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66 years of trusted experience
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Reviews
3.7258 Reviews
Showing 176-200 of 258 reviews
Yvonne W.
07/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreI was very pleased. The salesman not only gave us a direct line to call if we needed to call the company, but also gave us his cell number.
Description of Work: Carpeting was installed on a stairway, a short hall and in 3 bedrooms, the first day. Laminate flooring was installed in 3 walk in closets the second day.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,200
MYRIAM M.
07/2007
replacement windows
+ -1 moreOne of the reasons I chose Empire was because they answered the phone! They work later hours and that is convenient for me. Unfortunately, trying to locate your rep. thought the 800# is a complicated phone maze so don't lose their business card. My windows were installed 3 weeks after my official measure date. This was much quicker than any other company I called. I am happy with my choice. I may have paid more for the triple pane, but it is what I wanted. My rep. offered me double pane as well. This company was a bit more than my second choice, but the product is better and so is the warranty. Everyone was professional. The windows look great.
Description of Work: I had four windows replaced.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,700
MEG R.
07/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreThe salesman came within the appointed time slot, and did an estimate for us to re-carpet a room, that had been flooded earlier in the week. In spite of his very busy schedule that day (due to the flood), he was right on time and very nice. Brought several samples into the house and let me look at them in various locations/lights (and even let the dog sniff at them!). He wrote us an estimate for the sale price, which even though the sale ended in 2 days, said they would honor for 30 days, due to the fact that our subflooring was still wet and could not be re-carpeted yet. I had no issue with the salesman, but the samples that he had, just weren't to my taste, and the others that we saw with different companies were more attractive and higher quality, than those offered by Empire.
Description of Work: Performed an estimate for carpeting a single room post-flooding.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$700
SANDRA B.
06/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreI knew something was fishy when scheduling our free in home estimate. The operator repeated several times to have both decision makers home at the time of the estimate. The salesman did the typical schmoozing, finding commonalities like his wife is a nurse, too. He brought in a few samples, none of my liking. He quoted the price for a 535 sq foot basement as $1900+. Focused on the square foot price vs. square yard which would have been $34/sq. yard. I hesitated and the price went down by $250. I told the salesman that Empire was our first quote and we would contact him after we priced around. He stated at that point, "Can anyone come and install tomorrow?" I told him I didnt need it tomorrow. He stated that he would leave me the quote as he abruptly left my home. He left leaving no quote and no business card. It turns out he measured our basement by over 100 square feet!!! A few quotes since then have been under $900. Please, please beware!!!!!
Description of Work: Was looking to have our basement carpeted.
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$1,900
Paul B.
05/2007
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreThis is prime example of poor training and management of sales reps. At minimum, I should have been called and informed of the late arrival. Companies should not assume your time has little value and that it was your obligation to be present, not theirs. This company needs better training and rep management skills in protecting their most important asset, their future clients.
Description of Work: We are putting in new floors in a 3000 square foot home we just bought. I thought I would try one of the big vendors as well as several smaller ones. I contacted Empire in the AM and was told they would have a representative at my home between 3 PM and 5 PM on a weekday. I went to site (about 25 miles) and arrived at 2:30 PM. I had the carpenters go home so the place would be quiet for the estimate. Well 4:45 PM came around and no representative and worse, no phone call. I called their main number and explained the issue and was told that they would get in touch with him. I was put on hold and when the operate came back I was told it would be another hour at least and offered a $100 credit against my Empire purchase. This is absurd. I was not committing to a purchase just an estimate. I also found out that the rep was many miles away. I said this is rush hour in Chicago how is anyone going to finish a estimate and drive to the next one in an hour during rush hour? I declined and hung u
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$25,000
CARA C.
04/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreWe had purchased our carpeting one day and the following day they came and installed it. They did a good job on the carpeting. The only thing I thought was a little different was that we had found extra carpeting in some of our closets. I would definitely refer them for the quality of work that they did.
Description of Work: We had them install carpeting in two bedrooms, an office, hallway and the stairs. They also laid padding down first.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
Edward S.
04/2007
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreI called for an estimate to install laminate (Pergo-type) floor in a studio condo we are selling. The appointment was with Steve on Friday 27th between 9am - 11 am. At 11:30 I called (note: I called, they didnt have the common courtesy to call me) and was told 1 more hour. At 1:30 I called again and was told 20 minutes. At 2:30 I left. Steve called about 2:40 to tell me he was at the front door. Too bad for him I had already left. I understand being late. All I expect is a phone call and a legitimate EAT. I only waited around because I was hoping to get the install done over the weekend and get the condo on the market ASAP. To Empires credit, they did apologize and offered $100 discount if Id try them again. Mew...$100? Forget it. There are plenty of installers out there wholl do next day.
Description of Work: No work was performed. We never got past the estimate appointment.
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MAEVE L.
04/2007
gutter repair
+ -1 moreSales rep gave me an extensive overview of their full gutter system. He looked at the gutter-guard sample a competitor I had. He told me why his product was better. I told him the problem is that I had no interest in paying for new gutters on my newer home. He went on about why his system was better. I told him I'd think about it and talk to my spouse about whether we would even consider brand a new gutter system. I told him it was time for him to go. He said he didn't want to leave until I told him that he had convinced me that his product was the "only choice" and that the other product was not even worth installing. I told him that making me say something is not going to help him get the sale. He then told me he didn't want to leave until I told him what he wanted to hear. I told him to get out. He continued. This type of pressured sales tactic is abhorrent and I will NEVER give Empire any business. He told me that Angie's List had given the company an award. I sincerely hope not.
Description of Work: I contacted them thru their website. I said I wanted gutter-guards. Ken came out to give me an estimate.
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$9,000
REBECCA O.
03/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreHorrible! The guy came in and gave us the price of about $1000.00 to carpet just our living room. Well my husband told him that we would have to think about it and then he walked out of the room. The salesman then turned to me and said ''If I leave here without a down payment from you, you might not get the same price if someone else comes out here.'' So me being gullible, I wrote a check out to him. Well after he left I told my husband what had happened and he called the company right away and told them that we did not want to go with them because the price was to high and he explained to the lady what had happened and then the lady tried to tell him that she would lower the price $50 if he would keep the estimate. Well my husband did not want that so he said no that he wanted the check back and for it not to get cashed. Well later that week we found out that Empire did cash that check which overdrew our account because we did not put the money in there because we told them to cancel.
Description of Work: Well all I got was an estimate.
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$1,000
MADELAINE G.
01/2007
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreAfter we selected our carpet, a crew of workers showed up, ripped up the old carpet and lay a new one. They had no idea how to cut a runner at an angle, but actually doubled up on carpet and caused a tripping hazard. Empire refused to come back and fix that problem. In the bedroom, they put the furniture out on the balcony and installed the carpet. When I noticed that two of workers were smoking, I told them that was unacceptable to me. They were upset, but stopped smoking and then left the house without notice. A lot of carpet remnant remained everywhere, no cleanup was done and the furniture was still on the balcony, when we tried to retrieve it ourselves, we discovered that the pad and carpet was so thick, the door to the balcony could not be opened. We had to take the door off the hinges and cut it down on the bottom. They also had stuffed a lot of carpet down our toilet and used it. Our 10 year old tried to flush and we had a flood. Every time I hear the Empire jingle, I shudder.
Description of Work: I had one large bedroom (350 square feet) and three staircases carpeted. Two staircases carpet all over, and one a runner. I purchased highest quality carpeting.
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$4,500
Mona O.
01/2007
carpet installation
+ -1 moreThe Empire Carpet rep. visited my home in Hyde Park to give me an estimate on re-carpeting my staircase. He brought 2 types of carpeting, and quoted about $900 for one and $700 for the other. Because I liked one type but preferred the colors of the other type, I told him I could not make a decision right then. He said if I made the decision right then he would give me the $900 product for $700. So I agreed and picked a color. A few days before the date of installation, I called to confirm and was told that what was on record was not the higher end product but the lower end product. They would not honor the earlier deal, and I realized that if I hadnt called to confirm, this would have come to my attention only on the day of installation (after I had already taken the day off work, was all set for a new carpet, etc). And it would have been much more difficult to refute it. I thought this was an unethical tactic and canceled the order. I demanded my deposit back (which I got).
Description of Work: Work was not performed.
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$900
Mona O.
01/2007
bathtub refinishing
+ -1 moreMy experience was good overall. The bathtub liner was installed by a separate team on a separate day (two Polish brothers). Because it was winter, they said they needed to do the prep work indoors so we had to clear out a bedroom for them (They didn't give us a choice. They implied that the rep didn't know what workers needed and that if they couldn't work indoors, they would not do the job). They worked very quickly and professionally once they started. The finished product was really beautiful. They cleaned up after themselves although bits of the acrylic were in the prep room for weeks afterward. The shower stall work was done on another day by someone different. He got here late but was otherwise professional and polite. He left the light fixture uninstalled and since we could not figure it out and it was part of his job, we had to call him back the next day. The finished product looked really great. It's been almost a year and it still looks new.
Description of Work: Installed acrylic bathtub liner in one bathroom, and installed acrylic shower liner with base in another bathroom. A representative had come earlier and took measurements of both spaces and ensured that we had sufficient outside space for the prep work.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,500
MARTHA W.
12/2006
gutter repair
+ -1 moreIt didn't go well. The salesman was very pushy, but once the contract was signed, we didn't hear from the company for weeks. Finally my mom called them and demanded to know what was going on. They then showed up a day after they said they would, dumped supplies in the backyard, left. Next day a supervisor came by, asked location of nearest McDonald's, said he'd be back in 20 minutes, never came back. The next day they finally got started. They finished in two days. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing, hired a building inspector who found problems. Called Troy Pringle, who never called me back. Left other messages with customer service, no response. Company sent my folks a letter apologizing for the delay, I called and asked for the vice president (who signed letter), mentioned building inspection, and finally things got fixed. If I hadn't had the work inspected my parents' roof would be leaking right now. The original crew was surly with minimal English. A bad experience.
Description of Work: Replaced gutters and downspouts on house and garage with covered (no clean) type gutters. This project was on my parents' house, with their two adult children helping to pay for it. My parents are quite elderly, which I think played a part in what happened.
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$3,600
GINA S.
12/2006
replacement windows
+ -1 moreI ordered the window and they came out to measure in early October. They said it would be installed by Thanksgiving. Mike, the installer, called to schedule the installation for Nov 16th. I attempted to call him back several times. When I finally reached someone, they said Mike no longer works for the company. I have called every week since then and no one has called me back. So, I still don't have a new sliding glass door!
Description of Work: I need a sliding glass door replaced.
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$2,200
VEE A.
11/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreThe representative that came was exceptionally good. He even gave me some decorating ideas. I was a little concerned about the 8 am to 5 pm appointment window but the workers arrived before noon and were done in less than an hour. They did a wonderful job. Overall I was very pleased.
Description of Work: I had a 10'x12' bedroom along with a 7' reach-in closet carpeted with Berber carpeting.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$736
NICHOLAS H.
11/2006
window treatments
+ -1 moreEasy and quick, no problems. came out to give quote Monday, had blinds installed on Thursday.
Description of Work: Installed new blinds on my windows.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$980
CHRIS M.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreThe appointment for the salesman to come to our house was made within one week. We needed an evening appointment so my husband and I could be available. The salesman arrived when promised and was very professional. It was great that he was able to take care of everything in one visit. The carpet installers were very professional and did an excellent job. I was happy with the quality of work done and the quality of the carpet itself.
Description of Work: Our salesman Bob came to our house with several samples of Berber carpet. We chose a few types and he provided the total costs for them based on the area we wanted carpeted. We chose one of these and he wrote up the contract. He also was able to help us apply for free financing until January 2008. He also set up the appointment to have it installed which could have been the very next day if I wanted it to be. The carpet was installed by a group of three guys. They arrived when promised. They installed the carpet in our basement, family room, and stairs. They removed the old carpeting and brought it to the curb.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,400
AMY H.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreFirst, they did not show up at our house to install the carpet until after 6:00 in the evening. We were told it would be between 8:00-5:00. They were here until after 10:00 at night installing carpet. Second, they brought the wrong color for our whole family room. We were putting our house on the market for sale the same week, so we did not have time to reschedule another installation date, so they put the color they brought in the family room (it was a much lighter color than we wanted, but not bad). The installers did a nice job, but I called the next day to report the color mix up and was given a generous credit.
Description of Work: We had our family room and three bedrooms carpeted by Empire. The salesperson came to our home and showed us samples in our price range.
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$1,800
CORINA S.
10/2006
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreThe salesman insisted that I could not scratch this floor and that the entire floor would be replaced if it were scratched. He said that it's the hardest material in the world next to diamonds. He matched a price from Home Depot. I quickly scratched the floor when moving a file cabinet after it was installed but it was a small scratch and I decided to let it go. The installers were professional and hardworking. The stairway was done with great care. There was dust to clean up. After they left I found that a door stopper and the fire alarm were missing. Soon I found the fire alarm on a shelf. I was disappointed when, weeks later, I found the door stopper on the floor of the closet that contained the sump pump. The door stopper was broken off and the piece that screws into the wall was still in the base board. One of my walls curves. The salesman did not warn me that the installers would be unable to put wood quarter round around that wall and would use a white material instead.
Description of Work: Remove carpet and install laminate flooring in stairway and basement.
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$4,300
THERESA J.
10/2006
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreGreat. The salesperson gave us excellent info and choices. The installation was perfect.
Description of Work: Installation of wood flooring in the basement (laminate).
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$750
THERESA J.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreThe salesman was polite. The selection they brought to the house wasnt that spectacular but it was nice to shop at home. The installation went well except there was some kind of spill on the carpet when they installed it. The stain came out pretty well, so I didnt call them to have them repair it.
Description of Work: They installed carpet in our basement.
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$1,300
HEATHER V.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreHorrible Sales Tactics. They were willing to charge me $1000 less if I had told them I got a lower quote from a competitor. VERY pushy, rude and condescending. I would not go with them, ever!
Description of Work: I didn't end up using them because of the below mentioned issues.
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DAVID P.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreBid was about $500 more than my low bid. There was no 50% savings, which was advertised.
Description of Work: Work was not performed.
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$1,600
COLLEEN C.
10/2006
flooring contractor
+ -1 moreThese two guys were great! They called before they came over and even waited an hour for me to finish up at work since they were earlier than the original time frame given. They helped me clear the room of furniture, were very neat, friendly and took care when moving my things. When finished, they put all the big stuff back, cleaned up and re-hung my closet doors. The floors look wonderful. The price was inclusive of material (padding, flooring and shoe molding)and labor for a 14 x 10 foot room. There are better quality laminates out there, but for this room, this mid-range pick was fine and has a 15 yr warranty. The best part was there are no payments until Jan 2008, so it will be easy to pay this off by then. One bad point:I requested an appointment by email and they did not respond. When I called back four days later, they were able to pull the information up and make the appointment. So give that famous number a call!
Description of Work: They removed carpeting from our family room and replaced it with wood laminate flooring.
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Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,150
John M.
10/2006
carpet installation
+ -1 moreI have heard the commercials for years and the one time I tried them, it was a horrible experience. I would not recommend Empire to anyone.
Description of Work: Sold us the carpeting. When the workmen came to the house to install, he said that we were overcharged and could cancel our order. Then said he had a less expensive carpet in his van that he could install for $400 less than Empire. When I called the salesman, who was related to the Empire family, he immediately called the sales manager, who apologized but offered no solution. The order was cancelled because they made no attempt to keep our business.
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Contact information
unknown, Chicago, IL 60164
http://www.empiretoday.com/schedule-appointment?CID=Affiliate_AngiesList&PromoCode=250ANGIEService hours
Sunday:
Open All DayMonday:
Open All DayTuesday:
Open All DayWednesday:
Open All DayThursday:
Open All DayFriday:
Open All DaySaturday:
Open All DayLicensing
Bonded
Insured
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Carpet Sales and Installation,
Flooring Sales and Installation,
Hardwood Flooring Sales and Installation,
Window Treatments,
Windows,
Bathtub Restoration,
Ceramic Tile,
Carpet Cleaning,
Gutters,
Siding
FAQ
Empire Today - Chicago is currently rated 3.7 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Open All Day
Monday: Open All Day
Tuesday: Open All Day
Wednesday: Open All Day
Thursday: Open All Day
Friday: Open All Day
Saturday: Open All Day
Empire Today - Chicago accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, Empire Today - Chicago offers free project estimates.
No, Empire Today - Chicago does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Empire Today - Chicago does not offer a senior discount.
No, Empire Today - Chicago does not offer emergency services.
Yes, Empire Today - Chicago offers warranties.
Empire Today - Chicago offers the following services: Empire Today offers quality, name brand Carpet, Laminate, Hardwood, Vinyl, or Tile Flooring. Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate by calling 877-799-9131. Shop from the comfort of your home, get professional room measurements and an all-inclusive price estimate. Plus, we’ll professionally install around your schedule. Empire Today is dedicated to customer satisfaction and has been a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings for over 55 years.
Repairs
Contact information
unknown, Chicago, IL 60164
http://www.empiretoday.com/schedule-appointment?CID=Affiliate_AngiesList&PromoCode=250ANGIEService hours
Sunday:
Open All DayMonday:
Open All DayTuesday:
Open All DayWednesday:
Open All DayThursday:
Open All DayFriday:
Open All DaySaturday:
Open All Day