Empire Today

Professional and prompt

Empire installers I.D ET024045 accused me of being a racist when I asked if they could not speak Spanish while running my Discover card payment. He began slaming doors and demanding to know why I don't like Mexicans.

Do not use this company! We purchased a higher level carpet and this is what it looks like. It took me two months to get a response, only for them to say that they are not going fix their poor install job. Even went as far to say that I would need to pay to have them stretch and fix. If I’m having to pay to fix their install, I’m certainly not going to re-hire the same team who created the issue in the first place.

it went very well

Take my advice and do not ever use Empire flooring. I have never been so frustrated in my life. They were very happy several months ago to take my $20,000 and put flooring throughout my house. But now that I have a small amount of water damage I cannot get the time of day from them to return a call to get someone to come out and quote me an estimate and replace the flooring that is damaged. They will not sell the flooring to the consumer directly and you cannot get the flooring from anybody else. They are the only supplier. I have made about eight calls over the last four weeks. Had reference tickets sent to corporate only to be closed out without a return call. Does anybody have some advice for me on how to handle this. I have an insurance claim that needs to be closed out. and flooring that needs to be replaced. But evidently I’m not important enough for their time now that I’ve already spent all that money. meanwhile avoid them like the plague. Their customer service is the worst I could ever imagine experiencing

It didn’t go all right they scratched up all the walls broke 3 sheets of dry wall and left there trash every where and left a note o. The stove and said call empire about the scratch’s on all my walls and the three sheets of dry wall ... been dealing with them for 5 years to get a refund or even some one to come out to look at the time .. called today and they said they gave a 325 dollar credit that I did not agree too ... and the lady said someone came out that what it says in the computer .. But no one came out ... been dealing with them for 5 years to get it right and they said I am a rude man lol ... paint and labor and dry wall not cheap but they say it is lol ... all I am asking for is they do the right thing and pay the 1000 to fix the problem.... do not use empire carpet at all ..... and I put down money and they did even take it off the loan either there season person stole that money I guess ...please go somewhere that wants your business ..... Chris

They were great! Nice salesperson came to our house to show us the various styles and colors as well as explain the process and take measurements for the quote. The quote was a decent price. A little higher than some of the local guys, but still fair. The process was pretty easy and we ended up going with them. They contacted me the next day to confirm the install date and also on the day of install to confirm arrival time. The crew that came were professional, friendly, and skilled. The new carpet looks amazing. No lines or seams anywhere. The entire family loves the new carpet and how nice it feels. The basement is our new favorite room in the house. We couldn't be happier. Thanks.

After 17 months of pure ****, we were finally able to have the flooring we wanted installed, but not until we paid Empire an additional $5800. After two failed attempts of installing Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring and, as stated, 17 months later and $5800.00 poorer, Empire sent out their "clean-up crew" after using two less than adequate, uninsured and not bonded sub-contractors, they were in and out within 3 days. It took the previous crew they sent 1 month to finish, only to have their clean-up crew lay down the flooring we wanted over the LVP previously installed. Totally ridiculous to have to spend $17000 for 2000 SF of engineered hardwood flooring that should have been installed the first time they were there. Do yourself a favor and NEVER EVER purchase flooring and have their subpar sub-contractors install their product. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

Everything is fine for the price, but the installation of the flooring was terrible. After 6 months , I have boards buckling against each other, and the trim is separating from the walls. Personally, they sent one man to do a two-man job. Our guy worked diligently all day but was exhausted. That is why I think the workmanship was poor in the end.

After 17 months and $16,800.00 later, we were finally able to get the engineered hardwood flooring that we originally wanted installed. After two failed attempts to install what they called luxury plank flooring (LVP), they finally agreed to have their "A" team do the installation of the engineered hardwood floors throughout the entire house, but not without having to pay an additional $5,800.00 to have it installed. This is in addition to the $11,000.00 we paid to have the two failed attempts at installing the LVP. When referring to their "A" team, this is the crew that goes around and fixes, repairs and or replaces flooring that their sub-contractors fail to install properly. As we had two failed attempts, you can imagine that their "A" team stays busy and is the only crew that installs flooring properly in order to make the customer go away! I might add that they may install it properly, but they did not install it per manufacturers instructions, and I don't think any of their crews or sub-contractors do "professional" installation per manufacturers instructions. The first crew that did the installation was in and out in a week. Flooring started buckling at the seams and after 8 months, I told my wife I'd had enough and finally filed a complaint with the BBB since I couldn't get anyone to reach out to me from their regional office. Shortly after filing my complaint, I received a call from the regional manager who stated he would take care of the problem. He agreed to have the old LVP removed and replaced with a thicker LVP that was mostly used for commercial spaces and would look and last longer than the LVP that was originally installed. The crew that did the second installation was nothing less than a total nightmare! They were here for a month and sometimes wouldn't show up for days at a time. As you can imagine, since they were sub-contractors, they had other jobs to finish before they finished ours. When they finished, they left enough glue on the new flooring that my wife spent countless hours trying to remove it herself. When she asked the owner about having his 2-man crew remove it, he stated "I gave them the stuff to clean it up.....I guess they didn't do it, huh?" That's all he had to say and he actually felt they did a good job. Their installation was 10 times as bad as the first and that's when the regional manager finally made a personal visit and had his number installer look at the work they performed. We were originally told that we couldn't have hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring because the hallway floor was uneven. When they pulled up the carpet, they noticed this and convinced my wife that the only flooring that would work and look good was their LVP. She reluctantly agreed and paid to have it installed. I was working in another state at the time and was not involved in this particular transaction. After the second failed attempt, we met with the regional manager and he brought out samples of engineered hardwood flooring and we picked the flooring we wanted. But their was a catch. If we wanted the flooring we originally wanted installed, it was going to cost us, and it did. We had to pay $5,800.00 in addition to the $11,000.00 we paid to have their crappy LVP installed. He did include the dining room removal and installation, which wasn't part of the initial work order to be completed. I told my wife that I felt we shouldn't have to pay it, but she wanted the whole ordeal done and over with, so I agreed to pay them what I call "their ransom money." Although the engineered hardwood floors they installed look good, as I stated earlier, they were not installed per manufacturers instructions. The "A" team simply installed over the LVP that was already down and was in and out in 3 days. A total of 20 hours of work that took us 17 months to get the floors we wanted.

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<p>I would never use them again. They came and gave me this big -- "oh, we've got this flooring  you can't go wrong. it won't tear it town wont do anything."  I have had to have them come back and it fix it. It didn't work and I have to have my flooring replaced and I just had my flooring put down two years ago. It's horrible. I will go to another company to get my kitchen flooring put back down. I will not use Empire again.  I was very disappointed in Empire.If anyone recommends Empire I would want to know why. I mean, the guys who came to do the wood floor were very, very nice. They got the wood floor put down, but they said something about they didn't work with the guys who put the kitchen floor down and caused these bubbles. The guy who sold us the kitchen floor, he was like, "oh, none of our flooring tears -- you can drop anything on it" -- yeah,  as soon as I dropped something on it I had a big  hole in my floor. I am, like, really. The installers were okay, but the installers did not match because I have tile in the kitchen and then in my family room I have wood floor. Apparently they didn't work together and they ended up making my kitchen bulk up in a big bubble and they had to try to come back and try to fix it. It was a mess. I was, like, really,--  and then they didn't fix it right and I was, like, you know I'm just going to have new floor put down, so I would not use Empire again. People say, "oh, they are the best." I was, like, nope, nope, nope. They are overpriced. They wanted to charge us $200 for each step to put wood floor on my steps. I was, like, you've got to be kidding. I have 14 steps. I think I could find somebody to do that cheaper. I thought the pricing was not as well as I thought it would be. I would like people to know not to use them. </p>

It went great. The overall experience was as expected. They were quick and efficient and my floors are gorgeous.

On the day we had the flooring installed, I had jury duty. My 32 year old son came over to be here while the installation was being done. When I got home, I couldn't believe how they left my floor! The transition from the hallway into the kitchen had a two inch gap. The flooring stopped and the tack strip and padding under the carpet was actually showing! I have grandchildren here and if they would've stepped on those tacks, it would've gotten ugly between me and Empire Today. Panels were cut uneven and not even mitered. Along with that, the living room carpet was on top of the transition strip instead of being tucked under it coming from the dining room. I called the company and expressed my concern (yes, I went off!). I told them I know a lot of people on WRTV that would love a story like this. A few hours later, the repairmen came back out and completed their job the way it should've been done the first time. I will never recommend nor use Empire Today again!!!

It went well just wish they were punctual.

I needed carpet and vinyl flooring installed in a short period of time, which Empire Today was able to fulfill. I felt that I paid a premium for service on short notice, which I expected. The salesperson was a bit pushy and asked more than once, "do we have a deal?", which felt smarmy. On the day of installation, all went as planned until the vinyl installation was complete. The quarter round was not replaced. When I asked about it, the installer said that "it looks fine without it," which I disagreed with. He offered to put caulk down, which helped, but still did not look like a complete project. I did not like how he dismissed my request. I sent more than one email to Empire Today about this problem, but they did not follow up with me about this issue.

It was our understanding that Empire Today (ET) deals with lower- and medium-quality carpets and buys from carpet mills in huge quantities to get a low price. We have no problem with this. The salesman arrived on time and brought a few samples. We selected one and received a quotation for the work. We then went to three other carpet places rated "A" on Angie's List. These companies had showrooms with hundreds of samples. After finding a carpet at one of these showrooms, we asked ET if they could provide the same carpet. It took about a week for the salesman to get back to us since ET did not carry this carpet. We did get a quote on that carpet from ET, but it was substantially higher than the one we originally picked from ET and about the same as we were quoted by the other company. We didn't want to spend that much, so we asked the ET salesman to come back with his "better/best" line of carpets. He did and we picked one of the best quality carpets he had. This increased his original quote by approximately 35%, but still below what we got at the other carpet companies. We then signed a contract to have ET install the better grade of carpet. We selected an install day about two weeks from that day and paid the salesman 10% of the total cost.. The day before the installation was scheduled, ET called and said they had over-booked installation for the next day and asked if we would reschedule. We chose an install date two days later than original date and was promised that we would be the first customer that day. On the new install date, two installers arrived promptly at 9AM and went to work. The job was completed in a little over three hours. They moved furniture to install and replaced it when finished. They were polite and worked steadily during that period. One thing that bothered us, and was told to us by the salesman when we signed the contract is that the 90% balance on the total cost is required when the installers arrive and before the new carpeting is off-loaded from their van. I guess ET must have had customers who refused to pay after the carpet was installed. In summary, if you aren't looking to spend a lot of money on premium-quality carpeting and aren't interested in a company that has hundreds of carpet choices, ET is worth considering. We read all of the Angie's List comments before selecting ET and were a bit hesitant, but since the areas we were carpeting weren't critical and open to view from guests, we were willing to take a chance. With the exception of the two-day delay in installation, we weren't disappointed.

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The carpet only last a year and a half before falling apart at the seems. I'm wondering if it was even installed correctly. I contacted Empire, but their warranty doesn't really cover much. They asked my to send them pictures of the damage, and said their install manager would contact me to discuss. I sent the photos, but never received a response. They clearly did not stand behind their product. I will encourage others not to use them.

I wasn't personally here for the removal and installation, but according to my wife, who was here, the installation took longer than expected due to workers not showing up, and one gentleman actually ended up having to finish the job by himself, which is why it took longer than originally scheduled. Twenty years ago I would have done this work myself, but since I am now a disabled veteran and no longer physically able to perform this type of manual labor, we decided to go ahead and spend the extra $6,000.00 to have it installed.

rocky start but all got ironed out and installers did a beautiful job. Will not use Empire again due to what they did with my carpet order.

unknown

H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E. The sales rep was kind and professional. And then the nightmare began. 1. Empire's bid was consistent with 2 other flooring company bids. However, the sales rep committed to a quick install (Friday/Saturday). Home is going on the market shortly thereafter. 2. So we chose Empire (quick turn around). 3. Empire was to give a 2 hour notice of when they'd arrive so I could drop what I was doing and drive an hour to meet them. 4. The day of the install, the ceramic installer called and gave a 30 minute notice. When I informed him I'd be at least an hour, he informed me that although the sales person quoted a 2 day install, there was "no way" he could complete the install in 2 days. I informed him the only reason Empire (with it's bad reputation) got the job was due to the quick turn around (I was desperate). 5. After 45 minutes, the installer called to tell me Empire was sending a bigger crew so the work could be completed on time. Phew! 6. The new installer called 2 hours later, saying he'd meet me in 30 minutes (again, I needed an hour to commute to the home). 7. When I arrived, there was again 1 installer. (I'm not sure if HE was bigger or taller, or what made his "crew" bigger, but again. One man for a 3 person job.) He informed me he could not complete the install in 2 days because he had no crew. 8. I called my sales rep, but he couldn't help. He told me to call the main number and talk to the GM. I called that number, but the person who answered the phone didn't know how to reach the GM. And since I didn't have his extension, he was unable to help (and very rude). 9. The job proceeded. But, wait. Where's the vinyl? How will the vinyl installer make it up to the 2nd floor while the first floor is covered in ceramic tile being laid? 10. On the 2nd day of the job (when the ceramic was being grouted), Empire's automated person called to say the vinyl installer would be there in the afternoon, but they didn't know what time. Press 1 if you have an issue. 11. I pressed 1 and a very sweet, demure gal answered and asked me my name, address, etc. at least 3 times. When I became impatient and tried to explain that I wasn't sure how the vinyl would get in the door and up the stairs when the entrances were all being laid with ceramic, she was confused. 12. Ultimately, I asked to speak with a manager. After holding for several minutes, I was disconnected. 13. The sales rep informed me that he just sells, I'd have to talk to someone else about the install. But there was no way for me to get "inside" and speak with someone who could help. 14. WORST OF ALL, you must pay in advance for ceramic tile. So, at this point, they have my money but I don't have the product. And there is no where to go for recourse. PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, just call another flooring company 2 weeks before you need the flooring and save yourself a headache. Empire really is the worst company you could choose for flooring.

We had flooring installed in our bathroom and carpet in our bedroom. When the installers came out to install the flooring in the bathroom we were told that they could not cover a hole on the bathtub with the tile. We asked if they could just put a piece of plywood to cover it up and glue the tile to it. The installers told us that was considered custom work and they don't do that they just lay the tile. Well I made a complaint about it and they said they would send them back out to finish the job. They did come back out but told us the same thing. I was told they would reschedule to come back out again. To this date they still have not been back out to finish the job. So the bathroom is not finished. Now we move on to the carpet install. The day they were supposed to come install the carpet in the bedroom I waited around and never heard anything from the installers as I usually do first thing in the morning to let me know what time they will be arriving. Come 2pm I Called them just to find they had took it upon themselves to cancel my carpet order. I never called to cancel I actually called to confirm the install date. This is the second time I have used empire today and this is the second time they have canceled my order. Thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt but guess I was wrong. I highly do not recommend using empire today carpet nothing but a hassle. Guess I was not one of there 2 million satisfied customers.

Their timeliness and their installation they did an A plus job but as far as the quality of the carpet that I think I paid for was more a B or a C. I think the price was good. They showed up when they said they would be here. Their installer was good and I didn't have any issues with him and like I said the installation was good and the guy was polite. For what I paid for I don't feel like it's lasting as well as what I really expected.