Empire Today

We requested an estimate for several areas including carpets and hardwood flooring. The special "buy two rooms get the rest of the house free" was what initially motivated the call. Person arrived on time. Did not know the difference between nylon and olefin, said they were the same. (They are not, they have different advantages and disadvantages and each room's use would determine which one is best.) The carpets offered for the deal were all olefin and we wanted 100% nylon. We said we did not care if it was not part of the deal, if it cost more it was OK. We wanted better quality products. Despite our willingness to select more expensive products, selection was still quite limited to what was in his car. We never saw a 100% nylon carpet--we were just assured it was the same. We were given three TOTAL job estimates, based on different combinations of floor coverings. These were not itemized by cost per square foot or even per room, so we had no idea what these figures were based on. He would not give any estimates for individual products (square foot cost for a particular carpet, for example), or cost by room (dining room with hard wood = X dollars). Instead, he offered one estimate for the total charge for the entire job (multiple rooms) based on three product scenarios. Again, he did not tell us square foot costs per room or product. After he left, we wrote a complaint message and a request on the Empire Website and also called the sales person to please give us the cost per square foot with installation, etc., based on each type of floor covering or by room. In two days we instead received a fax (after salesperson called and said he would send these details) that only had the room dimensions listed (in his own handwriting). We knew this already as we have a tape measure, too. We had no way of knowing which rooms cost what, so these dimensions didn't help. We were only given a total estimate for the whole job, with no details about the cost of each product and installation. Each estimate would have included a minimum of two different products in 4-6 room areas, yet we only had a total job estimate. It was really odd, because since then we have had two other estimates and all are itemized for all costs for all rooms for all products. We were not even told a baseline for each product so we could try to calculate this ourselves. Overall--nice salesperson, he showed up on time. However, he did not know much about the product and did not detail what would be involved in the installation. He never explained about extra costs associated with hardwood installation, for example. Everything just turned into one magical number for everything combined. I suppose Empire's strategy is if the customer doesn't say "yes" right away that you won't get the sale, so move on without looking back. This is our impression. I saw the comment by Empire below and want to report that no one from Empire ever called us--and we do have caller ID and voice mail. Just window-dressing comments on here, I think!

Very professional. Called to check that everything went well. In and out same day. Moved all furniture. Some scrapes on furniture, but very minor.

We were wanting new flooring throughout the entire house so we called 2 companies for an estimate. Empire came out appx 05/03/10, the gentleman was very nice, friendly, we liked him well enough. However, once he found out we were getting estimates, he refused to talk pricing. We told him that we already had painters coming out on May 6th and they would be done with the house in 5 days so we wanting flooring to start ASAP and be done by June 1st due to family functions we have planned. He said that we really needed to get our other estimate first because he'd make sure to give us the best pricing, that Empire couldn't be beat; however, he did want to know what we "thought" this might cost us to complete. That to me is a big red flag. I told him $0.00 to $20K and I am sure he got my point. We were serious about flooring so we got our other estimate the next day, no haggle, the owner of the other company was here gave us all the estimates. We ended up going with them and they are starting installation today. We went with a locally owned and operated company and they couldn't have been more helpful in this process. I am not sure why the man from Empire never even called back considering he spent 2 hrs here measuring, explaining the different carpets, padding and the best carpet/flooring when you have pets. I was really disappointed that he felt he had to jerk us around. After all, we are spending appx $8K on our house as I type this.

We called Empire and made an appointment for samples to be brought to our house. The salesmen came to our house on the scheduled day with the wrong samples, so we had to reschedule. After picking out the floors, the salesman told us new transition pieces would be installed between the new flooring and existing carpet, and a new transition piece would be added in the entry to the laundry room, none of these were ever installed. Empire called and left us a message confirming the installation date, we were not given a time frame of when the installers would show up. I had to call Empire and explain that showing up sometime between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm was not acceptable and I needed a 2 hour time frame of when they would be arriving. On the day of the install the workers showed up on time and began working. When we asked about the missing transition pieces they told us that wasn't included. Once the installers left we noticed the mess they left behind. They had installed quarter round along the baseboards but did not cut it to fit the angles of the corners of the rooms, there was glue residue & dust left everywhere. We called the following week to express our concerns, an Empire representative came out and explained the salesman was 'mistaken' about the transition pieces and the use lighter fluid to clean the glue residue off everything.

Fairly easy. Called a central number, where they ask a lot of information up front, but once I got past that, I got a date for an estimate that was very quick. Estimator got here and showed up on time, and was very professional. She provided several samples of carpet qualtiy, and explained the brands they had available. She measured quickly, and then provided me with several estimate options at my request. I would have chosen them, had I not gotten a wholesale carpeter through my real estate agent that was half the price. When I called the estimator to say I would not be going with them, she reminded me that they would match any price.....something I had forgotten. Given my timeframe, having gone with Empire, who could install the next day would have been a better choice if they matched the other pricing.

The salesman was on time with his appointment and was very knoweldgeable of the products. He took detailed measurements and calculated three options on how I could cover my floors. Empire uses subcontactors for installation. The laminate installers and carpet installers did their installations on two consecutive weekends as was arranged with the salesman. Empire confirmed installation a few days prior to their arrival, but could only give a non-specific timeframe for the arrival of the installers ("Between 8am and 6 pm") so it is best to plan on being their the whole day for a multi-room project. The installation crews called prior to their arrival, confirmed the product they were installing and the areas to be covered. The lead installer for the ceramic tile laminate flooring noted there would probably be some problems with installation in my laundry/utility room due to a drain and uneven surface. I agreed it might be a problem, so he called and had the price adjusted. He was also nice enough to cut some existing baseboard quarter-round for me (at my request) so that it would fit into his installation. Both crews worked very diligently and did a great installation job! They did a walk through-with me when the job was completed. They did a pretty good job of cleaning up after themselves, but I did note some minor scrap left behind in some out-of-the-way places. I considered this very minor considering the scope of both projects. I am currently awaiting the installation of a custom window treatment and will file a separate report on that project. Overall, I am very happy with the quality of the product, the installation work, and the price. My home looks like a whole new house inside!

Tech came back out on 3/27/10. Did not re-install tile. Installed new transition pieces that he claimed salesperson should have ordered for job. Claimed that he could not order these pieced originally unless I complained about service and had him come back out to fix. (Something about making sure that techs are not allowed to ask for more product unless customer complains.) Said salesperson undermeasured job to lower price, so my complaints are only way to get resources he needed to complete job. (This had nothing to do with transition pieces?) Tech did not have enough materials to fix job and had to order more transition materials. Tech came back out on March 25th to install more transition pieces. I pointed out that laminate transitions he now used were not as wide as those previously installed, so they are not covering carpet. Tech re-stretched carpet under transitions, but as of today, the carpet is already starting to pull away from transition. Tech also installed transition along tile, but installed crooked, by a quarter inch in entry way. Tech was to come back March 26th, but called in AM to reschedule for March 27th. Tech arrived again on March 27 to fix transition in entry way. He also restretched carpet. Carpet is not long enough to be covered by new (thinner) transition piece along laminate. I now need to get new carpet or install more laminate. Problems still unresolved: --Stains from grout in existing carpet --Tile cracked under toilet (Tech said would not fix as this is normal?) --Carpet pulling away from under transitions (now separated from transitions) --Glue visible on carpet This was not the quality service I expected from a company I thought was reputable and have known about my entire life. UPDATE (04/23/2010) The new sub replaced the cracked tile that the previous sub said he could not do. The sub also fixed my carpet issue by stretching the carpet along the laminate that was originally installed. He also fixed the grout that was cracking and make other areas look much better. He also replaced the ENTIRE ceramic job on the first floor and made the transitions look exactly how they should. (Professional) He did not mess with the transitions in the upstairs bathrooms, but I can live with those because the tile sits up higher than the carpet so it is okay. This time around, Empire really came through. Thanks to all that helped fix this issue. It just goes to show how important it is to have a sub that asks questions, listens, and has an attention to detail instead of being in a hurry like the first sub we worked with. Thanks Empire!

I set up an appoint online about 4 days in advance. Robert came on the assigned day, perfect timing, and it went very well. I had used Empire a year ago for laminate flooring in two other rooms, and I was quite pleased with the result. Rich & Andy arrived promptly the next day, and worked for about 4-5 hrs. They were professional, thorough, polite, and very nice. The result was even better than I had pictured!

We scheduled an appointment for yesterday evening between 7-9. No one ever showed, nor was I contacted.

The white carpet in my house was a magnet for stains: red wine spilled by my sister, hurricane mix ground into it by my dog, etc. I decided to replace it with a durable, laminate floor that would stand up to my dog's mischief and my sister's spills (she's 23, by the way, not 5). The sales consultation went as expected; I interacted with a very pleasant and professional rep. There was an issue that came up when the installers ripped up the carpet on the first day, however. My floors were not level and they would have to use a product that would dry overnight and level them out before installation of the floors. Unfortunately, the next morning the product was not dry, preventing them from working again. The whole ordeal took four days to complete because of this issue, which wasn't their fault, but a serious inconvenience because the living space in my very small house was basically unusable. The installation was done well, with a few minor flaws (for example, space between a section of quarter round and the wall and another spot where the quarter round isn't secured to the wall very well but I've only just started noticing these things, almost a year later). The other issue that left a sour taste in my mouth was that they left a significant mess of wood chips, saw dust and cigarette butts on my porch. This was not fun to clean up. I have an upstairs unit with a wooden porch. After sweeping my porch, I had to go sweep my downstairs neighbor's porch, too. Looking back, I kind of wish I had asked for some money back because of the inconvenience and the mess but I never got around to it. I was and still am happy with the floors, but wasn't completely happy with how the experience panned out.

I really have not gone out and looked so I don't know what someone else would have charged me to put it down but I just decided to do it on a whim when my husband was out of town. I called them and they came out the next day and they installed it the following day. I did not think that it was going to be as high as it was but I wasn't unhappy with it. It was done quickly and they cleaned up their mess. It cost me $5000 but I have a large living room, kitchen and a hallway. They were responsive and accommodating to my schedule. I just e-mailed their website, signed up and scheduled an appointment for the next day, this was like a Sunday so they came on Monday and Tuesday I had to go somewhere so they installed it on Wednesday. They were not the ones who asked for the extra day, I was but I am very happy and I just finished paying for it. If you pay if off within 13 months, then you do not pay interest so I worked hard to get that paid up. I would give them A's on all categories.

I liked that they came to my home and took their time with me and helped me with picking my color. They worked around my schedule for both my appointment and the installation.

The price was reasonable for two rooms and a hallway. The removed all of the furniture. They put new padding on the floor. They did a very good job; were also polite. They called at the end of the day to follow-up with us to see how the work went.

They did a great job. I was satisfied with their service. I would definitely use them again.

I am pretty annoyed with them. The first time I called them and had them do my flooring, I would've rated them well. The second time, I called them to get a couple floors done. They rescheduled me twice. When they finally got here, they gave me a bit of a discount. I thought they should've given me more of a discount, so they did. After that, I called them repeatedly, and they have never responded. They called me back once during my work hours, but that was it. I have never heard back from them.

They were great to work with. They were prompt, even coming out the next day. They did an excellent job with the installation. The carpeting looks great and my kids love it. We have been very pleased with their service. According to my research their prices were good.

We wanted to install hardwood in our family room. The room is approximately 13'x20' We called Empire Today about hardwood flooring and they set an appointment the next day, at a time of my choosing. The representative arrived promptly but had only a few hardwood samples. He give us a complete installed installed quote, but didn't provide any of the details for generating that number. I suppose it might have been on a contract had we decided to proceed, but I don't know.

The sales representative convinced us that polyester was more resilent than nylon, but all other evidence we find contradicts this. My biggest complaint is the company's response, or lack of one, to my cancellation request once we decided we did not want polyester. By law, I understand, I have 3 days to cancel my order. I place an order late on 7-20-09 and called the sales representative's direct #, and the 800# on 7-21-09 to cancel. I spoke to a customer rep. at the 800# but the rep. could not assure me that the cancellation request was recognized as I must speak to the cancellation dept. and she advised the cancellation dept. would contact me within 3 days. At that point, my permited time to cancel would expire. Since I did not receive any confirmation that my cancellation request is recognized, I sent a cancellation request in writing, but with two days left the letter to Chicago may not get to the person who should get it and who knows when they will get through their stack of mail. Also, I noticed the paperwork I had to sign indicated that in event I have a problem or experience damage as the result of Empires work, I had to agree to "binding arbitration" which means I cannot file a lawsuit, but Empire can sue me for money. Also, if I cancel beyond the 3-day period they can charge me 33% of the purchase price plus penalties. I suppose the lesson is to always read the fine or faded print even if you'rr tired after the appointment or the sales rep. is in a hurry to leave. In the meantime, I'm still trying to get someone of authority on the telephone.

I own several duplexes. They advertised in my area. They sent a man from Indianapolis because they do not have an office locally. I told him that I was shopping for the best price and service. He stated that they were not in the business of giving quotes. That through me off right there, I was jaded and miffed. They laid carpet in one of the apartments I had. I asked him to come back and show different sample to the tenant, he stated he was not available to do that. Needless to say this was not a very good experience. They even showed up two hours late.

I'll never know how their carpet install is when they are too unprofessional to call before the appointment.

I noticed a wide variance in the ratings on Empire, so I admit I was skeptical at first. But, they do so much volume, I thought I would give them a shot. The salesman, Joe Bond, was punctual and professional. He knows a great deal about carpet, and discussed options with me based on many variables. I found that the in-home estimate was actually a great way to see the carpet as it would look on your floor, with your lighting and your furniture. He brought in about 6 samples, ranging from lowest to highest in terms of price. I thought the mid-grade option was actually very high quality, and ended up selecting it. I did ask him if this was all they had to show me, because after all, they are Empire...they should have tons of samples to show you! He said that what he showed me was what he had. So, I would say if you are looking for a wide variety of samples, Empire is not what you are looking for. However, if you want to compare the look of the texture to the look of Berber, it's going to be a good way to do that. The price was a little higher than I was expecting. There is an advantage, though, to knowing you can have it installed either tomorrow or two weeks from now. Big box stores cannot give you a time frame-they are at the mercy of their installers and you may end up waiting a few months before your project comes up. So, I was willing to pay a little more for that convenience. The day of the installation, an entire army of installers showed up to my home promptly at 8:00 am. They were a family-owned business, and they had been installing carpet for 42 years. They walked through my house, assessed the furniture situation, and began to move everything out of the way. They had emptied all my rooms in about 30 minutes. They were extremely efficient and responsive to my concerns throughout the day. They wrapped up at 3:00 pm, so it was a total of about 7 hours. They replaced all the furniture they moved and cleaned and vacuumed before they left. They made sure I understood the details of my guarantees and warranties, and how I could resolve a problem if I had one. The installation company was called "We Can Do It." They were great. All in all, from the initial appointment to the sales visit, to the installation, the process with Empire was wonderful. I have absolutely beautiful carpet and I am very satisfied. was pleasantly surprised with Empire.

A salesman brought samples to my house the same day I called. I was surprised that he brought samples for just two kinds of carpet (a home improvement store has many more kinds of low cost carpet). Because they were suitable we selected one. As promised, the installers showed up promptly the next morning. Unfortunately someone at the warehouse read the order wrong. When the installers got here and looked at the basement, they discovered they hadn't been given enough carpet to do the job. Therefore, they had to postpone installation until the next day. They arrived again on time and completed the job in under two hours. They also hauled away the old carpet, which we had removed, at no added cost. I would use the company again for a similar job where cost and convenience were the over-riding factor. If I were installing carpet in the main part of the house where I would probably care more about style, I would first check with other stores to make sure what kind of carpet I really want and then compare their price and installation against Empire's carpet options and scheduling.

I called Empire in the morning, and a sales rep was in my home that afternoon with a wide variety of carpet samples and styles. No pressure to buy, and the sales rep was very knowledgeable and helpful in assisting us to choose the right carpeting. He measured all 5 rooms, quoted us an excellent price, and gave us the Angie's discount of $150. The next day, a three man installation crew arrived with the carpeting, and completed all work within 7 hours. They were highly courteous and professional, and the carpet installation was the best I have ever experienced. Seems are all but invisible, and the fit is perfect. Cleanup and furniture movement were flawless.

Despite being skeptical at first, I was impressed with Empire. The estimator was very professional, courteous, prompt, and helpful. We called Empire for a quote on a small laundry room project. We were intending to install vinyl in a very small room and since Empire doesn't do vinyl, we expanded scope to ceramic tile and to many more areas. We ended up hiring a smaller contractor for much less cost. To be fair to Empire, the cost comparison was not "apples to apples" as we ended up using tile that they didn't offer. We appreciate the effort the salesperson put into the quote.

I was disappointed that they would not give a discount the second time for removing the carpet.