.
Horrible customer service on how to have power re-connected! We always pay our electric bill every month, the one time the payment was one day late it’s turned off. Okay, well that’s fine and dandy, but how in the world can you pay a …
Have recently worked with Stacy Crowe about my account with BETS. She was great to work with and she did an excellent job .I would give her more than 5 stars if possible.
Stacey was great, very informative, courteous, personable, and also gave us valuable information concerning other services that we will need. I wish there were more of her in today’s world. Thanks for everything.
We have been with BTES for a few years now – with multiple cabins and accounts we couldn’t have done it without the help of BTES employees along the way; especially Stacey Crowe in customer service. She’s professional, patient, and gets things done.
The sorriest power company I’ve ever dealt with. Repeatedly engaged in gross negligence. Does not maintain its power lines, let’s them get overgrown. Lousy internet and outrageous bills.Anyone who gave it one star interested in a class action law suit? I’ll sponsor the effort
We’ve been with BTES for a year now and it has been great so far. The few outages there have been have been fixed quickly, internet speed is usually pretty quick, and Stacey was wonderful to work with!
Thank you Stacey plus the entire BTES team!!! Superb and outstanding customer service!!!!! The team helped me transition from my home in Michigan to Bristol ,Tennessee. …
This is the most disrespectful company in Bristol Brenda that answers phones has a attitude ,u can’t get answers,all they are worried about is companys and ever thing around pinnacle area ,we have live d here for 50+ yrs ,so I guess it’s …
I understand the power being out during the really cold spell, but this is the second time it’s been out within 30 days. Second time it’s out so long I’ve thrown my groceries away. My friends with AEP and BVU have power today.
As a local Property Manager, I am dealing with BTES on a frequent basis. I am also referring my tenants to BTES in order for them to obtain services. I always recommend that they speak to Stacey Crowe in customer service. Stacey is always …
I just wanted to say that Stacey Crowe in customer service is a God sent… She truly is what people used to be… She went above and beyond to help me yesterday with my electric bill. I am a single mom with 4 boys and I take care of my …
I spoke with Debbie. I was having trouble getting signed into my 3 accounts. She walked me through the procedure but it still wouldn’t let me in. She put me on hold briefly and when she came back things were finally working and I was able …
We had a problem with our water heater not working properly. We were receiving luke warm water at best , right at shower time. I called and left both voice and email messages on the BTES system. I received a phone call the next morning at …
Stacy in Customer Service is great!! If I have to call BTES for many reasons I always speak to her. If she isn’t available in leave her a voicemail and she always calls me back. She always has a smile on her face and you can hear it in her …
Paying almost 70 a month for high speed internet and can’t get any help from this company to fix the issue. Filed a complaint with the better business bureau tonight. Would love to post a pic of the speed test I did! Stay far away from this company
Wish I could give them 0 stars. I’ve been a customer with them for YEARS (since around 2007) but required a guarantor after my divorce (to put the account strictly in my name – around 2015/2016). My guarantor passed away and I recently …
Stacey Crowe was awesome. She was friendly and efficient. I felt like she was on top of all of my questions and she was able to help me set up my service easily. I felt like my service was the only focus she had at the time. I appreciate people that are friendly on the phone. Her emails were professional also.
Thanks Stacey!
Fiber charges are bogus a way to increase your bill so they can make up for those who don’t pay there bill
The internet quality is horrible. Service is constantly not available.
My bill is usually due on about the 28th of each month but for some reason I did not receive my bill until the 1st of the next month ( I paid immediately at drop location of Vol Pkwy). I rec’d reminder notice on 2 6 so called customer …
Great place
It sucked.
Its alright I guess
Supper
Trash
Nothing but problems from them
Customer service is a joke!
Just the worst, all around.
It is five star grate
Charges to pay by debit card.
They take all my money
Great service and reliability!
Internet sucks at the price I pay
Horrible service
On hold one hour eight minutes and counting.
Reliable service and great customer service!
Reliable service and fast internet!
Very nice and helpful people
Customer service is ridiculous. Prices are outrageous!!
Horrible customer service. Make you pay something you don’t owe!
Very helpful
Worst communication and customer service….EVER
$500 fee to cancel my cable
Worst electric company I’ve ever dealt with
The worst customer service experience!
Worst customer service evever!
Very impressed with how this company takes care of its community.
WAITED ON HOLD TO SPEAK TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP FOR ALMOST AN HOUR.
WHEN A REP DID ANSWER I WAS TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
MY PHONE AND CABLE HAS BEEN OFF FOR SIX HOURS NO CALL NOBODY HAS CAME TO DO NOTHING I HAVE SEVERE HEALTH CONDITIONS HAVE TO HAVE A HOUSE PHONE.
as a person who needs lots of tech help ; these guys/ are the best.!!
I only give them a 1 because I can’t go lower than that. Terrible customer service,
Extremely happy with the services provided by BTES. Top notch service/products.
Internet does NOT work more often than it DOES work. Not satisfied.
Lack of caring. The S review must be from an employee. Just as crooked as BVU.
If you are okay with not having internet a couple of days a month, then this service is great!
i’ve been on hold for 2+ hours for customer service. absolutely ridiculous
I just spent a freakin HOUR of my life trying to pay online on your horrible and confusing website just to have it tell me I can’t!!!!!!!!! What a sick joke screw whoever put this together online
Internet is ok.. Customer service is below substandard.. Recommend avoiding this company if at all possible
What is the use of drive thur when they can’t look up a account. Try to pay and can’t.
Good job.
Every time it rains we lose power….
Awesome company! Internet, cable and telephone are hands down the best our region offers.
Complete and total garbage. And the sad thing is there’s nothing you can do about it. Aren’t monopolies supposed to be illegal in America?
The website when trying to feel out for a new service is a joke. Pull up the new service,click on download application ,and it say,s invalid file. LOL
Terrible. Cuts off power before month is up. Website is worthless and have to be there in person to setup autopay.
Worst company EVER! RUN
Parents had BTES and refused to change it. Worst internet I have ever experienced, at least Charter is reliable.
It’s honestly the worst ISP I’ve ever had. My connection speed is never what I pay for
The worst company I have ever had in my life. Customer service is pathetic. Horrible. I wish we had a choice to pick another company. Absolutely hate BTES
The few times I’ve had to use the public wi-fi in Bristol, it works! Good job, its all I need to get work done.
Bunch of robots work here. Not people. Don’t expect any help in any way these people are heartless. Im not even gonna get into the outdated service.
Great electric company. Fast Internet. We like how BTES is the local company for our services.
They have great customer service and the Internet is pretty reliable. The rates seem a little high, but they gotta make their money too.
Worst place ever. Very unreliable service. Rude people and unhelpful. Been waiting on a call from a manager for a month now. We need another power and cable company this place awful.
Tech. Named Mike came to our house to help with a minor problem .He was courteous,friendly & straightened us right out .Thank you Mike and B.T.E.S.
I would give no stars if I could
Lobby isn’t open, they have a trailer set up. They were very friendly and helpful.
Worst power company I have ever delt with, beware if u pay your bill by phone and get confirmation numbers, I was told by them those don’t mean anything, my question is why do you give number when you pay your bill, get a dictionary or go back to school
The water heater Department Customer service And service Tech very customer friendly Highly recommend
If I could give 6 stars, I would! Fiber services are top notch, along with their customer service department! The best of the best!
Absolutely awful this is the worst service I’ve ever experienced. Get something else trust me.
What another reviewer said about hatefulness does not even begin to describe these creeps. I’ve never dealt with such a power company in all the places I’ve lived.
Extremely slow to repair any outage.
This company outright lies…Says your enrolled in hot water program and even sent out technician and tells your good…but when something goes wrong your not in program….WORST EVER….WATCH OUT… …
We love BTES! Everytime we have had an issue they always call right away and if someone needs to come out they are here asap! Price and service can not be beat!
Great service and reliability! I have never had an issue with my cable, phone, or Internet. Electric is always reliable.
Ive been in my apartment for close to 2 years and have called multiple times about how crappy the service is here the internet is horrible i pay for 30 MBPS and barely ever get that over all the electrical part of it is very good never had it go out but maybe once but the internet is a serious ripoff.
Excellent hometown feel. Kind people. Love this town.
I’m not even a customer yet, but I’ve left multiple messages and can’t even get a return call. It’s not like a person has $700.00 laying around to pay for a deposit. I thought AEP was bad…..pahahaha
The worst internet around! They also don’t have a steady due date for bills! Your light bill could be due anywhere between the 14th and 18th if the month and is different every month!
If you think customer service is bad now You should have been with them a few years ago.. I know some are a little snobby but usually they will work a few hrs with you.. I remember the day the grouchy old lady sit at the desk and acted …
Has a program for people who can’t afford 500$ bill but dont tell you….black out on Wi-Fi and don’t even fix it till next buissness day …ppl at walk in Windows are very rude and short with you … They could be so much better if they want to. have to give a star just to comment
Prices for electric and internet are so much better in Tn than those in the Va side. I pay half as much in a 4 bedroom house with a full basement as I was in a 2 bedroom apartment 😕 Amazing!! 😊 …
This place is horrible for customer service… been in the industry for over 20 years customer service should never be this bad. Was on hold for over 20 minutes and the lady who answered the phone still did not help me. Very rude! Asked to …
Internet goes out … Support does nothing… Been calling the support # for an hour and after it says to hold for a rep it actually hangs up on you… Got through once in the whole hour and it fold me to leave a message … …
If I could put a big fat zero for customer service I would surely do it. Worst customer service ever. They don’t care about their customers at all. As soon as I can move out of their service area I will definitely be gone. It’s a shame they don’t have any people there with enough compassion to fill a thimble.
I don’t understand what they do, The internet is perfect but almost every weekend the internet goes down 100% I have been a customer with them for a while, I have lived two separate places and this problem always happens. My friends at work that have them also complain about the same issue.
Terrible service your ratings speak for themselves. Too bad your the only ones in bristol. And lemme guess your gonna reply with “we are sorry for your neg experience please contact us so we can put you on hold for 1hr and then tell you there is nothing you can do”
BTES has great cable…rarely out, but their customer care support is the WORST!!! You will be on hold for a LONG time. Many times I just give up.
Literally could not be any worse. This internet is garbage half the time. The tv looks like it was craft by a caveman and a keyboard. The customer service is so bad you may as well talk to a wall. This place is the absolute pit of Bristol TN
If your looking for the worst customer service and products around the region. You have found them. BTES is literally a joke. It’s ridiculous it’s the only option we have available. If at all cost go through someone else if you’re allowed.
Like others on here I would like to give zero stars but havta give at leaste 1…we are constantly seeing commercials about just how much they care about customers and reliability of services but that is not so,i reported a light out well …
Literally the worst internet/power/phone company I’ve ever seen, internet goes out at least 5 times a month. Customer support is ridiculous and the worst part is they are your only option. You choose garbage internet or no internet.
Please…… Your a horrible company as it is… But charging $10 to pay over the phone ugggh and step into this century quit stealing from people and get a freaking atm and credit card reader in you business its 2018…. And step up 100% up on the customer service skills. Whole company needs new workers except for like 2…
Whenever I have dealt with BTES they have been very professional and very helpful. I work for a local non-profit charity with 13 buildings that are spread over two campuses. If I have to call, BTES always responds in a timely manner and solves our problems.
They have left me on hold from 4:30 “when I get off” until they close. This is now the Second day in a row they have done this to me. Again I won’t have any heat or power now and this is all Because if they’re mistake processing my payment
Extremely pathetic for a million dollar company state they can NOT provide a payment arrangement for someone who has not requested one since Sept 2020. Yes , over a year ago. The ignorant explanations you provide are nothing but BS.
Just stating facts…
All 5 star reviews are lies. The internet speed you pay for is never what you get. I pay for 30Mbps and my devices rarely reach a third of that. If you call them they’ll ask you to run a speed test, which will show your slow speeds, then …
Most reliable power and fiber service I have ever had. I love bank draft, I don’t ever have to worry about remembering to pay my bill or it being late due to this great service they offer!!
Terrible. Their meter didnt give out a proper reading so they just made up a price for me based off the year before (when I didnt even live there) which was more than I was using. It’s a monopoly so you can’t go somewhere else you just deal with their high prices and bad service. Internet is out city wide as I write this
Why is BTES allowed monopoly to places like Cottages of Feathers Chapel. BTES cable is worse than any programming I have ever had. They charge way too much for speed on the internet. Cable programming has nothing like Dish or Direct TV. We …
Terrible monopoly. They charge you whatever they feel like. The math doesn’t even add up on the bill. Terrible company and another reason to move away from this horrible area! Edit: Called customer service which does no good at all because there’s no explanation for a $50 increase when the avg temperature was lower.
Called customer service around noon today for a service issue with the cable television. The technician, Kenny Venable, was onsite within 3 hours. After a quick troubleshooting process, Kenny found the wire crimped inside the box outside …
Our power went out this morning and within 30 minutes BTES had responded and was addressing the problem. Within the next hour we had our power back. And when I went out to talk with the men working on our power box they were very kind and explained the problem to me. Great service and great quality! Thank you, BTES!
I have their phone service for my law practice. They allowed a rouge phone user (remotely) to illegally take control of the phone service for international calls and then billed my account over $400.00. I asked them please to not bill me for the charges since it was done remotely and illegall. They refused. I am switching.
Lady was so nice and helped us so much today!! Thank you!!
Why use that one bill? your bill goes up bc of ur cable and internet! Cable is 50$ with 70 channels, internet is 50$ … with spectrum cable is 45$ with 125 channels and internet is 45$!! All together with Btes is either 109$ or 134$ PLUS TAX! Spectrum is less than 100 with taxes included! cable and internet is better an ffaster
The water heater that BTES installed 15 years ago wasnt getting hot enough. Within an hour the friendly service technician was here replacing outdated parts. I feel like I have a brand new water heater and it didn’t cost a thing because I …
In light of all the drama lately, these guys STILL provide 5 star service. From troubleshooting a failing secondary WIFI receiver from an outdoor trailer in their parking lot to phone tech support to pair it back to the existing network, they continue to blow Comcast out of the water!!!
BRAVO
Never will I go with these money hungry people ever if you find yourself upon hard times witch every one does they don’t want to work with you they charge every one a high deposit as much as 300.00 Don’t believe me call them ,they know that …
Was told they have ONE person working on a cable/internet/landline outage that has so far been out for 3 days, jeez what a good idea!
Moved for Johnson city to Bristol TN Because I bought a house everything was running smooth until I encounter BTES I lived in Johnson city for 6 years so I used Johnson city Power board loved this company they were always great, so I …
I have never in my life had to deal with such hateful people. They have a ridiculous start up policy. Your deposit is determined by the highest bill the home has ever had then they double it to come up with your deposit. So the people …
We would like to give a shout out to BTES! Customer service A plus! Thank you for being so fast to respond when we needed you and explaining everything to us.
Literally the worst company. Ive complained. I e written emails. I’ve called TVA. BTES is a lousy utility company. Never ever ever get cable through them. Bristol residebtscare forced to use them for electricity. Don’t bundle. If youre ever …
One of the absolute worst institutions. They required, or should I say forced, customers to go to IPTV. The IPTV goes down several times a week. Since October I can’t count a week in which it has not went out. Their rates are exorbitant. …
Excellent service. I have power and internet through BTES. I am currently using the gigabit internet plan. While it is not synchronous, I will still take 1g/100mb speeds for under one hundred dollars a month. This is what happens when you …
They charge ridiculous fees. $500+ for a deposit plus a $20 hookup fee for power that’s already in the house, just switching names. $13 to pay by debit card. The old lady that keeps answering the phone is rude and never fully explains things. They have a monopoly and it’s terrifying.
BTES takes advantage of being the only power company in Bristol and charges wayyy too much, that being said i pay WAY too much to be put on hold! …
If I could put negative stars I would. They lied to us and told us our landlord required them to put some kind of box on our water heater which regulates how much hot water you can have a day. I have small children, I’m constantly running …
Much slower speeds than you pay for. Often times too slow to even run something as simple as Netflix. It’s been one issue after another using BTES as an ISP.
Inconsistent internet, frequent outages, overall poor quality. For some reason they also like to run random tests on all the ports on your router, similar to a DDOS attack, in what I can only guess is a search for people running servers. …
Horrible service when it comes to people inside and anyone answering the phones. I had no help at all and was rushed while setting up my account to be able to pay with a check by phone, so my information was not correct, due to this I had …
I agree with Joseph. We moved here a year ago and they doubled our deposit from the highest bill at the residence, which was 400 dollars, so our deposit was 800 dollars. How is that fair that they go on a bill that was not even created by …
Hands down, the best internet service we have had. We have had no outages and the speed tests always return with a solid connection at the speed expected from our service. We also have our electric service with BTES and have had no troubles there either. The rates are reasonable as well.
WORST internet service I’ve had in the 8 years I’ve lived in Tennessee. Techs don’t know anything except the cookie cutter answers they spew out of a book without any real knowledge of the system. If your internet is working fine one minute …
Stay away from this business for Internet and cable TV services. The cable service is absolutely horrendous with half of the channels having such poor reception they are not worth viewing. Besides the horrible service quality, customer …
This place is pathetic and run by heinous people with monstrous policies. My husband and I always pay half of our bill at the beginning of the month and the rest at the end of the month. That’s the ONLY way we can do it because I’m the only …
Power bills are always higher then they should be! I haven’t been using my heat much due to the nice weather but yet My Electric bill was extremely high. No way I am using what they are claiming such con artist!!
Brand new account holder, just moved to the area.
Worst website account navigation I’ve ever experienced with a Utility company. Absolutely no detailed account information regarding terms and conditions, no …
BTES has been great the past 6 yrs I have used them. No problems ever from the cable or internet service. Actually has been the best cable and internet around the Tri-Cities area. Not sure if you have ever tried Comcast or Charter but …
This power company exploites the fact that they are the only option in our area. Requiring deposits for people with 700 credit scores just because their computer said so. Ensuring that you will not ever get that deposit back unless you …
You have to use them for electricity. But find another way to get your cable and Internet! Their service is terrible. Multiple outages and sometimes days before they address it. Obviously not up to operating a broadband system.
Paying for 50Mbps/100Mbps and only getting 5Mbps down and 9Mbps up, literally can not even watch a 5 minute YouTube video at 720 to 1080p. Better of using the 3G on my phone, this is a scam and is wrong. How can you let someone pay for …
Tired of the bad reviews, I’ve never had bad issues with BTES, internet is great and stable, as a IT professional I don’t see it being worth it for the 1gb internet. You can get 1gb to there speedtest server but outside of that it’s very …
Really awful company, and the best part is you have no choice but to deal with them. They will demand a deposit to get service turned on that is just ridicules. And guess what? Yeah, they dont take debit cards to pay it either. And do you …
Any time I have had a question, BTES was quick to respond and provide assistance. Also-we have only experienced one power outage that I can remember and it was resolved super fast! Their commitment goes beyond customers and is extended into …
I went to switch to charter due to my poor 60 mbps service that was rare to hit over 30mbps. Charged me $500 to cancel my cable services, then they (hatefully)tried to lie to me and say that charters buyout program would not pay me . Sure …
I would like for this company to take a look at there app. Sometimes when I log in on there app it freezes my phone up. It tells me this app is not working. Please take a look at this. I have reinstalled this app several times but it still has this problem???
Customer service is horrible! App doesn’t work, website says payment options can’t be reached, 423 & 855 numbers disconnect you and tell you there’s a problem with their service. How much you wanna bet I’ll be penalized as a result? This is …
Absolute garbage internet service. Always have problems and I know several people that have the same issue. When we call they always say there is a problem with our router. We have bought 3 new routers and the one we use now is a $200+ …
If you pay 1 day past your due date they will not let pay with a check anymore for 12 months! You have to pay on the exact due date or you lose check pay!! And in those 12 months if you pay one day late you have to start your 12 months …
Horrible customer service. Horrible internet and power service. Horrible company in general. Their “24 hour” assistance line is nothing more than a bot that hangs up on you without giving any options to speak with a person. The internet and …
I work two jobs. Simply missed a payment and when I tried to make arrangements the threatened to turn off power if not paid immediately. I was 13 days late, really 13 days. Been a customer for 15 years and if there was someone else to get …
You also have to pay on time, not be one day late for a year to get deposit back. I paid 450 dollars in 2006 when I moved to Bristol, I have yet to get my deposit back. Because sometimes you can’t help but be late. But I have a question, …
They have been super awesome and easy to deal with with all 3 of our moves. The lady this time with the pretty blonde hair with colored highlights (I don’t know her name) was amazing with getting our services switched! I only give them 4 …
There were supposed to turn off my cable and internet. They took the liberty of turning off my electricity as well. Told me it be 50.00 to turn it back on. They said I want specific. So I went down to listen to the call as well. Finally the …
This company is absolutely corrupt. I will be moving out of Bristol just so I don’t have to deal with this company trying to extort money from a disabled veteran. Not customer friendly and a pain to work with.
Unbelievably costly once you add in 2 pages of ‘questionable ‘ taxes, and vague fees. Bundling phone, wifi and basic cable plus just 1 premium chanbel adds up to more than I paid in LA XA for same bundle!
If I could rate 0 Stars I would……. this crooked company will shut your service off and say that you were in non payment status….. If it wasn’t for my bank transaction history to prove they got their money they would try to charge a reconnect fee. Be sure to always keep your bank statements. I
We’re going on 30 hours with no digital cable. Our phones were down for ~3 hours and the internet has been off and on, all day. We live in the middle of Bristol, within walking distance of State Street, and there have been no recent storms …
Always helps me whenever I need it. Very quick response to technical issues.
Charged me like $500 bucks for a deposit for electric services for a trailer. Very high. Also, if you own a multi unit facility you have to redo the application process every time you need to put in your name when it goes vacant and you …
The customer service has a lot to be desired…my light bill could go down a few hundred…500 a month is rediculous
This is the absolute worst electic company I have ever had to deal with. I used my grandmother as a guarantor for the starting of my service and she told them up front that it would not be long before she would have to cancel her service …
The staff was very helpful but it is sometimes a little bit of a wait
This company is very expensive for internet that goes out weekly & sometimes at the same time for a set amount of time daily. The speeds are also not true speeds. Sometimes you only get half of what you actually pay for. Yes, I know tech, …
I own 9 houses some in Bristol VA and some in Bristol TN.. BTES is a good company.. BVU on the other hand is not! When I see bad reviews on here about BTES I think go get a dose of BVU and you’ll see a huge difference.
Fantastic customer service. Every interaction I’ve had with BTES has been quick and easy. …
I’m a single disabled mom. I had a family emergency and spoke to Diane. We agreed that if I paid a certain amount she would work with me until the next day for the rest. So I went and paid what I promised and they cut off my power. They …
This place treats you any kind of way they want because they know you can’t go anywhere else. They make everything as hard as possible for you. My son and I both paid the same bill not knowing the other paid it already. I went up there to …
Bridgett is great! She always does her best to help me.
Extremely shady. Got a disconnect in the mail on the 12th, shut off was at 5pm… On the 12th, and no explanation for the oddball $25 bucks. Even more odd this is all happening the same week I get paid, twice in a row. I have receipts …
BEWARE! Stay away from their INTERNET! Don’t sign nothing! Installation fee is not waived!! Will have to pay if you have to cancel! Price is $500.00! Was lied to and was very deceived! Lady at the COVID mobile home told me I wouldn’t …
We have been with BTES for over two years now. They showed up today at 2:45pm on a holiday (Martin Luther King Day) to shut off our power. We were given zero notice that there was an issue and told we had until 5pm or our power would be …
They cut. then call you to tell you that you need to pay $75 dollars to reconnect and can charge you up to double the last month bill. why not call before you cut? . and will not give you a detailed invoice on why it cost $75 to take 2 …
My father called to sign up for Internet service. He has had BTES in the past so it should be fairly simple to have it switched back from a competitor. …
Horrible customer service. If there was another electric company trust me I couldn’t switch fast enough.
There are the worst company to get your service frome I’ve been without power for 3 hours now I wish there was another services provided I would be there first customer
The staff quickly and effectively helped me understand a family member’s account while I was acting as Executor. Appreciate their understanding and kindness during a hard time. No wait to get to talk to someone. Easy to park and access.
I have called 4 times about no Wi-Fi service at my home for the last 40 days.
I also visited the office in Bristol and was given a new router to self-install to see if that was the issue- still no internet service. I then initiated a …
Paying top prices for internet and setting here again with no internet. I work from and this company is going to cause me to get fired because of all the days missed
They do not accept credit cards but charge a2.71% convenience fee.
The internet is constantly going down at least once a week around the same time and it takes them over five hours to even make a simple Facebook post to inform customers of an outage and they always use the same vague “Upstream provider” …
We have had power, land line, cable and internet with BTES going on fourteen years. In all of those years, we have rarely had any outages or issues with any of the services. If we had have an outage or issue, once we contacted them the issue was resolved immediately. We have been very pleased with BTES.
Constant power outages multiple times a week. Sometimes for a few minutes, others for hours. Worst provider I’ve ever experienced.
40 year + customer. things got pretty bad from covid 2020 era till early 2022. things seem to be getting a little more stable. more deforestation crews out to doing line maintenance. these blackouts are inexcusable though… when did we …
For us BTES is the best Internet we’ve had in years. We are basically connected straight to the Internet backbone. Everything feels very responsive. Our last provider routed us halfway across the country to go anywhere. We have the …
Rates are ridiculous fiber internet is always slow and down and cutting in and out yet the price just keeps going up customer service is horrible
Although we have electric on prepaid plan and we get sent emails daily with daily usage and daily cost i still cannot really track costs, As they “ESTIMATE” costs on some days and then come back and add difference later to the next day. …
585.00 to turn on the power is a lot like armed robbery cuz they can name whatever price they feel like and they know we have to have power so therefore they are going to get the price they want…
This place is a joke. Extremely nasty rude staff. Especially Brenda and the idiots working the windows inside. I have never liked this place. The old man Mike that is over it is the worst. They also charge wayyyyy to much for electric and cable. Awful place!!!!!!
!!!!!!STAY AWAY!!!!! I cannot share all I want to say but STAY AWAY FROM BTES for cable, internet, and phone. I have their internet and it is horrible! It was proven my speeds at my home are slow and its because they cannot serve the area I …
I wish I could give negative stars. Worst customer service experience ever. Horrible attitudes from people on the phones. Uncaring and dismissive attitudes. This company also is a monopoly, which is technically illegal. There are no …
I would love to post a review, but since we had BTES internet and cable installed 5 days ago, we have had little to no service. If it ever works, I’ll leave another post as to whether it’s any good.
Horrible customer service on how to have power re-connected! We always pay our electric bill every month, the one time the payment was one day late it’s turned off. Okay, well that’s fine and dandy, but how in the world can you pay a …
Have recently worked with Stacy Crowe about my account with BETS. She was great to work with and she did an excellent job .I would give her more than 5 stars if possible.
Stacey was great, very informative, courteous, personable, and also gave us valuable information concerning other services that we will need. I wish there were more of her in today’s world. Thanks for everything.
We have been with BTES for a few years now – with multiple cabins and accounts we couldn’t have done it without the help of BTES employees along the way; especially Stacey Crowe in customer service. She’s professional, patient, and gets things done.
The sorriest power company I’ve ever dealt with. Repeatedly engaged in gross negligence. Does not maintain its power lines, let’s them get overgrown. Lousy internet and outrageous bills.Anyone who gave it one star interested in a class action law suit? I’ll sponsor the effort
We’ve been with BTES for a year now and it has been great so far. The few outages there have been have been fixed quickly, internet speed is usually pretty quick, and Stacey was wonderful to work with!
It’s been a great installation experience with George the engineer and Stacey at window 8. Great customer service! Highly recommend
Thank you Stacey plus the entire BTES team!!! Superb and outstanding customer service!!!!! The team helped me transition from my home in Michigan to Bristol ,Tennessee. …
Hands down the best customer service and in cases of an outage, they are so quick to get power restored! So thankful to be a BTES customer!
This is the most disrespectful company in Bristol Brenda that answers phones has a attitude ,u can’t get answers,all they are worried about is companys and ever thing around pinnacle area ,we have live d here for 50+ yrs ,so I guess it’s …
I understand the power being out during the really cold spell, but this is the second time it’s been out within 30 days. Second time it’s out so long I’ve thrown my groceries away. My friends with AEP and BVU have power today.
As a local Property Manager, I am dealing with BTES on a frequent basis. I am also referring my tenants to BTES in order for them to obtain services. I always recommend that they speak to Stacey Crowe in customer service. Stacey is always …
I just wanted to say that Stacey Crowe in customer service is a God sent… She truly is what people used to be… She went above and beyond to help me yesterday with my electric bill. I am a single mom with 4 boys and I take care of my …
I spoke with Debbie. I was having trouble getting signed into my 3 accounts. She walked me through the procedure but it still wouldn’t let me in. She put me on hold briefly and when she came back things were finally working and I was able …
We had a problem with our water heater not working properly. We were receiving luke warm water at best , right at shower time. I called and left both voice and email messages on the BTES system. I received a phone call the next morning at …
Stacy in Customer Service is great!! If I have to call BTES for many reasons I always speak to her. If she isn’t available in leave her a voicemail and she always calls me back. She always has a smile on her face and you can hear it in her …
Paying almost 70 a month for high speed internet and can’t get any help from this company to fix the issue. Filed a complaint with the better business bureau tonight. Would love to post a pic of the speed test I did! Stay far away from this company
Wish I could give them 0 stars. I’ve been a customer with them for YEARS (since around 2007) but required a guarantor after my divorce (to put the account strictly in my name – around 2015/2016). My guarantor passed away and I recently …
Stacey Crowe was awesome. She was friendly and efficient. I felt like she was on top of all of my questions and she was able to help me set up my service easily. I felt like my service was the only focus she had at the time. I appreciate people that are friendly on the phone. Her emails were professional also.
Thanks Stacey!