Empire Today review: don't use them 94

Stay away from empire toay. They're nothing more than a giant umbrella that markets themselves as this clean cut, organized company that will handle your install properly. You should just save the overhead they charge you and find a contractor on your own. That's all they do. It took them 9 visits and 4 different subcontractors to finish a straightforward hardwood floor and vinyl install. They quality of work they tried to pass of as acceptable was a joke. The contractors were amazed at how much I "overpaid" and then delivered some garbage install on top of that. They cut my trim (Which isn't even real wood) by hand with a handsaw (Hilarious). The floors wouldn't go under the frames on my doors and looked horrible. To level my floof they actually put cardbpoard boxes under my install. I found this out when they new team ripped it up to re-do it again for the 3rd time. Finally my case got the attention of the regional manager or whatever and he said he'll make it right. The finally did get the floors in but it was so painful of a process. Then they said they'd give me some money back to make up for everything. It's been 3 months and i've been trying to claim that money but since they have so much turnover in that compay the person that promised that to me is gone. Now i'm dealing with customer service who could give 2 flips about anything. I warn you... Go to lowes, do the install yourself or hire an ex-con before hiring the looney toons.

These lieing SO B's came into my house and tried to take advantage of me. What because I am a woman, do I have take advantage of me on my forehead? I looked in the mirror and can't see it. Jadon came in to give us a quote with my husband at work. I got a ridiculous price when I got a few quotes elsewhere. He quoted me a price for a lower grade carpet than the other carpet I got quotes for, which was a higher grade . Then he argued and would not match the price of the other co. when he said they would beat the other price. They tried to discredit the quote from a reliable co. and I didn't appreciate their business tactics and lack of honesty and integrity. I would NEVER recommend this co. to anybody, they are overpriced and tried to take advantage of me. I don't play that game. Women beware don't led these ### lie their way into your home and bankbooks! He kept up with the warranty crap and saying the quote I got was not right from the other co. I got. He had a paper in his folder from the other co. I got a quote from and said they did not add in this and that and they charge extra for moving things out of the room, and on and on and on. I said I had a budget of $700 and not a penny more. He started at a price of $1400 and then went to the quote from the other co. and added this and that that he said was not on there. He got up to $750 for the other co. quote. Then he said he could give me a price of $800 for the lower grade carpet. If I wanted a higher grade carpet it was gonna be $950. He made a big deal over comparing apples to apples and he was comparing apples to oranges. Steer clear of this co. they LIE and try to make you feel like you are stupid. I am a woman and I am NOT stupid. They are ### and I won't deal with that and neither should you.

I called and spoke to their representative named William. I scheduled the appt and then proceeded to ask questions about the company. He became very rude and sarcastic. Stated he did not understand why I was asking questions about them. Then I asked if the representative that would come out to my home would have samples of carpet and give me final quote and he responded very sarcastic "That's why you have an appt". I asked him why he was so annoyed with my questions and he said he did not understand why I was asking questions and I should ask the representative at the appt. I told him that I just needed a little more info and I would like to have an idea of what to expect so I told him to cancel my appt. I am GLAD I did not do business with this company after reading all the complaints on so many websites!

Had empire come out for an estimate. First of all I was not impressed with their quality of carpeting. Second, the salesman never gave me an itemized bill for the carpet and instillation. When I called empire the customer service person got a bit snippy with me when I asked why that was. She said it wasn't their policy to do so which I thought was strange. How does one compare prices? I also asked what the measurements were for future reference. She said 199.9 sq. feet and that the carpet I wanted would be $1000 installed. $1000 for 1 room! And the carpet was not high quality as we saw at Home Depot. We then took our own measurements which came out to 136.5 sq. ft. Imagine that! BEWARE !

Empire today sent unskilled workers to install inferior products in our home, and stonewalls any attempt at communication to resolve the issue.

Do not buy carpet from empire…

They are rip offs…. Bought carpet and in less than 6 months it shed so bad I have no plush left it’s flat as a pancake and the vacuum won’t even bring it up…they told me if I expected my carpet to look like new after one year that I had to high of expectations. They say there is nothing wrong that all carpet I was told it would only shed for couple of months. They said there is nothing wrong with the carpet and that the smashing is traffic…there is only 2 people in the house and we are not home all day… and when we are we are in the basement watching tv.

I tired to call the company who made the carpet and they said they didn’t have that carpet in their system and when I mentioned that to a empire manager he just said hmmm don’t understand that…well I do, they sell you one thing and install something else. They said I could choose another carpet and all I would have to pay would be installation. When they came they only showed me 3 carpets and said those were the best ones and they were junk. So they sent another person and he showed me 3 more one was just like the one I have and said it would only shed for 3 months… were had I heard that ### before. So I chose another that was not as plush as mine but he said those were the top 3. Then they called and said it would be $1500.00! I was only to pay for installation. When I called about it he said the carpet I chose was a upgrade from what I had…i was suppose to have bought the best they had!

So be warned… they over charge… don’t stand by the product or warranty and the carpet isn’t what they say it is. Its junk!

We never got as far as an in home estimate because twice now, they failed to show up for appointments.

The first appointment was a three hour block in the morning, where not even a phone call to let us know whether or not someone would be coming was made. Three hours wasted that we could have accomplished other tasks, but more to the point, completely unprofessional of them not letting us know they were not going to even bother showing up.

My wife convinced me that it couldn't possibly happen again, and we should give them another try just a few weeks later, so today reluctantly, we had an appointment between 7pm and 9pm, and of course, no one shows up. I receive a phone call at 9pm exactly with someone telling me that the "agent" won't be able to make it on time. No kidding, really?

Horrible customer service, no matter how much they claim to be all about it. When complaining about this to them, they are speechless without an answer or even an offer of apology and any way to make this up to us.

This is one company I will highly recommend NOT to go with, to everyone I know. Why waste your precious time waiting for someone that will never arrive?

No confirmation calls prior to appointments and no-shows for the appointment times, twice now. There won't be a third chance, and I'm making sure to spread the word about how horrible they are when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Salesman Sal was great, very pleasant and easy going.

Installers were also very pleaseant however I was not satisfied with the quality of work done.

1. Not enough grout was used on the ceramic tile that was installed in my kitchen, adhesive in some spots are visible. Also in some spots there were apparently air pockets made when applying.. now that it's dried there are small holes visible. The 1/4 round molding used in front of the slider door was not installed properly, the nails used apparently struck either the tile or frame of the door so they bent from underneath, they were not flush to the surface leaving the heads of these nails exposed by 1/2 inch. Ouch! my husband and I removed it! Had to file down the grout in the corners so that we could eventually get the baseboards to lay properly.

2. The carpet installed in the basement and spare bedroom could have been pulled tighter... yes the installation team left me the tech service bulletin (carpet seams), however I'm sure that this is a different issue. I have had many a carpet installed and have had no previous problems with seams or stretching in the past.

3. The laminate flooring installed in the basement (Den). When it was first installed they left with masking tape holding down the carpet strip while the glue was adhereing/drying. the following day when the gentleman was removing it was noticed it didn't take very well. He left and returned with "liquid nails" appears to have done the job, however if the strip is suppose to be "flush" with the flow, then his efforts were not very successful.

Products are beautiful and I'm very satisfied with them. However, I am not at all satisfied with the quality of workmanship or Customer Support.

Upon entering into my agreement with Empire Today the job was scheduled within 2 weeks which was sufficient. They refused to do any work until they physically "saw" the money order! what was up with that I'll never know, but was very inconvenient and morally wrong, doesn't provide the homeowner any leverage for when they are dis-satisfied. Yes, I would have held back the final payment on this job!

These guys worked during the evenings... not good, last think I wanted to do was be on call for them during my office hours only to find out they would be working from 7-9 p.m. I believe had they not been so rushed to get the job done (total installation approx 6 hours over a two day period) the quality of workmanship would have been much better.

I contacted my sales rep Sal as soon as possible upon cleaning the tile floor as instructed only to notice the problem described above, then we proceeded to give all the rooms a visual and noticed the other issue also noted above. I didn't get a return call from Sal within a 24hr period. We left him another unsatisfied voice mail message and also placed a call with the installation office. We're now told to expect a call within 1-3 business days. Huh!... funny Empire staff wanted their money within the hour to do the job and yet can't be bothered with a prompt follow up call to address my issues! I've been without the use of stove and refrigerator for over a week now.. again not good! I have children and it gets expensive real fast to having to "go out to dinner" every night.

Had carpet installed in the basement since we had used Empire previously. They installed the carpet in a timely fashion and it looked great. When it rained the problems started. The basement had a wet spot at the door where the carpet meets the door. The reason: when Empire installed the carpet, they took out the threshold/kickplate, laid the carpet where the threshold would be, and then placed the threshold back in its place without securing it back correctly. The kickplate was angled upward and when it rains, the water seeps into the bottom of the door. A contractor came out to replace my door because the bottoms of the wooden doorbuck have water damage. He said whoever installed this kickplate did not secure it correctly and did not reseal it. The "whoever" is Empire Today's installers. So I gave Empire Today a call and they listened to my story and the installation guy said "If there is a kickplate there, ..." when I had just explained the kickplate issue. This tells me that he is telling me that I am lying. I mean why would I lie about a kickplate. That got me livid and they wouldn't even send someone out to even look at the situation. His next response was: If I want something done, I will have to pay for any installation and special order of carpeting. So basically, he wants me to PAY for their faulty and negligent installation. Their customer service is terrible. In addition, I called them about this on a Wednesday morning and received a reference number. They didn't return my call until the following Tuesday afternoon!

Empire flooring is the worst company out there. There workmanship is poor and the floors come up. I am now having to seek a lawyer to sue them.

Do not buy from this sorry company! Terrible horrible worst company out there, do run from them.

This is the worst experience I have ever had with any company in the US. They have workers that can't even speak English and do not know what the *** they are doing! Please do no buy from these JERKS, they SUCK! They are the worst floors come up at the seam poor quality flooring.

I canceled my order only hours after the sales person left my home. I was told I would hear from someone in 1-3 business days to handle the credit. Although I would expect any reputable business to issue an immediate credit, I said I would wait. Unfortunately, no one contacted me and they still processed my deposit fee.

This business practice is exactly what I was concerned about and why I canceled. I read about other horror stories online and was shocked ET somehow managed an A+ with the BBB. It showed they had no complaints, which I think is completely false and ET is manipulating the BBB. There is no way they have zero complaints when I can find scores online.

After 5 business days passed, I called again and they said I'll receive a call in another 1-3! That is ridiculous. I filed a complaint with the BBB--so let's see what happens to their spotless record.

Empire Today is a very crooked company. Their used car sales tactics in my home also lead me to believe I was working with a shady operation. Do NOT do business with them!

I had Empire Today install laminate flooring and carpets which they did and it came out nice. The problem is the sales guy who came I think was drunk and measured wrong, I did smell alcohol on his breath when he was doing the measurements. Turns out he measured wrong and they didn't bring the correct amount of materials. so the job took two days.

Thats not what im complaining about though, when they were banging in the floors the tenant below me had a piece of speckle from a nail head fall into her babies crib. Then there was a hair line fracture in the ceiling, small crap at the least nothing major. I called the salesman to let him know and see if he could get someone here to throw some Spackle, of course i got no response. I called the 800 number and explained the situation and they said they are not liable, and the first rep flat out hung up on me. I wasn't even being rude at all. I called back immediately NOW FUMING and demanding a manager. Manager gets on and I explain the situation and she said they will take care of it. You figure you have to pay these ### in cash they would do the right thing, Im not asking them to replace the entire ceiling for these people, literally a 15 minute Spackle job.

I get a call today from some extremely rude woman from the corporate offices that wouldnt let me finish my sentences and I litterally had to stop her in her tracks and say "HEY I AM THE CUSTOMER LET ME TALK"
She also said they don't send anyone to fix repairs like this so now I have to find a outside contractor and pay out of my own pocket then fax this rude lady the bill and hope i get reimbursed. Awful customer service, save yourself the trouble and get a private contractor for your floors or carpet that has a good name in your area.

We purchased carpet from Empire Today about 2 years ago for a rental house we own. The carpet was defective. They gave us a reduced price for the carpet. The installer was excellant and you could not see the seams in the berber carpet. Because of this we told the salesmen that we purchased carpet of our house. IT WAS DEFECTIVE!

This is the company that says they will put your carpet in the next day. It took a couple of months to get them to return our calls. The salesman made an appointment to look at the carpet and never showed up of called or returned our calls.

We called the number on their ads and made arrangements to replaced the carpet.

They replaced it on Nov. 5, 2017 and guess what? That carpet WAS DEFECTIVE! Also, the initial installer no longer worked for them. the new one did an awful job on the seams. The area on each side of the seam is indented. The latest installer said it was because they used too much when they did the seam.

We then picked out another carpet and they wouldn't put it in till Nov. 26! We said we didn't want to wait till then and with the experience we'd had we wanted them to take out the carpet and return our purchase price - they refused. Because of all the problems we'd had, they said they would sent their best installer.

They called the morning of the 26th and said theyweren't sure which carpet we had ordered so they were going to sent someone out with samples so we could show them the correct one. The samples DID NOT CONTAIN THE ONE I ORDERED! Then they sent the salesman out with samples but by that time it was too late for them to put it in.

This moning they sent the installer who did terrible job and I refused to let him start. We called and they sent a new installer.

I asked him to roll out the carpet outside so I could check it. It was lighter than the one I ordered. Also, they sent two rolls and they WEREN'T THE SAME COLOR. They still refuse to return our purchase price and take out the carpet and was told they would have to order the carpet from the manufacturer and it wouldn't be here till.

I scheduled an appointment for quotes for laminate flooring and window treatment products and installation for Monday evening at 7 pm March 1. When I originally scheduled the appointment, I told the company representative that we cannot meet him at the job site since we are set to close on March 10 and currently do not have title or access to the property. He insisted on meeting us at the new location so I arranged for the realtor to meet us there also so we could get access. One half hour before the scheduled appointment, I received a telephone call asking me where i was because the representative was at the new address but no one was there. I reminded him the appointment was set for 7 p.m and we had an e-mail confirmation showing the 7 pm. time. A few minutes later as I was driving to the property, he called back asking if we were currently the property owners or just renters. Again, I told him we were going to close on March 10 so we were not yet the record title holders. At this point, he said they could not give us an estimate since we would have to sign a contract as owners and we were not yet the property owners. I told them they knew that from day 1 when I first scheduled the appointment and my wife and rearranged our evening and inconvenienced the realtor. He said he would wait for us at the property. When we arrived there just before 7 pm., we discovered the estimator had left. I called Empire Today and was told they would be back after March 10. I told them to forget the estimate and I will see them in court for reimbursement of my time and travel expenses.

I had done about $50, 000 work of electrical work at an Empire Today store. Among other things we were replacing wire stolen by a previous contractor (which seemed odd but I now understand). Empire Today was a very slow payer because the president held on to the invoices, at least according to the manager. I was doing a low voltage lighting job for the store when I ran out of money. I asked for the money owed me so I could finish the job. The manager went through the roof and demanded I finish in two weeks. I couldn't since I had no money for materials. He then demanded an accounting of all materials and labor. He had never asked for this before, my foreman had moved to Denver taking the paper work with him and lost it in the move. I couldn't reconstruct the material list. I finally hired an attorney who couldn't get past the smokescreen of lies the manager put up. I never got paid and was baffled by this personality change until a psychiatrist friend of mine told me the manager's behavior was classic sociopath. She predicted all future moves he would make.

bought carpeting from empire today. they were on time and did a nice job installing.; however, weeks into it, with only two retired folks using the house, the stairs and landings started to show alot of compression. contacted them and was told: 'read your warranty, stairs not included'; but i persisted and they sent someone out. the conclusion: vacuum every other day.
thanks alot. that's ridiculous. not satisfied at all; don't use them. go to home depot where you have a giant company who backs up everything they do.

This is regarding the job for the condo at Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102

Empire sales guy Doug Hart [protected]) promised the 4hr work will be done today (Sat Oct 4), and the Empire contract guarantees the work to be completed today.

THe installed workers called and confirmed they will come at 10am. They came but left after winning and complaining that they have to park at a meter and pay quarters.

I spent the next 4hrs on the phone with Empire Corporate trying to resolve the matter, why the installers left in the first place and to have a 2nd installer crew send ASAP since I had to get the work done on the 4th.

Corporate office promised the 2nd crew will be here at 1pm..they got here at 4pm. BTW, i had to negotiate with security and HOA at my building to let the installers in again. i negotiated with Corporate a $100 discount.

when the 2nd crew showed up at 4pm, they wanted me to pay the full price before the work even started. Is that even acceptable? Since I needed the work to be done, I was willing to pay before the work started, however, the amount they wanted me to pay was the original, and not the $100 discounted price!

I spend the entire day for nothing. I have my renter arriving tomorrow and his room carpet is not put in place. I will loose my renter.

Empire needs to be ashamed of their service. how in the world can their sales people proclaim that Empire has best service?!

Too bad I did not read this before scheduling an appointment 3 times with Empire Today! I saw the ad on TV numerous times and then again on Clean House so I figured I give them a call. They seemed professional when scheduling an appointment and I was pretty impressed with being able to schedule an appointment on the website. What is unfortunate is that they rescheduled once and then the second time due to the weather. So you think they would show up for the 3rd appointment-NOT! The representative at the 800 number could not even provide me with an explanation.
Very upsetting and disappointed-they could have definitely made a sale with me because I was so ready to get things going regardless of cost but they BLEW IT! So long Empire Today-I don't think you will be around for another 40 years!

Well, I don't know if I have a right to complain since I chose not to buy from Empire, but here is my story anyway. I needed to replace damaged carpet in one bedroom of my house, 10 x 11 foot. I went to 3 local carpet places and got quotes between $325 and $375. I remembered seeing the Empire commercials on TV so I called them and set up an appointment, they said someone would be at my house between 5 and 7pm Monday afternoon. The sales guy 'Chris' was right on time, 5pm sharp. I showed him the room and told him I was looking for the same type carpet. He showed me a couple samples and I picked out one he said was good but affordable. So we sat down at the kitchen table and he starts punching in numbers on a calculator, and says That'll be $550 dollars. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because he asked me how much I thought it would cost, so I told him other places I had been to had quoted me around $350. So he starts telling me about how Empire has been in business for 50 years, and they only use the best installers, best carpets, and best padding, yada yada yada. I told him to leave his card and I would call him. Now he starts to pressure me, tells me he is very busy and won't be able to come back, and asks me if I will buy right now if he drops the price to $500, I tell him no. So he says he is going to go outside and call his boss and get me a better price, so he goes outside, starts his car and drives away, never came back ! I was glad he left anyway, he was a jerk ! After he left I started doing Google searches and found lots of unhappy customers out there, should have done that in the first place. I will NEVER call them again, they are worse than used car salesmen.

Boy - what a scam this company is! Purchased the "highest quality" of berber carpeting for our home. Paid over $4000 for 4 rooms and a hallway. The people that installed it were probably illegal immigrants. Now 16 months later, I call to tell them how unhappy I am with the carpet (huge pulls, snags, thresholds coming up, etc.). Oh, we will send out an "independent" carpet inspector. Yea, he was in their back pocket too. Said that my dog caused all the problems. We had to call them to get a copy of the report and their findings. Said they would send someone out as a "courtesy" to fix the thresholds. This was an independent company and they were appalled at the condition of the carpet and said it was NOT my dog but crappy workmanship. DON'T EVER BUY FROM EMPIRE AND TELL ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THIS COMPANY IS A RIP-OFF!

contracted for nearlly $6000 in carpeting; their advertising is very misleading and the 'free rooms' only covers product, not installation, etc. but, we went into it knowing that. the problem lies with the poor quality of the product (carpeting) on the stairs and at landings. it began to compress almost immediately. we have only had the product installation for 9 months and began complaining about it to empire several months ago. their response was, 'read your warranty; stairs not covered'; when i balked at that they sent out a representative (very nice man), but his recommendation was, 'vacuum every other day'...sadly, that seems a bit flippant of an attitude to me. so i complained online. their response was to call and offer an upgrade for $1100 more. i told them that i wasn't giving empire today any MORE money. the rep said, well that's our offer. i said, 'i decline'. then a couple of days later she called again and said they would do 'stock' carpet replacement for $500. again, i said, 'i decline'. i have an issue with all of this because they continually hawk their A+ better business bureau rating.

Stay away from Empire Today. They lure you in with slick commercials and some nice customer service up front, but they *** on the back end. Don't sign the contract because the moment you do, the service goes to pot. No returned phone calls, estimated dates for measurement and installation aren't met--without even a phone call. They are awful and I will never use them again. I stupidly declined a competing offer from a local guy and now I wish I can gone with him. Bad, bad, bad. I cannot begin to express what a frustrating experience this has been.

My complaint is that the cancellation clause in their contract was not honored.in the presentation from the sales representative, I was told that my checkwould be returned if I should cancel the contract the contract date was 4/23, the same day I called the salesman back and cancelled the contract (about 4:30pm). As I expected the salesman turned the check in and didnot return it as promised I had also cancelled the contract with the customer service unit on 4/24. No confimation was given and as far as I was concerned the contract had been cancelled. On a follow up call I found tha the claim was never received at the empire today. Here itis almost three weeks and no refund. I have talked to the cancellation dept four separate times. They tell me that the refund has been mailed to me ha ha...

I am in the market for hardwoods, carpet, and plantation shutters for my home. I've always heard the Empire jingle on TV and thought I'd give them a shot. I had scheduled an appointment with for a free consultation and something just told me to research this company a little bit online. After doing a Google search, I noticed that there were alot of websites that caution potential buyers about doing business with this company. After reading the astronomical number of complaints I found (including this website), I decided that I wanted nothing to do with this company. I called to cancel the appointment and the person I spoke with was very nice and confirmed that the appointment had been cancelled. I figured it would be as simple as that. A few minutes later I received an email confirming that my appointment had been RESCHEDULED for days later, and not cancelled as I had requested. I called back to Customer Service and they informed me that their notes said I had called in to reschedule it and I informed them that, "No, I did not want to reschedule it and I wanted to cancel it!"

I'm so glad that the advice all of you provided saved me from making the same mistake. I will definitely not be dealing with them again.

We had 2 showers done 8000 dollars. The installer fell through my ceiling during installation. Then 4 months later it was leaking water through my ceiling a repair person came out said it was a crappy job and would be replaced. Did not hear from them for 3 months and only when we called them back to see what was going they came and measured for a new shower pan came back 1 month later with the wrong one it has now been 5 more months without a shower and still have not heard from them. I will report this to the BBB and I will not continue to pay for this crappy job.

We ordered carpet in December 2017. The price was expensive but we took it for the convenience of having it installed that week. The carpeting selected was their “top of the line” Berber. Within two weeks the carpet began to unravel at seams and along walls where it had been cut. When we called the 800 number to complain we were told that the warranty would not cover Berber unraveling but someone would call us back. We called several times and each time was told why the carpet was doing what it was. No one ever acted concerned or promised to fix the problem. At one point we called and asked for customer service and were told that the individual we were talking to was customer service. After we finished explaining our ordeal the individual told us that he would pass it on to customer service. This was just 15 minutes after he told us that he was customer service. About a week later we got a letter from customer service acknowledging our complaint.

Two weeks after our initial complaint a representative came out to inspect the carpeting. The representative for Empire pulled at the carpeting, making it unravel even more. He told us that the carpeting would most likely not be covered because he saw seam sealer in the seams. He told us he had seen this happen when people have parties “and it is the holidays”. He even insinuated that perhaps we had too many people living in the house, we used the stairs too much since it is our only set. He also said our vacuum cleaner was too strong and that our dogs were probably responsible. He took a few pictures in the dark with his cell phone and left.

Needless, to say we were not happy with the manner of customer service or the lack there of. The next day which was a Friday my wife called and was told by Mr. Robert Butler that the carpet was defective and that they would come out Monday and replace it. I called back twice that day to discuss it with Mr. Butler and my calls were not returned. On January 13 we called and requested a copy of our warranty. They don’t give you a copy when installed. You have to call and request it. We still have not received that.

On Monday morning Empire called to reschedule the carpet replacement. I told them that I did not want it replaced at that point. I asked if the carpet had been cut yet and was told no. Shortly afterwards, Jason Fowler from Empire called and said they would be out that day to replace the carpeting. I informed him that I was extremely dissatisfied with Empire and that I wanted the carpet returned.

Rick Burke called me later that day and told me that the replacement carpet had already been cut and that my original carpeting was defective and that the roll had been sent back. I indicated that the carpeting should not have been cut since we had not agreed that the carpet would be replaced or by what style. The carpet that was installed was supposed to be their best Berber and it only last three weeks. I told him I wanted the carpet returned and my money refunded. Since he had already indicated that the carpet was defective and that they had returned it to the manufacturer they should be able to return the carpeting installed in my home. Mr. Burke informed me that the best they could do was refund one fourth of the purchase price or replace the carpeting. I later talked to a Tim Sherwin, VP Eastern Region Customer Service Manager and was told that they still believe we caused the carpet to unravel and that they would not refund the carpet and the best they would do is replace it and give me a 10% credit but I had to move my furniture.

I was later told by the Maryland Attorney General’s office that my situation was a common complaint and their reaction was standard procedure. To provide unprofessional installers and when something goes wrong blame the customer and hope that the customer gives up. We been lied to and treated rudely by everyone at Empire.

I suspect that Empire will response to this posting saying that they have attempted to make good on their poor customer service and their poor product but don’t believe it. They are just liars.

Before choosing empire today~ look around! I called in feb 09 for a person to come out and give us a quote. They were very late and were suppose to show up around 3-4pm-they got there at 830pm! We then chose carpet and laminate flooring for our home. We were told both floors would be placed the same day since the rooms are all conjoined. Well, that morning I was told the carpet would only be done. So they came and had it ripped up and new in within 2 1/2 hrs. Very half-### job! Carpet seam is now showing, you can see where they cut pieces too short around the base of the wall.

Next day, the laminate people were suppose to show first thing at 9am! Well it got to be 11am and so I called. I was told they should be there by noon. I then got a call from the driver, saying he had to take care of some "personal" stuff and wouldn't be there until 1pm. At this point I was already irate. They arrived and said "oh this is going to take two days b/c we have to rip out the old flooring. " at this point I was done holding everything in. I told them that I didn't care how long they were going to be there, it was going to be done today! They installed the floor after being there until 10pm!

So, days went by and I saw the seam in the carpet show, the moulding underneath the kitchen sink wasn't nailed down, and now there is another moulding piece lifting up which is dangerous since I have a toddler!

I called customer service for over a month and still nothing! I will keep calling and complaining until I get something done and also a discount for what I paid for this! I asked for the office which is going to be servicing me since the one which I was through closed, she said they didn't have a number. I worked in customer service for many years and I know the tricks which they couldn't pull it over on me!

So, now I sit and wait for someone to call me as I search for the number to the office which i'll be "helped" out of!

Don't go with empire. You hear good stories and bad! I see it all depends on whom places the flooring in, but customer service is very rude, talk over you, and not helpful at all. They want you off the phone as they pass your issue over to someone else!

Here's the inside scoop on "Empire Today". When you call into the 1800 number you reach some hispanic person getting paid $8.50 just to take sit there and take your call; the vast majority of these people know nothing about there products, hell the maj of them dont know how to transfer a call lol! Anyway once you set up a "Free" appt the market manager of your market will assign you a sales rep to meet with you. While waiting dont expect empire or the sales rep to call you prior to your appt. Once the sales rep comes to your house he probably already has a figure in his mind he's gonna charge you!* (These people are employeed by empire but they have nobody to report to but the Market manager so basically if they spit on you and curse you out chances are they will still work for empire (they get paid 4% of the sale price too).
And the price is probably gonna be 20% higher than your other quotes! Dont buy into them giving you discounts, because they can only reach a maximum of $350 & thats on bath liners lol. If you do place a order plz cxnl it in 3 days if not you are stuck lol. Oh and definitly find out if the product is gonna be a special order; if so if you dont cxnl in 3days you will lose your deposit another way Empire gets peoples money; not letting customers know there ordering a special order product. Now from my experiences with Empire if I were in the market for carpet knowing what they do, I would never ever buy or recommend empire today. I want to touch base on the callcenter you call into; the maj of these people are getting paid $8.50 to anywhere to $13.00 a hour to sit in the call center and do anything and everything for a customer to get there business or in empire's most cases try to earn back a angry cust's business. I have worked with a lot of empire's customers and when I speak to them I would say 60-65% of them have a problem or issue with the product they purchased. I recently talked to a guy who had a "nice" sales rep come to his home, he bought the flooring and the install was great! Well he said the same rep called him back and offered to finish the cust's undone rooms for $1, 000! The cust accepted and gave the rep the money & to this day he has never heard back from the guy. The installers are not goin to speak english nor do they care how the job looks at the end ( hell there not like the sales rep's there private contractors, empire finds the cheapest install crew and sends them to your house so when they break your vase or kick your cat they can say or we will take care of it & nothing happens becuase jose doesnt speak english! Now if still do purchase from this beast expect phone calls all year long they will cb 6 months prob 9 months, 12 months, and then 16 months after you purchase to "try" to give you $100 of your next purchase which will be $3, 000 lol. If I were you I would go to a local company, hey it may take longer but its well worth the wait. This company simply does not care for its employees only its customers which they will do anything and everything to keep your business that even means losing money just so you dont bad mout them! Stear cleer I am tired of innocent people getting ripped of by the people! Plz dont spend your hard earned money with scammers!

Oh and and another IMPORTANT piece of advice: If you read this and still choose to get a quote DO NOT! I REPEAT DO NOT TAKE THERE OFFERS! KNOW WHY? Because empire will call you back to see how everything went and when they call you back they do have leway with there pricing DO NOT BUDGE ASK FOR THE LOWEST PRICE POSSIBLE. (IF YOU WERE WONDERING ABOUT THIS AGENT THERE GETTING PAID $10.00 A HOUR TO FOLLOW UP ON APPTS AND THEY GET PAID A % OF YOUR QUOTE SO MAKE THEM GIVE YOU THE LOWEST PRICE POSSIBLE!

TY FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO READ THE TRUTH HOPE THIS HELPS EVERYBODY!

From the horrible rude sales guys to the credit damage I'm STILL contending with, Empire Today has been a nightmare; start to finish! The flooring is shoddy. The installation took two tries. Empire, later could not match the flooring... "we're all out of that color." They were paid IN FULL and ON TIME, but still collaborated with their finance company, G E Money Bank to extort an additional $680 from me. It took a three way phone call with my lawyer, myself and some customer service -sshole in India to get G E Money Bank to admit that they were NOT owed the $680. But, the amount is still showing up on my credit report. And, adding insult to injury, Empire Today is reporting to credit agencies that the full amount for the flooring and installation is unpaid, even though I have their cashed check in hand from my bank! What a horrible experience. I'd like to rip out every square inch of their lousy laminate and ship it to their stupid Credit Manager. I may still do just THAT!

First of all, out of 4 estimates, Empire Today's was the highest initially, even with a promotional offer and other discounts. When I told the sales rep that, suddenly he was able to knock off about 1/4 of the cost...like magic. There were also several things we discussed for which he gave me inaccurate/incomplete information. When I told him I wanted nylon, not PET (polyester), he said nylon was not a soft material. In fact, he had one set of nylon samples that he showed which were not very soft and friendly to the touch. He led me to believe that was the way all nylon was which I later discovered was erroneous...in fact, I have since selected a nylon carpet that is very soft made of Anso nylon. On the hardwood selection, he tried to steer my toward engineered hardwood. I was skeptical of that because the flooring I have now is that and I have been told that it cannot be screened again to refinish it. When I asked him about that, he told me that the engineered flooring could be screened just like the regular hardwood flooring. I researched that and found that is not true. It can be screened only 1-3 times in its lifetime... which was not what I wanted. Besides that, it was as expensive, if not more, than the oak flooring, according to his estimate. Finally, he told me that I would never be able to match the hardwood to some I already have in the house. That is not true either. The company I selected has guaranteed a perfect match to the existing hardwood. Finally, when I decided not to go with Empire Today, they offered me another $600 off the already "knocked down" estimate he had given me or the possibility of special ordering the nylon carpet I wanted in the first place. The sales rep. never offered me that option during the appointment. They also asked if I would like the salesperson to contact me to discuss that further and I said I would entertain that but he never did contact me. I guess he decided that I was too difficult of a customer and he wasn't going to get a big enough commission off my transaction since the price was going to have to come down too much to get my business. Never mind that he was way too high to begin with for the product he was trying to sign me up for.

I had been living in NY and owned several rental properties, so I had purchased carpeting many times, but when I moved to Virginia and built a home for myself, I didn't know any local Carpet companies so I figured I would give Empire a try, having seen thier ads many times. Since I had built the house Iknew the size of the rooms and how much carpet it would take, including waste...but of course they have to measure for themsleves, and whenhe did, the saleman came up with 10 more yd than I had figured..Itold him of the discrepency, and asked how he arrived at that number.. and he showed me his "layout", which was the same as mine, and then said they always automatically add 20% for "waste". .LOL i laughed and told him to get out.He siad, wait, he might be abl to better on the price, and I said no thanks...if youare going to try to rip me off tostart with, I don;t want to even get involved with doing business with you..so really ..GET OUT...and found a reputable local company whose price for the carpet was actually a dollar or 2 more per sq yd, but on 20% less carpet, so still alot cheaper.

ps there shold nev rbe an "automatic" amount added for waste.. the wast es what it is..ie..if you have a 9x11 room..which is 11 sq yds, you will need to by, and pay for a 9 x 1 2 ( 12 sq yds) piece of carpet ecasu eit come sin 12' with, and a 9'x1' pice(1 sq yd) will be left over (waste)..butthat is less than 10% which is more typical

The installation of our flooring was done so poorely. It took several days for them to do the work. I specifically told them where not to put the new molding they were installing but they did exactly what I asked them not to do. There are gaps between the floor and wall and it looks terrible! I had one of there inpsector/managers come out to our house so I could show them the problem. They agreed it was not done right and they would fix it, that was 2 years ago. I can't get a hold of anyone who will address the problems. I would NEVER use Empire Today if you are expecting quality work...

i had a carpet runner installed on my stairs very expensive carpet nice so i thought and i vaccumed it and it melted and they refuse to rectify thedamage told me it would cost me $396.00 to replace . unfair consumer practice and they are selling hazardous products to catch a fire in your home who ever heard of can't clean your carpet with a vaccum cleaner dont purchase anything from them they do not stand by their products or have good customer satisfaction for their customers.i will never buy from them again pissed and unhappy consumer.

The quality of product and customer service provided by Empire Today is poor. After less than two months the carpet installed in my home looks worse than the 12 year old builder grade carpet it replaced. There are spots with loose strings that get caught in the vacuum, strings around the baseboards, wear marks for foot traffic and noticeable bumps and divots. We have called and asked to speak to a manager multiple time just to be told there is no one available. They did eventually send out the crew that did the install, they only thing they were able to do was to clip the strings. Additionally, they left two closets off the order. I would think if we were carpeting an entire home that the two bedroom closets would be in the order. Apparently the salesperson forgot to put this on the order. I would suggest, based on customer service alone that you should stay clear of this company.

I fell for the add of 60%off carpet. Being naive we decided to go with Empire spending $3500. Then the lies began. They were not able to provide me with the specs on the carpet, found out it was polyester not nylon. They tried to string me along for the 3 days so that I would not be able to cancel. Installed 2 rooms and brought the wrong color for the third. Continued to get run around. Carpet at Lowes and Home Depot much better quality 1/2 the price. I had them take up the carpet as I cancelled in the 3 day period. To do this you have to send copy of paper to illinois. Not one person gave a crap after I signed the contract. RUN FROM THIS COMPANY.

Also when they did come and rip out there carpet, the contractor said that they had put down a 6 pound pad not the 8 that we had paid for.

Should have listened to the countless negative reviews all over the internet. Spend some time and research before you make a mistake that you will be paying for over months and living with for years.

I called Empire Today [protected]) for carpet installation. A salesman came to my house for the ordering. First of all, the measurements that he quoted were almost twice of my husband's (160 vs 89).But he told me that b/c of the way the carpet is cut, you have to do it a certain way. He added that since i have stairs, that's another thing that could cause a difference in the measurements. He insisted that my measurements were false. Now i stressed the importance of having a carpet as thick as the current one in the bedrooms ;he reassured me that it will be the same - "You have nothing to worry about. we sell the best carpet and offer 100% satisfaction. I was convinced. He presented a sample attached to a board with no info provided. I asked for a sample (meaning one that is not attached on a board) so i could feel it and assess the thickness since there is no info provided regarding the carpet, he told me he does not carry sample with him but only this exhibit. I pointed that there was no written info about the carpet like any other store would regarding the thickness, density, type of material or fiber, brand etc (usually displayed for the customer's awareness)- no evidence here, or visual info to convince me of what i'm buying, but he told me "that's why you have me". and reassured me about the quality and thickness of the carpet, and scheduled for next day installation. The next day was such a disappointment. I truly wished i had kept my old carpet which is by far a better carpet than the "garbage they have installed - a very thin one, low pile, low ground cheap carpet - (that was very deceptive!) around the steps you can see the bare carpet and upon touch the fiber strands come out easily. Plus the installation is not great and they left the same tax strips that i had under my previous carpet for more than twenty years. The same sample taken to home depot manufactured by the same company (Mohawk) is $13 per square yard with the difference that the carpet sold at home depot does not shred like this one. a better one for a better price with $ 200 installation for whatever the amount of bedrooms. They claim to have better price b/c they eliminate the middle man and they provide excellent quality of carpet, even Home Depot does a better job at all levels. I give Empire a zero. They are dishonest; they purposely do not provide any visible info about the carpet . Attempts to communicate with managers are unsuccesful. the manager is never available. Bill Mara scheduled an appt for someone to revisit ; i waited an entire day, but no show and no phone call to cancel the appointment. when you call, you get voice mail. you leave tons of messages, no return call, no follow-up. They do not care, they already got you. Zero professionalism, poor service, dishonesty is their trademark. I kept calling with no result. I had to go to my lawyer yesterday to help me settle this. I do not want to deal with them anymore. I wonder how many elderlies or naive people like me have been victims of their tricks. I did not request such a cheap carpet and i did not expect such a poor service. For this amount, i would have had a much better carpet from any other store. Have i known that this was such a cheap carpet, i would not have made the deal.. The installation problem regarding the strips was reported to manager Peter Brocha and numerous messages left on Bill Mara's voice mail regarding the quality of the carpet. No follow-up with the client. I do not want to deal with them anymore. I am going to send my complaints to their finance or billing department. an investigation needs to be done to close down this store. Otherwise, hundreds more will be cheated. I kept a sample of my carpet - even the installer admitted the difference between my OLD carpet, and their cheap one. This is definitelynot a smart way to do business. You treat your client well to keep them coming and refer others to you.

Shame on empire today
I have been trying to collect the outstanding money that is owed to me for my mileage expenses. Since april 10, 2017. All I have received is lip service. These are legitimate expenses accured during my employment.
I worked for emipire 11/04 to 4/08. During this time I traveled extensively for this company. 6 to 7 days a week. Putting out fires from irate customers. My job involved site inspections, carpentry, painting of damaged ceilings, walls and woodwork caused by installers. To date, despite numerous attempts to collect monies legitimately owed to me by empire, I have not received one dime. Hoping I would walk away, empire tried to have me sign a paper saying they owed me nothing and I owed empire nothing. This is something I will not do. I am determined to collect what is rightfully owed to me.

For the record:
Expense milage to me to date...$, 474.63
Toll charges... 191.00
My responsibility to empire (gas, etc.) 1891.00
Balance owed to me, to date... 2, 774.63
Three weeks ago. The general manager made me an offer of settlement 4200.00. Still receiving lip service.

Michael t. Mahoney

I’m writing this letter on complaint due to the fact the Empire Today hasn’t delivering all my good as promised. I contacted Empire Today, because I was interested in getting all new windows install to my home. So we set up a free estimate appointment sales person that visited my home was William Watts quoted price $11,000 Invoice # HP04453 for 12 windows on November 14, 07. We agreed to the terms so the same day I was required to give a $2600 check so that the window could be ordered. The contract indicated that the work completely done in a 1 day span within 4 weeks on the invoice date which in this case it’s 11/12/07. On December 13 2017 I called Empire Today and spoke to Michael the sales supervisor to inquire about the status on the windows, because I didn’t hear back from them with a scheduling appointment date to install the windows to my home. Michael indicated that there was a delay in the process of delivery on the window to there warehouse I ask him how that would effect my order and he replied that my new estimated delivery date for the windows to arrive at there warehouse was 12/17/07 and that on 12/22/07 they would be installed in my home. Once again 12/22/07 came and I still received no phone call from Empire Today with regards to there arrival time to install my windows. I called Michael again inquiring about the delay and why hasn’t anyone called me to give me an update letting me know what was going on. Michael apologized and indicated that Empire Today was getting out of the business of installing windows and that they would have subcontracted my order out. I expressed that I was very dissatisfied with the situation, because I was promised that everything would be complete before the Christmas holidays and haven’t to heard anything from his company. I told him that we were considering canceling the order since they neglected to install the product as they agreed per contract. Michael then ask what they could do to make us not back out of the deal so he offered a $1000 deduction on remaining balance which at the time was $8400 so this brought down my new total to $7400. Michael also assured me that the contractors which were going to install my windows would call with an installment date once we got off the phone because he was going to contact them to let them know they needed to call us with dates. The window contractor called me about 1 hour later and indicated that they just got all these orders from Empire Today and there was no way they complete the job before the Christmas holiday. I then explain to the window contractor that I understood it wasn’t there fault but I was very displeased because I was promised one thing and it has yet to happen. The window contactor told me that they would be able to complete the job by 1/2/08 and I agreed to that also. The window contractor came to my home yesterday 1/2/08 with a partial order they installed some of the windows without put the sealing on them so a draft in coming thru my windows now in freezing cold weather and I have younger children living in my home with me. I ask the window contractor were was the other windows he indicated that one of the gentlemen was going to pick them up and one guy did in fact leave in the middle of doing the work but never returned himself, nor with the window. When I realized that the gentlemen wasn’t going to return I called Empire Today once again and at this point I was very pissed off because I was told that this was suppose be a 1 day job. I spoke to several different people with the Empire Today agency to include Junior who refused to give his last that indicated a, Frankie Perez would be calling me which never happened, then spoke to Adam Thomas who may a add is a VERY RUDE and Unprofessional individual with no type of Customer Service skills who is unwilling to do whatever it takes to make this situation the Empire Today created. As it stand today 1/3/08 right in 35 degree weather now I have some windows installed which haven’t been sealed at all so a draft continues to come thru the window with children in my home with no type on resolution. I would like some type on compensation for all the frustration and stress that Empire has put me thru I’ve had to deal with this issues since 11/14/07 and it should have been done and over with by 12/22/07 as promised. Somehow a 1 day job turn into weeks of a nightmare this has yet to end. Whatever changes happens within any company and or organization in the case Empire Today company it should never effect there level of customers service with there clients order. This should be a time were they should actual accommodate customers due to the inconveniencing me

Adam Thomas who may a add is a VERY RUDE and Unprofessional individual with no type of Customer Service skills who is unwilling to do whatever it takes to make this situation the Empire Today created. I no longer wish any type of contact with Adam Thomas who as admitted to me the he is an ARROGANT person and isn’t willing to help us out contact my home AGAIN.

Thanks

On Friday, January 23, 2017 around 7:00 pm, representative P. Andreotti ID # RR9 of Empire Today Flooring came to my home to give me an estimate on flooring. After measuring the areas and while discussing the quote, I asked for a detailed estimate. I begin to write as he was explaining what the estimate included then he said, “I'll write it." He took a flyer, folded it in half, and wrote “Includes-Removal of old, flooring-move furniture & carry away old debris Install 1/8 pad then wood product & qtr molding move furniture bk. 25 yr water warranty also stairs, structure, padding $3, 513.00." I asked him if this was an estimate and he said it was. Therefore, I asked for a detailed estimated. I then told him that, “if you can't give me a detailed estimate, this is over." He said well “this is over." In addition, I told the representative that “I don't like your attitude or your demeanor right now so get out of my house." After gathering his things, the representative stated, “and you would be an Obama supporter." I responded with, “yeah did you see my sign?" While going down the stairs to leave, the representative unhappily expressed his feeling about Obama therefore I told him that “you need Jesus." For the second time I said, “sir get out of my house." When the representative reached the door, he turned around and shouted, “you people got a man running the country that is gonna allow abortions." At that point I stated to him that he needs to “go pray and get out of my house." I then went outside to get his license plate number. He was doing something in the trunk of the car. He asked me, “what are you doing? What are you doing?" I ignored him and proceeded to write his license plate number then he hurried into the car and tried to back over me. I then called the customer service number who told me to call the home office @ [protected]. Well home office is not open after hours or on weekends. On Monday morning I called [protected] ext 7813, found on the internet and spoke with Tom Sherwin, Regional Customer Service Mgr who advised me to file a police report regarding the incident with the car. A police report will be filed today. Mr. Sherwin also mentioned that Empire Today does not give detailed estimates, they give a comprehensive estimate. He also mentioned that Empire Today does not support engaging in political or religious conversation. I expressed to him that I was unhappy with his representative weather he is a contractor or not, he represents Empire Today. I also mention that I wanted my flooring installed before the Superbowl. No resolution was offered. I am very unhappy that the representative negatively expressed his political feelings because I ended the meeting since he refused to give me a detailed estimate and obviously had a foul attitude; violated the safety of my home; displayed such actions in the presence of my daughters ages 10 & 19 who became scared because of the representative's hateful look, negative comments, & irate body language.

My husband & I decided that we wanted to put hardwood flooring in our dining room and hallway. When doing something like this we like to get at least 2 estimates, because of their ad on TV we decided to make Empire Today one of them. They were running a 60% sale and advertised free estimates in your home, so we called and set up an appointment and told them what we wanted.
We expected that someone would come to the house with samples, take measurements and give us an estimate. The saleman went on and on for about 30 minutes about how their product was made and how superior it was and well worth the cost, etc, etc. We wanted hardwood, but he insisted that we should go with laminte. Finally he went to his truck to get the samples, that turned out to be 3 pieces of scrap wood left over from jobs, all poor quality laminate, no hardwood. Even though, we still wanted hardwood, we chose one of the laminates so that we could at least get an estimate.
After taking the measurements, he did our estimate; that even with the 60% discount turned out to be what we expected to pay for hardwood.
We thanked him for his time and told him that we would think about it, at which time he proceeded to tell us that the reason for the 60% discount was to save on fuel cost and it was a one trip deal, if we didn't sign right then we wouldn't get the discount. We told him that we weren't impulsive buyers and that we weren't going to sign.
After he left, we talked it over and decided that we didn't like the product, it wasn't what we wanted and since we couldn't get the discount because we didn't sign we thought that was the end of it. Wrong!
A few days later the salesman called my husband and told him that if we still wanted the discount we had to make a decision by the next day, this is after he told us that we couldn't get it if we didn't sign the day that he was at our house. My husband told him that we were going to pass at which time the salesman got very rude. He wanted to know why and my husband told him that we didn't like his product. The guy then accused us of wasting his time and gas to come to our house to give us an estimate and told my husband that he didn't like his attitude. Finally, my husband just hung up on him. He called back and went on again about wasting his time and my husband's attitude, my husband told him not to call again.
All & all it was a bad experience and we would not recommend them to anyone.