Empire Today review: Steer clear of empire today! 102

I find this site and the complaints against Empire Today a bit disconcerting as I have on 3 different occasions purchased flooring from Empire and been happy each time. Not to say that some of these people haven't had issues with Empire but they are completely different from my experience. I would buy from them again and have recommend them to friends that have also had good experiences, when using Empire. Jean in Nashville, Tn

All right, I've read enough! Here is my own experience:

About 6 months ago I invited ET to my house after being bombarded by their ads in the Dallas area. The sales rep was actually a nice fella who had just moved from LA feeing the recession, and did a nice enough job that I signed them for a $12, 000 flooring job in my house. A day or two later, however, I sent the cancellation notice to them after I realized the price was too high by about 30%. Got a call from ET, and another from the salesman, both courteous and trying to win my business back. I said no, thanks, since they couldn't lower their price to reach market average. And that was it. No deal, but also no fuss at all - in fact all I talked to were polite and professional to the extreme.

I am writing my testimony here to balance all the negative complaints I read in this site. Anyone who knows statistics will understand that a company of this size has many, many thousands of installations EVERY MONTH! It's a statistical certainty that some will go bad. And is also a statistical certainty that some of their customers will have VERY difficult personalities and weird world views. It's unavoidable: you serve enough people and you eventually will meet them. So it's no surprise what is written in this site - in fact, it's even expected of any large company with with many, many customers.

The bottom line is this: WHAT WILL YOUR INSTALLATION BE LIKE? I don't know, of course. You could be the lottery winner and end up with the bad sales rep, installer, service rep, etc. BUT... odds are strong that you won't. Most likely, your installation will be flawless, as the vast majority of the jobs they deliver.

BTW, I do not work for ET and even canceled the work I had signed up for. I think they overcharge. But having my own company and dealing with many residential clients myself has taught me to examine complaints in the proper light. And that is just being fair to ET as well as their prospective customers.

ITS AMAZING HOW A COMPANY LIKE THIS STAY'S IN BUSINESS IN THESE ECONOMIC TIME! (A TALE OF 2 EXPERIENCES)

I own several properties that I rent out to tenants. Two years I had Empire come in to give me a price on carpeting one of these properties. Unknowingly, while I was out of the room, the Empire Rep hit on my wife, asking her for her cell phone number. When I called to complain they knocked $100 off the price and the install went without a hitch.

I should have learned my lesson and I should have looked at this web site before I scheduled Empire again. But last month (April) I had an Empire rep come to my house to give me pricing on a laminated floor throughout my entire first floor. I broght them in because they advertised to be the lowers price (guarentied). When the Rep walked in, I told him he had taken my neighbors parking space. Thats when he dropped the F Bomb and laughingly said " Oh EFF them if they can't just park somewhere else for 15 minutes." He was trying to be funny.
After it was all said and done, he was almost $2000 higher than our lowest price. And all along he kept knocking the competition. We ended up going with a local privately owned dealer who has their own installers. Their pricing was much lower than Empires so called price guaranty.
It would appear that Empire hirers the lowest of the low as their sales reps. These people are plain out and out trash! Their pricing is not what they claim it to be. I am glad my local dealer told me about this web site. I am a manager in a very large company. If my people would have acted like this they would have found themselves in an unemployment line. I would be willing to bet if Empire keeps approval record rating, that the rating would be less then 50% approval.

I had a terrible experience this past month with Empire's Window Treatment division.

I needed to replace broken vertical blinds that came with my home when I purchased 7 years ago. I really didn't have the money but it became a necessity. I decided on Roman Shades. Since there are no good pictures on Empire's site, I checked others to make sure they are what I wanted.

Unlike when I purchased carpet and flooring, the salesperson DID NOT have a sample. What he had was a book with pictures. The picture showed a white roman shade set inside white moulding on a white wall. I didn't want white, so there were pieces of colored fabric in the book as well. From this small sample I chose the moss green.

When the installer came to measure, I told him I wanted the shade inside the moulding. He told me I wouldn't like it like that - and to believe him because he has been doing this for 20 years - and measured from the outside corners of my moulding.

What no one told me and what I could not see because there are no samples and no picture of a roman shade in a color other than white, is that the metal housing at the top of the shade is white - it does not match the shade fabric. If you look at roman shades at other websites as I had done, they all have the housing in the same fabric as the shade.

I have a deep colored wall and green fabric that goes from corner to corner covering my moulding AND AN INDUSTRIAL WHITE METAL STRIP ACROSS THE TOP. I am extremely unhappy and have spoken to many people including Maggie in customer service, Helen Brown in the "complaint resolution" dept, and Tim Sherwin from "the office of the president." I got the same answer from all of them. TOO BAD - YOU BOUGHT THEM.

I challenged them, especially the guy from the president's office, so show me where I would have known I was getting a white metal housing with a green shade and he said "I don't know that you would."

The are hideous and no one was wiling to help. I asked for my money back - no way. I asked for a different blind (one that comes with a valance of sorts) - no way. I asked them to just resize what I have so they sit inside the moulding the way that I had originally asked the measurer - I figured if there was white all around the shade I the housing would blend in - AGAIN: NO WAY.

I asked to speak to the president and was told NO. Tim Sherwin told me they are a privately held company and he did not have to provide that information. I asked to speak to his boss and he said NO.

The worst part of the whole experience - beside the 1000.00 dollars I spent on horrible blinds - is the lack of concern or understanding on Maggie, Helen, and Tim's part. They all said the same thing - EXACTLY THE SAME THING - it was obvious there is a script and no matter what I said or how upset I became (truly - like most people I do not have 1000 dollars to throw away) they all said the same words.

This was the worst service I have ever received and the worst major purchase I have ever made.

Obviously I will never again purchase from Empire Today.

Empire Today installers are at my house right as I write this. they arrived on time but the installer asked how I was going to pay. I said by "check as soon as you are done". He then informed me that they don't accept personal checks, just cash or a bank check. I immediately called customer service and told them I would not leave my house to perfect strangers to go to the bank to get a bank check and the rep said it is company policy to not accept personal checks. I told her I had paid the salesman with a personal check for the deposit and she said sales reps can accept personal checks but not the installers. I then asked to have contact information for the company president (which they are required to provide by law) and she said she didn't have that information. Hmmmmm...not goo. She then said they could take a debit or credit card over the phone. I told her, not until the work is done and I am satisfied. She did give me a phone number for the admin assistant to the president which I will call on Monday (it is now late Saturday morning) to voice my extreme displeasure with all this. What kind of company does not inform its customers of payment issues and does not invoice after the job is done? I've had much work done on my house from roof replaced to new thermal windows and in all cases the contractors sent an invoice after the job was done and I sent a personal check in a timely manner, no problems. But Empire? they run their business like it was some kind of third world illegal drug transaction, cash up front or a bank check. Not at all a professional attitude. Do not use Empire for any reason!

I live in Michigan and read all the complaints the day after I had the Empire salesperson come out and give me an estimate on my family room for carpet. I had a great experience with all aspects of the meeting. I was worried about the installation however, because of the complaints. I must say that the three installers were awesome! They even fixed the carpet (at no charge) in my closet where it was separating from the metal piece transitioning to my bathroom. We got an estimate from a friend on less quality plush, he wanted us to remove the old carpet, pad and furniture and he wanted to charge the same price that Empire quoted us! We purchased a high end plush carpet with 8# pad from Empire and love it! NO COMPLAINTS HERE!

Here's what I've noticed about Empire. The moment the sales rep arrives to the time they leave, it’s a rehearsed script. 1) They try to warm up to you (ask about children, play with your dog). 2) They tell you a story about the history of Empire Today. 3) They go over product (sales rep has very little knowledge here). 4) They go over the pricing (they start very high so their discounted price looks good). 5) They call the sales manager if you refuse to buy (to get an additional discount). 6) The sales rep won't leave until they get the sale. 7) The sales rep will try to close the deal and install it next-day (so you can't cancel the order or shop around). 8) When they leave, I'm sure the sales person calls the sales manager laughing.

Here's what I suggest. 1) Call Empire for a quote. 2) Listen to their story. 3) Watch how much the price changes from their first quote to their last quote. 4) Ask sales rep why they didn't give you their best price the first time. 5) Tell them you're going to shop around because you don't need it next-day. 6) Shop around with other companies (you work too hard for your money). 7) Carpet is carpet, buy from the cheapest person you can find. The installers are all the same. 8) Laugh at the Empire sales person for quoting the highest price in the industry.

I was in the process of filling up a request for someone to come to my house to do an estimate.

I am not going to be doing that now.

Thank you all,

me

One more thing. I'll admit conducting business this way can sometimes be time consuming, however, when an agreement is made, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it will be done my way to my satisfaction. Large companies leave the consumer feeling overwhelmed in regards to challenging them to seek justice. They don't have to pick up their phones to answer your calls and they feel they can afford to compromise customer satisfaction because there is one more to replace you when you choose another path. They know that, like most people, you cannot afford the time, money or energy it will take to take them to court and their lawyers will intimidate you into believing that it will all be nothing more than a big waste of your time and your money. People have lost touch with "the principal beyond the deed". If consumers started approaching business deals with the same bureaucratic tactics businesses used to protect themselves, the whole fundamentals of customer service would change, but you can't expect others to take a stand if you won't. For that reason, nothing ever gets done. People always say, "someone else will do it" and if everyone said that...do you see my point. Sometimes you have to take a stand if you expect change. Those in power only have it because someone allows them to, but if you take him/her out of his/her big office and have them stand before you...all you'll see is another person, just like you, standing there.

Interesting. I was actually online looking for Empires website, but this one was at the top of the list. Curious, I opened it and have read every comment...even those by the "employees" of the company, which, by the way, make them look bad and confirm their poor customer service. I am still considering doing business with them, but having been burned in the past, my approach is always more aggressive and proactive. I will have them draw out my conditions including, work guarantee to my satisfaction, guarantee of installation date and time, expectation of response to and completion of repairs, if needed, etc, but I have also request all contact numbers that I will need in case I am not satisfied with the job and need adjustments done. After varifying that each number is valid by speaking with each person regarding my expectations I request a letter head with their signature confirming our discussion faxed to me. I will also draw out a detailed list of these expectations when I make the decision to proceed and have my sister (a notary) there to notarize the "contract". This gives you a legal foot to stand on. Include things like, if you have to seek arbitration, the business will be responsible for reimbursing costs accrued therein. The reason I am posting this, is because this IS HOW I DO BUSINESS on anything costly including purchasing a vehicle. If a company is non-compliant, I choose another. You are entering into a contract and you have to put yourself in a position of control and let the company "working for you" or "providing a service or product" that you are in charge and their are reprecutions to poor action. It is your money and they need you to stay in business. Too often people feel helpless and usurp control to those, as I see it, are working for you. If your maid came in and didn't perform her duties to your satisfaction, would you pay her...if you went to your job and your performance fell well below their expectations, would you have job security? Since when has the person providing the service EVER HAD CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. Think about it. There are many small businesses out there who desperately need the support of their communities and are appreciative of the business you bring them. One more thing; what ever happened to "you'll get paid when the job is done to my satisfaction". You think they would be more available if you were delaying their payday?

I wish I could upload pictures of my kitchen floor fo all to see.

I had empire install new flooring in my kitchenn and foyer. I had to pull the drawre out on the botom of my stove to get a lid thatt fell behid it and oprevented me from closing it.

Much to my surprise. . .the floor was not there. . .the stopped just around the stove and refrigerator nothing under it.

I am at this point beyond angry, mad, frustrated and any other term that weould be fitting for this problem and inconvenience

I took multiple photos and think it is about time I sought legal assistance. It is bad enought that all my closet doors (which wer taken down fr the carpet installation) continue to fall and will no close properly any more.

How are they gettig away with making so many miserale with their imperfections and falsities they present to the public?

How do they sleep at night and face themselves in the mirror in the morning knowing their job isn't carpeting and flooring but riping people off daily.

What I think empire should mean is:

Empire Meets Poor Installation Request Everyday! That's rught. . .we'll install the next day and you will have to pay for our mistakes for the rest of your life. . .guarenteed! So give us a call and let us come show you how we can ### up your house too! Call 1-800-YES WE LIE!

I had quite an experience with Empire. I live three miles up a winding road with no cell phone service so I said to put in the notes that they HAD to call me before they got here so I could open the gate. Otherwise, I would have no way of knowing when they were coming. This simple request ending up with us missing each other 3 times. Call before you come. Rocket science? I think not. Anyway, the guy came and was friendly enough. The carpet was for a motorhome so he showed me some... I want to call it "motel 6" looking carpet. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the 6 circus colors he had so he came back with more. I found one I loved and the price was more than I expeceted but according to him since it was a motorhome it wouldn involve lots of hand cut in pieces (which is true). So the next day two guys who barely spoke english (fortunately I know some) pulled up in a pick up truck with two rolls of carpet sticking about five feet out of the back of their truck. Not only did they not know it was for a motorhome, they did the measurements wrong and didn't bring enough carpet. They had to cancel their other job and someone else came with more carpet. They were nice to me but I could tell they were upset and I asked them if they were paid by the job which he confirmed as true. The guys worked hard and I felt bad about how labor intensive their job was, but boy did they f**k up! A huge noticeable seam, old carpet not taken out, carpet coming up in places, four places with the old carpet untouched. They honestly did work hard, but they did a horrible job. I called customer service and they were actually very diligent and kept right on it. They said someone would come back out to inspect my concerns but they ended up sending another set of guys to re-do the carpet. After taking one look the new guy in Spanish said "The guy who did this is my friend, but the work he did is no good". He showed me more spots that were messed up. They ended up spending another entire redoing most of the work. It's been about two weeks now since my carpet was installed. It looks beautiful and I'm pleased. I think Empire is kind of like the lottery. Some times you hit the jackpot and have a low pressure salesman and great installation, but more often than not that you will have a few bumps in the road. I received four calls over the last two days making sure I was now completely satisfied. For those of you out there with problems, you've invested a lot of money and deserve a quality product. If you are searching for a company to install your carpet... research research reseach

Now my dilema... how do I start paying for my no interest carpet. I just called GE with their India based call center and they had no idea what I was talking about. I can't find any paperwork on how to make a payment... I guess I will have to wait until "normal business hours" to find out... goodie.

I am a Professional Flooring installer in business for 10+ years. I have owned and managed my own store where we dealt with walk in customers and also in home consultations. While it is NOT possible to make everyone happy, I always took the time to teach all my employees (yes, I said EMPLOYEES- not subcontractors), how to behave and perform when in someones home.

This is an INVESTMENT for the customer. When you decide to make any kind of investment into your home, You not only are trying to enhance your living space but also to increase the value of your home.

I advise each and every person out there to review all possible aspects of these companies before making your decision.

I have read so many complaints that say, "We used Empire or National Floors Direct because they are a big company, as opposed to a smaller company because they seem less likely to run from the problems". This assumption is totally wrong because We, the little guys live on our reputation. It is our reputation and only that, that keeps us in bussiness. I do not have a multi-million dollar advertisment blitz on tv. I have word of mouth. We cannot afford to have an unhappy customer go complain to BBB or to an online complaint board.

As the economy dwindles, and we all are looking for a great deal, I advise everyone that wants to invest to not only turn local, but simply do your homework. Contractors only get a bad rap from the bad experiences. Do your homework, take a few days- or weeks, to educate yourself about the product and services you are purchasing, an educated consumer is a happy customer.

Like all of our Mothers have taught us, "IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE..."

A friend of mine had Empire come out to put carpet in her bedroom. The guy showed up DRUNK! She ended up telling him to leave after he was there just a few minutes. Unbelievable! That's what made me google them and read this board. I also have heard from others that their prices are outrageous. I guess people just call because they see their TV ads all the time. Like that makes them reputable or something.

I AM AN AGENT AND DISAGREE...1. TO THE ISSUE FOR YOU ALL THAT WANT A BREAKDOWN TO "EVERYTHING" WE SELL..LET ME SHOW U HOW *OTHER COMPANIES* PUT ON YOUR REQUESTED "ITEMIZED" BILL:

EXP: CARPET PER YD. : $1.00
INSTALL: $500.00
MICS: $1500.00
TAX: $7.00
$2008 TOTAL

NOW IF WE JUST PUT WHATEVER WE WANT YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE PURCHASED? OMG WATEVER!

I AM AN IDIOT. YOU HAVE TO AN IDIOT TO DO BUSINESS WITH EMPIRE TODAY. I MADE THE MISTAKE, I HOPE OTHERS WILL READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE THEY GET TAKEN IN BY EMPIRE. THIS THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEALTH WITH. THEY NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN. MY COMPLAINTS ARE SO LONG I HAVE NOT FOUND ENOUGH TIME AND SPACE TO LIST.

This in all by 55 years of life is the worst Company I have encountered.
I was sucked in by false advertisment and promises.
I wish we could all team up and recover our losses.
This is what I founf
1. lies
2. false ads,
3. no show up on scheduled days
4.lateness in coming to do what little they do
5. poor costomer relations
6. excessive hold times on phone
7.not returning calls8. rudness on the phone
a. interrupting customer
b.twisting facts
c.giving the run around
d. saying I 'm sorry and continuing same poor service
e. defending their co.
f.not answering phone
g. will not give info
1. home office
2 their legal dept.
3. not telling who they are (operaters)
4. not telling or getting supervisor when requested
h. hang up and customers

My sales person said " you have to schedule your time around our schedule, your just one order and one person, we have more orders than yours" I informed him on the principle I was brought up with " the customer is always right". He response was " that is not our company policy".
I tried to contct their home office in Northbrook IL. and got ame treatment.

I wush I had done my research prior to contracting with Empire Today. I am so unhappy with the way they left my kitchen and foyer. And to add insult to injury. . .I am beingtold that in order for them to fix their errors, I would have to pay for them to fix the botched up job that was done in my home. I am so angry about this. I tried calling to see if a representative could come to my home and assess what needed to be done to make me a satisfied customer and was placed on hold for 57 minutes. Then awhen a rep did come to the phone. . .they disconnect the phone call. I placed several calls after the installation to express my dissatisfation and was told they had no record of my calls.

IT TOOK THEM THE NEXT DAY AFTER MY INITIAL CALL TO COME TO MY HOME. . .BUT IS TAKING THEM FOREVER TO CALL ME BACK TO HELP CLEAR UP THE PROBLEM.

I AM SO UNHAPPY!

The difference between Empire Today and all the other places is they have their contractors under their own roof so they know what is going on and they pay a good price to the installer. Therefore the installer is happy to be working for them and is more likely to do a good job. For instance Home Depot contracts all their flooring out to a sheisty company named US Installations Group. They pay their installers 1/2 of what empire pays and convieniently forget to pay a couple installers each week. Therefore the installer hates his job (but needs food on the table) and could give a crap how your floor looks when he leaves. Oh by the way ...The BBB is just a club you join to say your a great company. If you don't belong to it "you suck ".

I was wondering if anyone who had this problem with this place should be writing to the Better Business Bureau. So they can investigate the procedures and practices that are made by this company, whether it is a legitimate procedure or not. The BBB will definitely go out there and speak to these people.
Of course every salesman will try to sell the MOST expensive item on their list. What salesman wouldn't? The result will be the consumer. I am glad I read these comments because I saw the advertisement on t.v. and I was thinking about calling them, since I read these comments, I am thinking twice about calling them. Don't forget don't let salespeople fool you, you have to pay attention to what they are trying to sell and always ask for paper proof and writing of what everything costs.

I just recently had Empire installed and i can honestly say they were very professional, from the time I set up the appt, to the installation. I was afraid of signing with them after I had read this website, but i gave them the benefit of the doubt and I felt I had to find out for myself. I noticed a compliment for Home Depot, but my friends and I have had difficulties with them for many of our home improvements, which was why i chose Empire. I believe that every large company has to have bad apples, that is just life. I bet there are people you work with that are not exactly the perfect model employee either. I do feel bad for some of these experiences I read, but I have nothing but compliments for Empire.

I had Empire Today install multiple flooring -- in one day. In summary, it was unprofessional, lacked any craftsmanship and frustrating due to the lack of their ability to speak English. Unfortunately my attempts to correct any of the multitude of discrepancies were ignored. What I found funny about the entire matter was that Empire Today (i.e., a representative named Natalie) actually sent out a “crew” within a few days of my initial complaint. They arrived after 6:30 PM, were almost two hours late and unapologetic. They had no idea of the extent of the work required and I showed them all the discrepancies (e.g., hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, punctured heating system, trash, etc.). The head of the crew was actually embarrassed, took pictures of all the discrepancies, stated they were unprepared to undertake the extensive repairs and said he would inform the “local office” to have them reschedule. I asked when I would hear from someone and he said tomorrow. Needless to say I heard from no one. After another week I called Al Rivera, a sales manager, at the “local office” and explained what happened. He stated that he would “look into it and call right back.” He never called back. After another week I spoke with Natalie again and she promised to “look into it and call right back.” She never called back. After surfing the internet and reading the complaints, I realized I was taken by Empire Today and they were just another “high-pitch-sales and no service” company. I gave up on any expectation of Empire Today making things right. Since I’m a disabled military veteran existing on disability and had to pay someone else to fix all these unexpected and unwarranted flooring issues. I paid for my mistake with the selection of Empire Today. However, I felt compelled to follow-up with a testimonial on the Empire Today web page. As expected it wasn’t a positive endorsement. Within hours I was called by the “corporate office” (i.e., a representative named Helen). She told me she would ask about recompense. The next day she called me and said the “regional office” was “looking into it.” Helen called back the next day and stated that Empire Today would only pay for the trash removal and not the flooring discrepancies – since I paid cash and had no “paperwork”. I requested that she have the “regional office” manager call me and explain why Empire Today did nothing to correct THEIR mistakes for over six weeks. She said she would pass on the request. Within hours Tim Sherwin, the “regional office” manager called back. Our first conversation wasn’t positive – he attacked my integrity, was condescending, attempted to belittle me and was certainly uninformed. He kept referring to my “alleged” discrepancies and I told him to look at the pictures “his” crew took before he said “alleged” again. Tim Sherwin called back the next day and his attitude was even worse. I found it odd because he still hadn’t looked at the pictures his own company took. I found him arrogant as well as uninformed and told him so. He said he would “look into it and call sometime next week.” I told him I was very disappointed with the way I was treated and being treated by Empire Today and was going to inform his endorsers, sponsors and potential buyers of my experience. His response, “do whatever you want to do.” MY ADVISE – DON’T USE EMPIRE TODAY.

IF I NEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW I WOULD NEVER HAVE CALLED EMPIRE TODAY, THE REASON I CALLED EMPIRE TODAY IS I FIGURED THEY WOULD BE MORE RELIABLE THEN YOUR AVERAGE CONTRACTOR, I NEEDED MY BALCONY TILED SO I CALLED EMPIRE THEY SENT OUT THEIR SALES PERSON NEXT DAY HE GAVE ME A QUOTE OF $2900.00 NO PAYMENT NO INTEREST FOR A YEAR I SIGNED AND GAVE A DEPOSIT FEW DAYS LATER THEIR INSTALERS CAME OUT IT TOOK TWO DAYS IT WAS ALMOST DONE BUT I NOTICED THEY HAD TO GROUT TWICE I TOLED MY SON I DON'T THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING, BUT WHO AM I TO SAY SOMETHING I HIGERED EXPERTS
THEN COMES THE RAIN, UNDER THE BALCONY IS MY SON'S ROOM SO EVERY TIME IT RAINS OUT SIDE IT RAINS IN THE ROOM, SO I TRIED TO CALL EMPIRE AND THE MESSAGE I GOT WAS ( THEIR IS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH) I COULD NOT TALK TO ANY ONE FOR THREE MONTHS, SO I SENT A COMPLAINT TO EMPIRES WEBSITE AND THEY CONTACTED ME, SENT OUT INSPECTOR AFTER INSPECTOR AND THE VERDICT WAS ITS NOT EMPIRES FAULT ITS THEIR INSTALLER FAULT AND EMPIRE REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND, I HAVE AN ATTORNEY WORKING ON THIS BUT ITS TAKING FOR EVER AND HE DOS NOT WANT TO GO TO COURT HE SAID ITS COSTLY. I AM SO ANGRY AND SO UPSET THAT EMPIRE TODAY CAN ROB PEOPLE AND WE CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, I THINK SOME HOW IF WE ALL GOT TOGETHER AND AND CONTACTING GOOD MORNING AMERICA OR THE TODAYS SHOW MAYBE THAT COULD GET THEIR ATTENTION.

SO THANK YOU AND HOPE SOME ONE HELP FIX THIS BIG PROBLEM
I AM NOT GIVING UP

from MD -- So far, so good. Saleman was polite, not overdone (although British accents come off snooty sometimes). Crew arrived this morning, on time and are in the midst of installing. Our neighbors used Empire two years ago and had no problems, as did a co-worker and no problems. Each person had either laminate or carpet.

We are having laminate and porcelain installed for kitchen and bathroom. Cost was a little higher than the hardware store chain's prices ($2750 vs. $3300), but Empire could be there next day and the hardware store was booked for a while.

Friends of a friend had their Credit Card stolen from an Empire Today rep about 3 years ago, but we didn't hear about that until after install had begun. I did not use a credit card, but signed up for the 12 month free interest/no payments. It is the same GE bank I have used previously from electronics chain stores for similar bargains.

I don't like what I read in these postings, but I had friends experiences that backed up Empire. I will re-post after today, when all should be good.

I do agree with all of the comlaints about Empire. I'm currently an employee for the company that's been experimenting four years of hell. Not only Empire has bad instalation, the company has been hiring illegal immigrants especially ones that don't speak English. The management at my branch at Empire DO NOT treat employees with respect at all and I was told by three former employees that Empire is beeing investigated by the U.S Attorney general for discrimination, falsifying information from customers and much more. And last I've experienced sexual harrasement from a sales rep that used to work at my branch. He then went to work for Empire in another state and I'm in the process now on seeking some extreme revenge out on him.

Well here goes I just got off the phone with the Ocean Count New Jersey District Attorney office. I will be bringing charges against Empire Carpet. On Friday evening I had avery nice salesman come to my Dads house We just lost our Mom June 14 2007. My dad bought her house with an FHA loan. We needed to have the carpet installed by Saturday, the next day. I am sure this is how Empire works, the desperate will pay anything. They put my Dads credit check through, and stated he is only eligible for $500.00. If we wanted the carpet right away we would heave to come up with the balance of $1, 024.00 before the carpet was insatlled. I agreed to pay with my debit card. They installed the carpet that Saturday morning. I signed authorization for $1, 024.00. Sunday mrning I called my bank to check my balance and they withdrew $1, 524.00, which caused my mortgage to bounce. I got on the phone and was told it was Sunday, they can not do anything. it is now Monday morning and have been given the runaround for the past 3 hours. They have yet to even give me a phone call. They stole $500.00 from my account and I can not let them get away with it. What would stop them from going into your account next time STAY AWAY FROM EMPIRE CARPET. I AM SUING

I used empire for recarpeting my 3 bedrooms. My spouse was home when the sales person came to our house...I was at work at the time. The estimate was higher than I thought it was going to be, but she signed the paperwork and the salesperson left. When I got home, I noticed that the work order was not itemized which I thought was weird. So when I broke down the price based on square footage, I realized that I was not getting a very good deal on the carpet. We called the salesperson, and he knocked $500 off of the price and faxed me an itemized work order. The carpet was installed a few days later since we could not be home the next couple of days. Everything went smoothly and the carpet is great.

INSTALLERS BEWARE! EMPIRE TODAY DOES NOT PAY WHAT THEY SAY. THEY ONLY WORK CONTRACTORS THAT ARE EASY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

I had a free in-home estimate done on February 13th. On February 14th, I cancelled my order and was told by an Empire customer service rep that my deposit check would be mailed back to me.
I received a cancellation confirmation number on February 14th.
On February 15th, Empire deposited my check, despite the cancellation of the order. Now they tell me I have to wait 15 days for a refund for a check that they had no right to cash. I should have placed a hold on the check but when they told me the check would not be cashed and that it would be mailed back to me, unfortunately, I believed them. The deposit check was in the amount of $741.
I will never do business with this company again and I would advise anyone, thinking of engaging their services, to think again. Shop around for a more ethical company.

Thank you for your posting, I am closing on a house in 2 days and it also needs new carpet, as well as the hardwood floors being replaced. I figured Empire could give me a good price for a package deal. I had called them today to schedule an appointment for 27th. After reading these blogs I will be calling them back to cancel. The shody work spoke of in here as well as the total lack of disregard for customer satisfaction speaks volumes to me, and one main phrase "go to someone reputable"!

I am not going to say that I had the same experience as many of the previous messages convey. I am going to tell you that I am totally discusted with the response from the Corporate Offices. My expereinces takes place in Orlando. I am from Chicage and actually did business with Empire many, many years ago. I grew up with the jingle as did many of my generation. when I wanted to do some flooring in one room, I called them.

I have no complaints with the sales rep. Maybe it was because I knew what I wanted and what prices were comparable. I knew about all of the costs and actually he did break up the carpet cost, installation rug removal, etc. The final cost was slightly higher than I had gotten from others - BUT I could have this the next day. All the others gave 2 weeks or more because of being busy (this really is normal for here). I paid up front and cash.

Many things happened that caused us to keep changing the installation date - all were by my needs.
This is where the problem comes in. I finally had to cancel and asked for a refund. I actually got it about 19 days later. Great right? WRONG! I deposited the check waited for the bank's out of state hold to be lifted and paid some bills. Five days, 26 days after the check was cut, IT BOUNCED!. My checking account was adjusted and unfortunately, I got several charges. I called immediately upon notification from my bank. I only had the general "advertised nunber". The rep. was polite, information and,of course, apologized. He noted the account, and tried to connect me with someone at the Corporate Office who would handle this. He had to leave a message. I was told I would be called in 24 hours and my account was marked priority.

Now the story begins to sound like everyone else's. I wasn't contacted. I called, again got great service on the phone from someone who could do little but try to get me to someone who could help. AGAIN NO person was available and yet another voice mail left. He gave me another number. I now started to leave voice mails myself. I called the corporate office and asked to speak to someone who could help me. I was again given the same name as a contact and she still NEVER called. 6 days later and many messages left, I finally got ahold of a real person who could help me. It looks as if my issue will be resolved. I am amazed that a company of this size is unable to make an electronic transfer to my bank. I will still have to wait for 10 days from deposit because of the BOUNCED check. My account will incur some additional fees, but my bank is helping. I always thought it was illegal to issue a check that will bounce. It wasn't even that big compared to what I read above. The fact that they did not even know a check had been returned is still unsettling.

This has caused me to have little confidence in their business techeniques. The installers I had seen in Chicago all had on Empire uniforms. None of the ones I see down here have. It appears that the main company does not screen/check out who they are subcontracting. Big mistake on their part. What is happeneing to Empire is not uncommon for companies expanded if they do not stay informed about who is representing them. I would have to say that the initial contacts I made with phone representatives was excellent However the best CS Department can not make up for the lousy imprerssion left by those in administration or contractors. Will I get a good check, will I receive some restitution? I don't know.

Right now, I would highly recommend that other choices be made for those looking for carpet and tile. Empire, as a whole, is not reliable. The two weeks wait for nstallation is worth it!

Okay, my question is what difference does it make that there is no itemization? The bottom line price is what really matters, isn't it? I have had 3 installations in my home, and I can tell you that Empire Today is the most experienced, customer oriented company that I have ever done business with. Instead of getting upset about issues just CALL them and they will always take care of you quickly and professionally. They have been in business for a long time, and I hardly think that they would jeopardize their reputation by trying to swindle their customers. No company can do what they do, and no company honors warranties the way that they do either. They are a complete package, and I will continue to do business with them and only them for any home improvements.

We just had Empire Today carpet our whole house and put laminate in the kitchen. They did a great job! I had a couple of little concern, so I called the company and they sent a man out to take care of it the NEXT day. The price we were given was very competitive. They did exactly what they said they would do.

I have one complaint. We ordered our carpet in April and wanted it put in Oct/15(I have severe asthma and needed to get past allergy season. The contracts were drawn up and we waited. Several weeks later we began getting our deposits back. I thought it was strange so I called the 1-800 number. I was told that it had been over 90 days and it was their policy to cancel after 90 days. I read the contracts over and over again and there was no mention of a 90 day rule. I called the company again. They wanted to send a salesman out to remeasure and rebid our order. I said "no way". I called the headquarters and got every thing straightened out. Now, I'm no fool. Oil was selling for 60.00 in April and is now selling for about 90.00. So, they wanted to charge me more to make up for the cost of making the carpet.

I just want to say that anyone reading this really does need to steer clear of Empire... I am going through the same issue, as a matter of fact, while I am typing this I am still on hold (30 minutes later) on my 4th or 5th call this week... still waiting for the guy to show up from Friday night who was supposed to come and look at where my hardwood floors are buckling... I will let ya know how that works out for me :-/

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Please call the Better Business Bureau if you have any questions regarding the validity and customer approval/satisfaction of Empire Today. Keep in mind Empire Today is America's #1 in home carpet/flooring company and installs hundreds of jobs a day throughout the country. Empire Today's complaints (which they always address, and do so in a timely fashion) are a very minimal fraction compared to the total number of satisfied customers they have accumulated through the years. My family and I are very happy with their products, their service, and will continue to use their company for years to come. Thank you Empire Today!

I'm glad I saw your email. We are in Florida and Empire is really burning up the commercial air time down here. We were in the mall this weekend and they even have a kiosk in place. I thought I'd do some research before we considered giving them a call. Thanks so much for the warning. I think we would do better to deal with a local vendor.

COLOR: My wife ordered Eggshell (a light color). I stayed home to be the older-than-18-year-old to help with the installation. My wife came home and claims WRONG COLOR. The manager called back to confirm that there is more than a dye-lot difference... my wife is right!

SPEED: The salesperson said it would take 3 days to install. But when the installers showed up they said day or two with 1.5 being realistic. So we did all but the master bedroom and closet in the first day. Wife complains--too fast, not ready.

QUESTION: The color difference doesn't warrant rework and replacement in my opinion. What is a UCR discount? (UCR=Usual, Customary and Reasonable).

I hope this does not get on 60 minutes as I work for Empire Today in Raleigh and never knew there was anything wrong with their installations.