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Empire Today review: fraudulent quote! 134

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12:00 am EDT
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On 2/21/07, a sales representative from Empire came to my house to give me a quote. The representative measured the two rooms (living room and bedroom), advising me that it totaled 80 square yards. I picked out two different samples. For the less expensive sample, he advised that it cost $29 per square yard, including removal of the existing carpet, padding and installation. Including taxes, he quoted a price slightly more than $2,500. After I hesitated, he stated that the "sale" would end that day. I asked him what the "regular price" was, and he responded that it was $38 per square yard. After I hesitated further, he asked how much I would be willing to pay. I paused, then stated, "maybe $2,000." He said, "Okay, but I need to know now." I hesitated again, and then I left the room to call a contractor-contact of mine to ask if that price was reasonable. He advised me that the price was high. I told the sales representative that I had to think about it, and I would call him the following week. After he left, I had an independent carpeting contractor come to the house to give me a competitive quote. The other contractor came to my house later in the day to take measurements. He advised me that the two rooms totaled only 68 square yards. Thus, the Empire sales representative lied to me about the total yardage. I decided to drop it, and not call Empire back.

The most egregious act by Empire, however, was still to come. On 2/25/07, I received a call from an Empire telephone representative, who asked me if I was interested in purchasing the carpet. Without explanation, I said no. She responded that Empire could beat the last quote. I stated that I was still not interested. She asked me why. I then started to explain the entire story, including that Empire lied about the amount of square yards. Before I was finished explaining what had happened, but after I told her that Empire lied about the total yardage, the Empire telephone representative hung up on me. I fully expected her to apologize and tell me that Empire would undertake an investigation, but instead she did just the opposite. By hanging up on me, she exposed Empire for the fraud it really is. Obviously, this was not a situation where the sales representative who went to my home was a "bad egg." To the contrary, by hanging up on me, she proved that Empire is in on the fraud. Empire's fraudulent scheme, among other things, is to overquote the amount of square yards needed. Empire should be shut down.

Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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We’re sorry for the difficulties you had scheduling your appointment and that you weren’t kept informed throughout the installation process. We do expect our sales representatives to work with each individual customer’s budget and needs during your sales appointment and we’re disappointed to hear that your sales appointment didn’t meet your expecations. However, your feedback is very important to us and we’d like the chance to speak with you further to address your concerns and to learn more. We never want anyone to leave their experience with us unhappy and want to make things right. If you’re willing to speak with us, please email your information to customersupport@emprietoday.com or call us at 888-588-2315 x4195 and we’ll follow back with you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Oct 10, 2011 9:44 pm EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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We’ve read your post and are truly sorry for your missed sales appointment and for the inconvenience this has caused you. We realize our customers’ time is valuable and the situation you’ve relayed is not in line with the standard of world-class service we strive to provide all of our customers. We’re disappointed that because of this, you were not able to experience our Shop-at-Home service as it is the only way customers are able to see our wide range of quality, name-brand products. We’d like the opportunity to speak with you more about this and see if you’d reconsider using us for your home improvement needs. If you’d be willing to speak further with us, could you please send your contact information to customersupport@empiretoday.com or call us at 888-588-2315 x4195. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Apr 30, 2012 10:57 pm EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Jerome, we’re disappointed that you’ve experienced issues with your product post-installation, as we always want to work with our customers to ensure they have a positive experience. We understand that we’ve been in contact with you and that we’ve scheduled repairs for later this week. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please call us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or email us at customersupport@empiretoday.com. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Jul 02, 2012 2:17 pm EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Thomas, we regret that your product has not been meeting your expectations. We understand that we’ve been in contact with you about this issue recently and that an inspection was done. We will have a member of out customer service team follow up with you soon to discuss the results of the inspection and your concerns in more detail. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or email us at customersupport@empiretoday.com. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Oct 08, 2012 9:53 am EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Linduska, we regret the issues that occurred during your installation. We would like to opportunity to learn more about your situation and help make things right. Unfortunately, we cannot locate your account with the information provided here. Please call us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or email customersupport@empiretoday.com, and a member of our customer service team will reach out you. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Jul 28, 2016 5:05 am EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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We regret that your experience did not meet your expectations. We never want our customers to be disappointed in the products or services that they receive. Although you have decided to go with another company, we would be happy to discuss any questions or concerns that you may still have. Please feel free to contact us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or customersupport@empiretoday.com.com. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Feb 21, 2013 5:08 pm EST
Empire Today customer support contacts
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Address

333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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We’re disappointed that you were not satisfied with your experience working as an independent contractor, as we always strive to create a positive work environment. We would be happy to discuss the concerns you have expressed here. Please contact our Human Resources department at 888-588-2315 ext. 3007. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Aug 01, 2016 3:22 am EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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Address

333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Thank you for making us aware of your concerns, Ralph. We regret that you did not agree with the pricing for the additional work that was required to complete your installation. We will be following up with you shortly to discuss this matter in more detail. You can also reach us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or customersupport@empiretoday.com. Thank you. Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager
Feb 28, 2014 11:14 am EST
Empire Today customer support contacts
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Address

333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Wilbow, thank you for bringing your missed appointments to our attention. We realize that this is a frustrating situation, and we are disappointed, as this is not the level of service that we expect for our customers. We would appreciate the opportunity to make things right for you, but unfortunately, we cannot locate your account with the information posted here. Please call us at 888-588-2315 x4195 or email your information to customersupport@empiretoday.com, and we will reach out to you to discuss a resolution. Thank you. Jeanette Ramey, National Customer Service Manager
Apr 21, 2014 10:33 am EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
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Address

333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Thanks for sharing, Bradley! We love receiving feedback from our customers, and we’re thrilled that you enjoyed your experience with us. We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope you’re enjoying the new look and feel of your home!
Jeanette Ramey, National Customer Service Manager
Oct 24, 2014 2:02 pm EDT
Empire Today customer support contacts
Phone numbers
Address

333 Northwest Avenue, Melrose Park, IL, 60164, US

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Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We always strive to provide a positive work environment, and we would like the opportunity to discuss these issues with you in more detail. Please contact our human resources department so that we can learn more about your concerns.
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134 comments
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flogo
, US
Apr 08, 2011 4:44 pm EDT

Thanks for all who posted. I was thinking about using this company but I have changed my mind. FYI, I had very similar problems with Factory Floors Direct a few years ago. They ripped us off and then never refunded over $65 that they were supposed too and the salesman was a total sleezeball.

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NotinMyhouse
, US
Apr 05, 2011 11:51 pm EDT

I wanted to tell you about my experience as well. I had them come out and give me an estimate today and I was flabbergasted by the quote. I told the guy that I did not want to spend 4k on carpet for my new basement and he quotes me 6k. My jaw hit the floor.
Then he tries to tell me there are some discounts he can apply if I was to get the carpet this week and if I put their sign out in the yard etc. Then to top it off he kept calling his "Managers" to get the price down. He made it seem like by calling them he can drop the price by 1k. After he made 3 or 4 of these calls to his "managers", he would drop the price by 500 or so. At that point, I had enough and was like NO THANKS!
I am in business myself and to see him try to be a sly salesman cracked me up. I am going to go ahead and get my carpet from lowes or HD. My suggestion to anyone would be don't even bother with this company. They are nothing but crooks. They try to play the salesman is your best friend game but in my book they are worst than a car salesman.

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Phillips Oak
Rochester Hills, US
Mar 07, 2011 7:38 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am glad I came across this site. We need to have carpeting replaced in our bedroom, hall/stairs and living room and dining room (considering wood in dining room)...anyway it would be a big project. My neighbor suggested I look for complaints about Empire
BTW - my boss got a quote from Empire, and the installation was more than the carpet!

We went through HD last year for carpet in family room. We selected a nice quality. Great install!

You get what you pay for ...buy cheap carpet, you will get crappy carpet. Everyone should know how to measure their room, just to protect themselves. I am a woman, and my measurements were EXACTLY the same as HD

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bms231
Phoenix, US
Mar 03, 2011 2:22 am EST

2/12/2011 appointment with Cary Rizzien [protected]. DO NOT USE HIM! He came out all nice and gave me a 5700 dollar price for 860 square feet and said if I buy right this instant I will get it for 3500. I said not today I want to have my family help make the decision. One weekend later they drove 2.5 hours to come visit me for a 1pm appointment with Cary. 110 goes by, no Cary. I call him. He forgot about our appointment and said give him 20 minutes and he will call me back. 40 minutes go by, I call him, voicemail. Wait 10 more, call again, voicemail. I call corporate and they tell me he has other appointments and that they too received his voicemail. Oh so now my family is here wasting time b/c these idiots can't keep an appointment. I leave two more messages with Cary that evening. 4 days later he has not called back. On Monday I called their inside sales office 3 times only getting voicemail. I left a message Monday. Nothing. Left a message Tuesday stating if they value my business they will call me back. Nothing.

If it is this hard to get in touch with someone to SELL you the carpet... imagine how difficult it will be if you actually had a warranty issue. DO NOT USE EMPIRE CARPET! You will regret it!

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Raymond Drozd
Oak Hill, US
Feb 11, 2011 2:50 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Empire insalled my carpet in mid July.The installer seem to be in a hurry to get the job done an get out of here.
In the long run it showed in the installion. I had a employee come back in December to fix all door ways. All seams
where apart and the carpet was coming up when I vacuum. The employee said that the carpet was wiering and he
would note it on his work order.He said I would hear from empire. Feb. is here an no contact. Shabby workmanship,
and they don!t answer thier complaints. Please contact other carpet installer before Empire. All complaints are
notable.

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Smcrg
American Canyon, US
Dec 10, 2010 3:06 am EST

Please note this Empire Floors is not in California

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ShopAround
Philadelphia, US
Oct 21, 2010 11:03 am EDT

Empire is still up to their old tricks. For my house, their measurements were very exaggerated as was their price. Their sales technique was the same for me too = 'sign right now and save'. But the final price after the savings was still 3x as much as Lowe's and Home Depot and Empire's product was inferior. SCAMMERS!

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Business Response.
Northlake, US
Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT

Thank you for bringing your sales experience to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you. We are dedicated to service and satisfaction; please contact us at [protected] to assist you.

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Business Response.
Northlake, US
Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT

Thank you for bringing your carpet experience to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience, and our customer service team would like to work with you to explore a resolution. Please contact us at [protected] so we can assist you.

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Manufacturers Rep
, US
Aug 08, 2010 12:48 am EDT

Many people make buying decisions in many ways. If you are looking for a deal, you'll find free or cheap installation at Home Depot or Lowes. Want a big discount? Try Empire Today, they'll charge so much that they can offer to sell you one room and get two free. Whatever you're looking for, the large national companies have mastered the art of selling to you. If what you want is the real price, go to a reputable authorized dealer, not the installer, select a carpet and have three stores quote the identical floor, pad and other requirements such as tear up and furniture moving. Unfortunately, the large chains like Home Depot, Lowes and Empire all purchase carpet from the same mills as your local flooring stores but the big guys change the names and have their products privately labeled to hide their excess markups, making it very difficult to assure you're looking at the same carpet.
Again, find a carpet or flooring product that you can get two other quotes from, use the store not the installer.
Note: Warranties are from the manufacturer to the store, not to you. The store in turn provides the warranty to the person they sold it to, you Or your installer/contractor. If you buy from an installer/contractor who buys wholesale, you're probably paying too much an d you're warranty is from the contractor/installer to you and not from the authorized store or the manufacturer. Special note: Contractors insurance does not cover the product they provide, if the contractor/installer damages the carpet installing it, their insurance company does not cover the carpet. Protect yourself, buy from a reputable store that includes installation, they have business insurance, not just contractor insurance and make sure you pay the store for the installation otherwise you will be working with the installer /contractor directly.

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smartCustomer36
Miramar, US
Jul 30, 2010 9:20 pm EDT

I'm so glad I found this and many other sites complaining about Empire. My mom and I have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow, I AM CANCELING IMMEDIATELY!

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Business Response.
Northlake, US
Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT

Thank you for bringing your carpet experience to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience, and our customer service team would like to work with you to explore a resolution. Please contact us at [protected] so we can assist you.

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angry on Long Island
southold, US
May 25, 2010 9:31 am EDT

They are a HUGE RIPOFF. My house is 40 x 20 = 800 square feet. My basement therefore cannot be any larger than that. That includes a bathroom, laundry room and boiler room that was not being carpeted. They insisted that they were carpeting 1000 square feet and 200 square feet of waste for a total cost of 1200 square feet of carpet. My wife signed the deal with them with the a

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ThePigWhisperers
Plant City, US
May 07, 2010 3:04 pm EDT

Appreciate all the feedback. I am shopping for carpet/flooring for one room. When I called the local EMPIRE store I told them the room was 18ft by 21ft (I can measure things all by myself and dont want a bunch of pushy sales people in my home!) and could they just give me a ball park quote for their cheapest carpet. They said $1700 ! For ONE room? FOR CHEAP carpet!?!?! Are you KIDDING ME?, and the man sounded like a used car salesman, loud and bouisterous (and RUDE) and rather poo pooing me for wanting the cheapet carpet. After reading all this, plus my own little phone exp. I WILL NOT be using them and WILL be searching for an independant flooring contractor.

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chrissyD1106
, US
Apr 29, 2010 10:40 am EDT

I Just had the Empire "salesman" at my house for an "estimate". Finally, he showed up to my 3rd scheduled appointment. After reading these comments, I was extremely leery. But what happened was rather sad & comical.
I was pricing laminate wood for a big room, 700 sqft. And without even measuring he quoted me betw. $7.50 & $11 per square foot. Thats $7, ooo for laminate which is supposed to be inexpensive, including labor, delivery, installation. WOW! I laughed at him and said goodbye. What a waste of my time waiting for him! There certainly must be reliable companies out there, Empire is NOT one of them.

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TJH19774U
Taylorsville, US
Mar 15, 2010 7:14 pm EDT

This is the worst place ever. They had sale reps to come out and they lied. The sales rep was J.R. Bourough. he didnt tell us that what we wanted was not in the sale. they have harrasssed us sience we canceled this. PLEASE WHO EVER WANTS TO GO THROUGH EMPIRE SAY NO THEY TRY TO MAKE MORE THAN IT COST. WE R GETTING IT UNDER HALF OF WHAT ITS GTTING DONE FOR. WE CAN DO OUR OTHER 2 ROOMS AND STILL HAVE MONEY LEFT. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY THEY ARE AWFUL THEY MEAURED AND THE MEASURMENT WAS ALL OFF SO THEY CHARGE FOR MORE THAN U GET.DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY WE ARE TURNING IT OVER TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF NC. THE SALES MAN WAS FROM MAIDEN.

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billv999
Sarasota, US
Mar 10, 2010 12:54 pm EST

I had empire out to measure a rental home. They were running a special by 1 room get 2 free. I figured with that and the 12 months same as cash it had to be a good deal. WRONG! They quoted me $2700 for the special and $1700 without the special. He gave me the same line as others "how much would you be willing top pay? I told him $700. He said there is no way he could do it for that price but he may be able to get his boss to come down to $1500 but it would be a now or never scenario". I called a local independent carpet installer who gave me a quote of $900, and it is better quality carpet.

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DISAPPOINTED BUYER!!!!
, US
Feb 09, 2010 9:21 pm EST

Empire rep came to my house. He did the measurements and gave me a price. I asked him about the buy one room get 2 rooms for free special they had going. He seemed upset and then gave me the discounted price. I set up an installation date and they came (two hours late!). When the installers saw the room, they told me that they didn't have enough carpet to cover the rooms entirely unless they installed it with seems. The installer then pulled me to the side and offered to do the job himself on the side for a cheaper price. When I told him no, he called his office and they told me that they couldn't do the job without seems. When I told them I didn't want the job done, they told me ok, we can do it without the seems but I have to wait two days so they could get the right size carpet. When I told them I didn't want the job done by them anymore, the rep just hung up on me. This company is rude, unprofessional and overpriced! Anybody thinking of getting carpet, go to your local carpet installer. They will take better care of you. EMPIRE CARPET SUCKS!

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Company Response
Northlake, US
Jan 20, 2010 2:12 pm EST

Thank you for bringing your carpet experience to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience, and our team would like to work with you to explore a resolution. Please contact us at webcustomerservice@empiretoday.com so that we may be able to assist. You can also visit our online customer center at http://www.empiretoday.com/Customer-Service.

Sincerely,
Consumer Advocate Team
Empire Today, LLC

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stepxstep
Forney, US
Dec 16, 2009 4:50 pm EST

I had carpet installed in July 2009. I called three companies to my home to estimate the cost of complete install (carpet, pad, tack strip). Empire was the last company to give me an estimate. The room to install was 183 sq. ft. I received prices of $350 and $420, Empire quoted me $1, 243.00. I was shocked! I explained to the sales lady that they were way too high, and thanked her for coming out. She seemed confused, she asked "is that more than you were planning on spending today?" I showed her the two other bids, she said that she had to call her office to authorize a price match. She called her office in front of us, she told them what she was up against, they told her to tell us we weren't comparing apples to apples and the other bids must be for inferior carpet. I explained that we were looking at the exact same carpet with the other companies, they told us that those other companies had a reputation of "bait and switch" and we would not be happy with our carpet.
I went with S&H Distributing in Dallas, TX. They not only honored their price quote, they came out same day and installed the carpet. It looks great. Instead of charging me extra, the actually gave me a discount for installing same day. I payed total including taxes $313.85 for same day service! If you are in Dallas call S&H.

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Joey C
, US
Sep 18, 2009 10:20 am EDT

They are a BIG SCAM...Rep came to my home...talk badly about Home Depot...could not give me a price...was going to check the carpet I was interested in and was to call the next day I called and he acted like he had no idea of what carpet I was interested in I HAD THE FRIGGIN SAMPLE SLATE from Home Depot and I showed it to him on the interest...PS..its 4 days still no call ...Also I asked about the 60% off...he (rep) told me its really not 60% its 20% off carpet 20% off matting 20% off removal...can you believe they do not include removal...What a joke!

FORGET EMPIRE!

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UNDISPUTED
Lithonia, US
Aug 25, 2009 4:58 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I HONESTLY BELIEVE THE REXBO GUY. THESE SALES REP R A TOTAL MESS AND THEY R OUT 2 RIP U OFF. THIS IS THE HIGHEST CARPET IVE EVER SEEN IN LIFE. IF U R RUNNING A 60% OFF AT WHAT POINT DOES THIS 2, 500 QUOTEGO DOWN R U TELLING ME THAT THE ORIGINAL PRICE 4 THAT CARPET WAS ACTUALLY THAT EXPENSIVE. THE REPS R NASTY DISRESPECTFUL AND IGNORANT 2 THE FACT. I HAD A REP TELL ME HE WISH HE HADNT DROVE ALL THE WAY 2 MY HOUSE IF HE KNEW I WASNT GOING 2 BUY THE CARPET. ANYONE WHO BUYS THIS EXSPENSIVE CARPET IS CRAZY... I WILL B REPORTING HIS COMPANY BECAUSE THEY R LIARS AND A BIG RIPOFF. THEY R IN SUCH A HURRY WHEN THEY DO COME SO HURRY ON...

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rexbo
can't say, US
Aug 06, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

I used to sell for Empire and I can attest that the sales team is instructed on all the ways to force the customer to buy right then. There is actually no sale price, as they say in the commercials, for there is no normal price. The salesman makes it up on the spot, based on what he thinks he can get away with. The higher the sale price, the higher the sales commission. It's as simple as that.

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Meredith77
, US
Aug 02, 2009 12:59 am EDT

I had a similar experience the sales guy came to my home and my husband was not there he gave me a price of $5000 for 1041 sq ft which was 4 bedrooms and a living room. I called my husband and he said no that was too high. The sales rep asked what I was expecting to pay and immediately dropped the price by $1000! I told him I felt duped and he said "Well I don't want to sell carpet to you if you feel like I am cheating you" but then he cont to pressure me! I had another person come and measure and he added on another whole bedroom in his measurements... way over! I will never use empire and I hope others don't either. BTW when they say on the commercial 60% off on carpet they only mean one style of cheap carpet that is marked up so high when it is 60% marked off it is actually a normal price for that carpet.

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Empire OK
Chesapeake, US
Jul 28, 2009 10:12 am EDT

zBought from Empire last year and set up an appointment for this week for more carpet and to look at their laminate flooring samples. Very happy with my carpet.Price was comperable to other carpet I have bought and there is no waiting! The installation crew was very nice and efficient with the only drawback being that only one spoke English. When I had a question they couldn't answer...I called the number the crew gave me and a supervisor came out and answered all my questions. This isn't unlike the Homedepot team from three years ago or the local bussiness where the man came with his 14yo nephew to install on a school day. I will use Empire again.

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mike eisner
Oceanside, US
Jul 27, 2009 9:24 pm EDT

u pay for what u get

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finito
Newtonville, US
Jul 20, 2009 2:47 pm EDT

I had the worst experience with Empire!. They came a day late while all of our furniture was put outside, They put the floor in and the next day I saw a couple of scratches on the floor so I called Empire to come out and fix it. they said they would call me back and never did! I called for weeks and left countless messages and finally when they did call back I was very frustrated and they hung up on me! I filed a dispute with my credit card company and won, thank God. But now my floor is buckling up in front of a doorway. Now we have noone to call to fis this problem. this floating fake wood floor that they claim is supposed to stand up to anything is a piece of crap. I would rather have paid for a floor that to get it free and have it like this! Empire sucks so bad.

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JS5893
Shelbyville, US
Jul 15, 2009 10:13 am EDT

My elderly mother who is 86 yrs. old that lives out of state from me, called Empire Today to have them put down laminate floor. She had trouble walking with her walker on the carpet. Anyway, several days after she had it installed, my son, who lives not too far from her went to visit and looked at the bill, and they had way over estimated the yardage.

We understand you have to order some extra footage when ordering carpet, but they listed the actual footage PLUS an additional 1/2 the total (50% extra). In other words they ordered 1- 1/2 amount. WAY more than the usual 15% - 20% extra. They ripped her off...and they didn't leave her all the extra that she had paid for, they took all the extra with them...talk about a total rip off. Especially of an elderly woman.

I had planned on calling them to come out to do carpet in my house, until they did my mother that way and I read all the complaints on them. I'll be contacting someone else.

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Kj Smith
East Haven, US
Jul 09, 2009 9:11 am EDT

Empire should be investigated by the state government. 3 years ago, my elderly mother with my sisters help decided to replace the carpet in her home. My mother is unable to walk and moves around her home in an electric mobility chair. During their discussion with the sales representative, my sister stated they needed a carpet that would withstand the contstant use of my mothers electric wheelchair. The representative stated that the carpet they chose would "be fine" and had a "lifetime" guarantee. The representative then measured the room to be carpeted and scheduled the installation the next day, which was Saturday. My sister stayed all day at my mothers home waiting for the installation crew, but they did not show up. She called Empire to see what was the matter and the CSR stated that they did not have them scheduled for installation today, claiming that the sales rep had never scheduled it. After much wasted time trying to resolve the situation with her, my sister called the sales representative. He made a call and told my sister that the office had failed to add the installation ticket to crews schedule and at this point the best he could do was to install the carpet on Monday. My sister expressed her concerns about them showing up as she would have to take a day off from work. The Sales Rep assured her they would be there. On Monday, my sister arrived at our mothers home at 8:30 am, by 11 am when the crews had not arrived yet my sister called the Sales Rep again and asked him if Empire was going to pay for her lost time from work. The Empire crew showed up a short time later.
Upon the crews arrival one of the crew members began measuring the room again and told my sister that this carpet would not fit. That the Sales Rep had measured the room incorrectly. They told my sister that they would have to reorder the carpet and install another day. My sister at this point was quite angry and insisted they go back to the warehouse, get the correct size carpet and install this carpet today. The crew member then told my sister, that he thought they could piece it and get it to fit. At this point my sister was so upset, and needed to get this carpet installed that day, she was pressured into accepting. (My mother has had several carpets installed over the years and has never seen it pieced together in that manner).
My mothers living room has a large opening to the kitchen, and always needs a metal threshold piece added to finish the end of the carpet, as well as several thresholds at the door openings down the hallway. The crewman told my sister that they do not install them, that they do not even carry them on the truck. My sister asked him to return the old ones and finish the carpet correctly. After much disscussion they finally did, however the padding underneath was not installed correctly and did not come all the way to the end of the threshold. My sister complained and she was told it was too late to correct it. The crew left.
My sister called Empire to have it corrected but Empire never sent anyone. My mother decided to live with it.
Over the last three years this carpet has shed so much of its fibers that we have had to replace my mothers vaccumn twice and have the current vaccumn repaired several times. We have taken bags full of the carpet fibers that have clogged it out as recent as last week.
Now this story gets ever more infuriating.
The metal threshold which was never installed correctly in the first place has slowly pulled away from the edge of the carpet. Finally causing my mother to cut her foot on it the other day. As a diabetic any cuts in the skin can cause serious health problems.
My mother called Empire to get it fixed and to again have the padding added to repair the threshold correctly as by now it is quite noticable and it is causing a safety issue at this point. Empire told my mother that the "Warranty" had run out" but that they would send an "inspector" to inspect the problem to see what could be or what needed to be done. My mother made the appointment for the inspector to arrive at noon time the next day, as my sister would have to be there and would have to use her lunch hour to do so.
At 7:15 am 3 crew members arrived at my mothers home. As no one was awake yet, they began to call. My niece who is staying with my mother answered the phone and asked the caller several times who was calling. All they would say was that they were outside and needed to get in. Only after she told them she would hang up, did they finally say they were from Empire. My mother was awoken from her sleep and these 3 crewman, appearing to be of Mexican decent, and who clearly did not speak very good english, went over to the area in question and began to repair the threshold by nailing it down. They did not add any additional padding. Upon completion they approached my mother and told her that they needed $50 dollars for the repair. (It takes 3 people to nail down a metal threshold approx. 4 feet long down and that costs $50 ?)My mother explained that she was not aware that they were to repair the area today, that she was expecting an inspector to look at the area to determine what would need tobe done. That she had not agreed to any payment. At this point they are becoming insistant that she make payment and that they needed the payment to be in cash. She explained she did not have cash, only a check. She reluctantly handed them the check as by this point she was quite scared. Two women alone with strange men in her home.
I feel that what has taken place to date is definately a sceme. And I believe they are all in on it. But what these people did to my 77 year old wheelchair bound mother makes me sick. Who owns this business? What is his name? and what does he have to say about this? I intend to find out. Something needs to be done. I intend to contact the Better Business Bureau, channel 8 news, Atty General Richard Bluementhal, and the INS. Seems to me someone needs to take a look at the HR documentation on these 3 crewmen. If they even exist.

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annie
Glendale, US
Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT

a couple of months ago i placed an order with empire the sales lady came out .who was very nice i placed an order for the next day instalation and they never showed up . i was so upset i canceled the whole order . a couple of months later i figured let me give them another chance had an appointment no show . i call they give another appointment no show .well then i called again very upset and the lady offers me 100 dollars off my order i said ok . the next day the sales man comes give's me my total 393.00 i said ok plus my 100 dollars off he said sorry i cant do that the total is only 393 its to low for me to honor that .so now im waiting for a manger to call me ...yeah right .this company suckssssssssssssss

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John Vasquez
Hebron, US
Mar 14, 2009 9:48 pm EDT

Thanks, I just read this and figured these guys would be the typical rip off artists. now who is recommended for carpet? Cuz' I need some. Glad I won't be calling Empire though. saw the commercial too... ha, they don't realize how ripping off the customer in the age of the internet works, do they?

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Hemy
Riva, US
Mar 13, 2009 8:14 am EDT

We had Empire install carpet one year ago. After a week we had to have them come back because every seam was showing. We ordered high traffic carpet and a brand name. I am almost positive we did not get what we paid for. The carpet has just stopped shedding and when I mean shedding like it was snowing in the house. One year later all the seams are like speed bumps. They show up on installation day and make you give them a certified check before they even will start the install. Also when they took the old carpet up they did not remove the old staples. We had a thick padding installed and you can feel the staples under the carpet when walking barefoot. My advice is to stay away from this company. Oh by the way the first quote we got was $4200.00. We ended up getting the carpet installed for $2850.00.

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Maria
Astoria, US
Mar 11, 2009 3:29 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hello! I too am annoyed! They cancelled my appointment twice! I am so happy about putting this post on facebook, now everyone knows NOT TO USE EMPIRE--

NOT TODAY!

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YoJeffrey
New Lisbon, US
Jan 12, 2009 7:38 am EST

Empire for lowest prices ? I dont think so ...
I myself Saved over $5000.00 by having Home Depot come and install. I got an estimate from Empire, and then had a few other Companies come out for estimates. All three of the other Companies came out a few grand minimum lower than Empire. They couldnt install next day like Empire, but maybe thats because they were busier? Hmmmmm ... Empire is a rip off. Not to mention not very many options to choose from, and this guy kept finding other things that I would need to add to the bill. It feels good to go from a $9700.00 estimate to $3500.00 for my whole house and they still installed in just a few hours. Not to mention stories with the same results from friends.

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Debra
,
Nov 20, 2008 11:24 am EST

My husband and I finally decided to buy new carpet and had Empire come out for a free estimate. We were pulled in by their TV ads. The young lady who came to our home was very nice but seemed in quite a hurry to go to another appointment. She convinced me to go ahead and write up the order, which she did. She then said "I hope you don't change your mind because I don't want to drive all the way back here". After doing some research and seeing these blogs we shopped around and found out that the carpet they were charging us $8, 000. for was the cheapest stuff and the pads? Thin and crappy. How do I know this? They just showed up to my house with the carpet even though we cancelled. They were nice enough but if we hadn't of cancelled we would have ended up with cheap crappy carpet and pad. I went to Home Depot and got educated. Empires commercial are good but I never heard a word about their supposedly 60% off sale.

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Michael
,
Nov 17, 2008 7:31 am EST

Hello everyone, here is our experience with empire. My wife called for a "free" estimate. The salesman was aggressive and told me that no one would be able to install the carpet before christmas. In fact, he told me that home depot is referring their customers to empire! I listened to his horrible presentation, he didnt focus on the carpet at all, all he wanted was the sale. He finally gave me a price of 2, 875, then said he would knock it down to 2, 600 ( living room, steps and hall) because he likes us so much. I noticed that the salesman could not look me in the eye either the whole time. He then said that I had to sign the agreement to lock in the price. The agreement was about 6 pages long. I told him this is worse than buying a house and that I was not signing anything. He said that he is doing me a favor and if he has to come back that it will be 800 bucks more. ( what about their 60% off commercial?). I read the agreement and told him I am not signing anything but this guy would not leave. I could not believe what was going on in my own home. I was going to throw him out of the house but my wife and kids were there. Stupid me signed the agreement ( just to get him to leave ) and figured I would cancel later. After 1.5 hours he finally left. About an hour later we called empire and told them we wanted to cancel. My wife read IN SMALL PRINT that if we do not send in the cancellation form by the end of the 3rd day that we would be responsible for 15% of the price ( 2, 600 ) bucks . I specifially asked the salesman about their cancellation policy and he did not mention this. Empire told us not to worry about that and gave us a confirmation number. One week later empire called and left a message to call them to confirm our delivery on Monday. I called them back and told the girl that we already cancelled and she put us on hold and said not to worry about it and that they already sent out 25 dollar deposit back to us. Great! This morning ( monday ) empire called again and said they would be here today. We told the girl that we already cancelled numerous times. I am waiting for them to show up at my door. I would strongly recommend NOT doing business with empire. They are very unprofessional and if you want new carpet and want to save money, go to your local carpet place. I went to Carpet Fair in springfied pa and they were great. no pressure at all. They CAN install anytime before christmas and their price is 1, 500 bucks for the same quality carpet! Bottom line, Empire is horrible!

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fezziwig
,
Nov 06, 2008 4:18 pm EST

I had them come to my house too. After I didn't show delight in the first price they offered, the price soon was cut in half. They were still expensive but, they did promise next day service. As I was signing the contract they had me sign off on several, several waivers. Waivers such as damage to my house that could occur. Another that bothered me was, they were not responsible for seams and could not assure me that I would not see the seams. I'm a contractor and have had many places carpeted along with my own homes etc. I have never ever heard of any proffesional carpet company ask you the customer to sign a waiver." It is just not done and let me tell you all this, it is possible to have carpet put down and not see the seams. When you see the seam it usually means, the carpet layer is not a very good one or, the carpet company does not give you the correct amount of carpet. They will only send the square footage needed and then turn the pattern of the carpet any which way to cover the floor. The carpet pattern must run one direction to not have seams.

They also do not take personal checks. They do take certified checks or cash. This is very tacky to not take a customers check. I will not go with a company that will not take your check or have you sign a waiver to their lack of quality of work and materials. You will not have a leg to stand on and you will give up all your rights if you are unhappy with their work.

I decided not to go with them and picked a proffesional company.

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pon123
, IN
Aug 01, 2016 3:23 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Articles and content in this section of the website are really amazing. From http://www.puneonnet.com

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stand up
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Oct 04, 2008 12:25 am EDT

Actually, I found a place for laminate floor for 99 CENT SQ F! The warranty is for 50 years!

That is amazing, imagine all I can save. They installed it, they saud the installation is going to be around 500 bucks for 300 sg of my kitchen. Well, the store installed it in 10 days, it cost me 99 cents plus tax, but the installers charged me around 900 buck, the store said they dont have nothing to do whith installations prices, so I just paid it. The installation was fine, but, this store made me signed the 50 years warranty, and for my surprise, they said that once the floor is installed, the warranty is VOID! what in earht is that! A few months later, the laminate started to bend upwards, I called the store and I was told someone will be going to my hose in the next week. They indeed came the next, next, next week (three weeks later) and said that the laminate I purchased is very low quality and if I want it to last longer I should purchase new flooring! That is outrageous! Next thing is that they will charge me 500 bucks to fix just a few laminates that are bending!

I had an estimate for empire today, but i learned from this blog that empire is a ripoff and that is not woth it, so I went to another store suggested in this blog, then all started to go wrong...

I learned my lesson, I should bought it from empire today in the first place, since they offered me an extraordinary flooring with written warranty and one year installation warranty. That is peace of mind. Next time, I will not be cheap as some people in this blog, shame for me, shame for you...

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what?
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Aug 05, 2016 7:49 am EDT

That cannot be true, since by empire todays agreement, the salesman can only have a 200 bucks deposit when the order is placed. Anyone can call the 8 hundered number they have and ask what is the deposit amount needed to place an order, and that is 200 bucks. I justed installed a 9, 000 dollars order for carpet and I was required only 200 dollars for downpayment. truth is, no one is so green to beleive your story.