Empire Today®

They gentleman that came out to speak to me was alright. I wasn't positive about the price of the carpet. I thought it was a bit steep. The men that actualy came out to install the carpet didn't seem to want to answer any questions. I had questions about the color of the carpet and they didn't seem to want to same much about anything.

Their price was very good but they used very high pressure sales tactics. I would not use them in the future.

Happy with the service, needed capeting installed quickly in two rooms. They were prompt and professional. They did what they advertised and we are happy with end result. Did feel we paid a premium, but it was a premium we agreed too with no hidden costs. Would use again if I needed carpet installed on an immediate basis

We liked that they scheduled us really fast and did work really fast. They moved all our furniture and moved it back and did a good job. We spent about $2000 for an entire floor and the stairs and they did not charge extra to move the furniture. I would give price more like a B or C having looked at some other prices.

They are a nationwide company. They came out when scheduled and gave us a really good estimate. They arrived on time and were courteous. They finished the work within a reasonable amount of time. We had no issues at all. They were great.

The gentleman who presneted the information was very abrupt, pushy, and aggressive. It left me with a bad impression, so I decided to use another company for the job.

They were pretty good. They were professional. I called and they came out. They did what we asked. Their price was a little high. They were responsive.

The job turned out well. This was the first time they came out. I liked the fact that they brought it on the day they said they would bring it and in the exact shade and color. They were very efficient and thorough in installing. They pulled out the old carpet and put the hardwood flooring. Their price was good and I compared them with others.

They came in on time and put my floors in one day. The guys were very professional and nice. They cleaned up really well and I have no complaints at all.

They did a really good job. The only thing was I might have gotten a little cheaper price somewhere else, but I'm still very impressed. They took care of this in 4 hours! Extremely fast! The quality of the work is excellent too! I really loved their work, but if I would only use them again if they came down on their price.

I submitted an online request for an in-home estimate. I was able to select the date and time for the appointment. I was also able to potentially get $150 off for doing so. I received an email, as well as phone call to confirm the appointment. The sales representative arrived on time and was very personable. It has been mentioned in other reviews that it seemed gimmicky and forced. Maybe so, but I prefer a sales rep to treat me like a human, rather than just show me his product and demand my money. I know it's likely an act, but its better than being cold and off-putting. He brought samples with him even though he only had minimal information from the online request as to what sort of carpet I would need for the room. We were concerned about wearing and texture maintenance. Even though there are only two of us with no kids or pets, that room would be seeing the most of our traffic. He assured us that most of his samples would withstand the wear and even pointed out which ones wouldn't hold up as well. I am one of those people who gets overwhelmed and distracted when I have too many choices. A company I also got an estimate from required us to to into the store to choose. I felt overwhelmed and had difficulty selecting what I wanted. By having a smaller collection of samples in my home, I was better able to rule out options and choose from what was left. Yet I didn't feel limited.I was also able to see how the carpet would look in the room in which it was to be installed. We asked about the current 60% off sale and he admitted that only two carpet choices qualified for that sale. Naturally, we didn't like either of those and ended up going with a "full price" option. As mentioned in a previous review, we were surprised when we couldn't get a "per square foot" price. He politely explained that Empire does it differently and just gives whole number estimates, rather than a square footage cost. At first, that put me off a little bit, but once I thought about it, it's really the final number that matters. A carpet could cost $1.00 per square foot, but if the other fees and costs are cosmic, it doesn't really matter how inexpensive the carpet alone is. The initial price he gave us was $600 over the estimate I had gotten from a different company the day before. We haggled, he gave me a "special price" and upgraded the pad at no cost. But that only brought the price down by $200. He asked me for a number that I would be comfortable with. I told him I wouldn't go over $2500 for a final price. He "called the office" and "got approval" to give me a special discount for member's of BJ's discount club even though I didn't have a BJ's membership. He ended up giving me a price that was a little lower than $2500, but for that price I would HAVE to have the carpet installed the following Monday and accept the service window of 8am to 6pm. It seemed a bit sketchy to me, but I needed the carpet, I really liked the carpet we had chosen and he was willing to give it to me for a little below the maximum I was willing to spend. The price was a couple hundred over the estimate I had gotten from a competitor. He assured me that Empire had the superior product and fed me all that hype that may or may not be true. But it came down to the fact that I liked the carpet better than what I would've gotten at the competitor. I liked that I could see it in my home. I liked the warranties that came with the carpet. Am I 100% sure that this carpet won't wear out in three years? No, but I know that I also need to do my part to maintain it and help it do what it claims to do. He also recommended that I get the padding upgraded with a moisture barrier, given that the installation was in a basement with concrete subfloor. I'm skeptical of upgrades like that anyway, and since I had already spent more than my first estimate I declined it. But once I walked around on my brand new carpeting, I thought about how heart broken I'd be if it would be damaged from moisture seepage. I didn't ask how much that upgrade would cost. Too late now! On the day of installation, I got a call at the beginning of the 8am - 6pm service window stating that the installers would be a the house after 3pm. I was disappointed that it would be later than sooner and also that it still wasn't a more firm time, but at least I could be free to get other things done before then. The installers arrived at 1:30pm and even though they didn't call to notify me they'd be early, I'm glad they were. Juan asked to see the room where the installation would take place. He asked about the new paint. I assured him it had been painted more than 18 hours prior and was certainly dry enough. He asked me to come out to the van to confirm the carpet was correct. On the way out, I pointed out that the door HAD been recently painted and care needed to be taken when bringing carpet and padding in and out. The installation began and soon the old carpet and padding were on the truck. New tack strips were being installed. I don't recall hearing any vacuuming prior to the new padding being installed, but I was keeping busy with other things so I could have missed it. With my limited knowledge of spanish, I did hear him tell his workers to mind the front door because it had fresh paint on it. The installation took about two hours and they did vacuum afterward. During the final walk through, I asked where the seams were and inspected them. He asked if I wanted the leftover carpet and he rolled it out to show me the dimensions of the piece. It was a pretty generous piece and would work for my laundry room. I had originally expected to purchase some cheap carpet to put in there, but you can't get much cheaper than something you've already paid for. Overall, I'm happy with the service I got. Naturally, I would have liked to pay less. I had the choice to do so through the other company. I did go into the process expecting to be blown away by Empire's low prices and obviously that didn't happen. But I still felt comfortable paying what I did for the product and service that I got. Even though I totally forgot to make sure I got that $150 off for making the original appointment online! UPDATE: A few days after the work was completed, I got a voicemail from the company who said they would give me that additional $150 off and it would show up on my next account statement. I called them back to say that I had paid in full and shouldn't be receiving any statements. They said they'd would credit me directly and would have someone call me back in three business days to confirm. I never got that call and just when I was about to call them to inquire, I saw the credit appear on my credit card statement. The call I DID get was multiple calls from area code 201. They would call at random times of day for two weeks and never leave a message. The one time I was able to answer, there was no response. I looked up the phone number on the internet and found that many people from all over the country were getting these calls and they had all done recent business with Empire. Also, apparently it's not area code 201, it's a country code... Egypt. Some people who actually got to speak with someone who was calling said that it was a satisfaction survey. Really, Empire? You have to outsource your follow ups? If they'd leave a message or respond when I answer the call, it would make me want to do business with you again. As it is now, I'm not so sure.

They came out the same day I called to measure and they were doing the work the next morning. The next closest price I got was $2,100. They really proved themselves to me. They answered all of my questions, they let me know what to expect, and they provided the other quotes that I wanted when they were done working rather than sending someone else out. I mentioned that I wanted workers that were US citizens and the men that came out showed me their documentation; it was crazy.

Chance #2 went well. I would consider them again in the future, even though I didnt this time.

After getting estimates with several local companies and 2 mega retailers we decided to use Empire Today. The service rep was on-time, performed a thourough assessment of our house and made multiple recommendations based on my wife's selections. What we enjoyed was that he was never pushy nor did he try to hard-sell us into the most expensive materials. We could reach him at any time on his cell phone and if not he would reply within minutes of leaving a voice mail. After scheduling the date the installation crew came and removed the existing carpet and began installing the floor. One of the things that we liked about Empire is that they removed all closet doors, railings and the staircase hand rails. According to all other companies we would have had to hire another company to do this cecause they did not perform this as parto of the installation. The installation took three, non-consecutive days. Two days to install the floor and part of the staircase. The crew could not finish the job on the second day beacuse of the materials not being delivered correctly. It took two more weeks to arrive and finish the project. Even with this problem I would say that it was a great job. The crew was curteous, professional and knowledgeable. They went above and beyond by trimming our doors in order to close (due to the carpet being lower than the new floor) and by installing a better railing system for our closet doors (I bought the material). As many of you have probably read in other posts, the crew was Spanish-speaking. The foreman spoke both English and Spanish and only another crewmember spoke English. This might be a detractor for some but I'm a Spanish-speaking native so it did not affect us and anyway your communication should be with the foreman. We are very happy with our new floors and will rehire when we floor our basement.

The installers were prompt. They did show up the next day after the order was placed. Carlos and his crew (total of 3) were pleasant, professional and clearly well experienced. They installed all of our laminate flooring as well as the hardwood stairs. They worked diligently from the moment they got there. On the first day they had completed 3 bedrooms, the living room, most of the dining room and all but 3 stairs. They returned first thing the following morning and finished the install. Carlos' meticulous work on the stairs is amazing! It's not often you see someone take such pride in their craft these days. All the men were great! On the 2nd day of install the 2 installers for the vinyl flooring and ceramic tile arrived just as the other crew was leaving. Since this was to cover a much smaller area (vinyl in kitchen and utility room; ceramic tile in 1 small bathroom and 3' x 3' foyer) I thought this would move much quicker. Not so much. One of the guys was clearly not as experienced as the other - and he spoke NO english making communication extremely difficult. It took roughly 6 hours for the installation to be done. In the kitchen I noticed that 2 different colors of quarter round had been used. It was quickly corrected when I pointed it out, but I was still surprised that it was done in the first place. I was also surprised it took so long for the younger, less experienced installer to put down the tile in the 3' x 3' foyer. I could understand the time it took in our bathroom. The toilet had to be removed and, since he was working with 13" x 13" tile, there was a lot of cutting required. However, I was a little taken aback that he didn't have the gasket on his truck to reseat the toilet. He had to leave the job to go to the store and purchase the necessary product to complete the job. Overall we were very pleased with the resulting finished product. Our floors are amazing!! However, if you are going to have tile layed, I would strongly recommend that at the time of sale you specifically request only long time, experienced installers.

My story is dated, from 2002, but I still remember dealing with them as one of the MOST NEGATIVE consumer experiences with a company EVER. Now that I'm on Angie's List, I look forward to taking this opportunity to spread the word to all who would use their services. From reading other reviews, it seems like nothing has changed. Empire's salesman came to our house and was extremely 'fast talking' like a stereotypical and famed used car salesman. He refused to tell us any prices per square foot and when i demanded to know, he condescendingly said: "hold on, sweetheart, don't get ahead of yourself." He did the measuring and even then, still refused to tell me any prices per unit. Instead, he would only give me whole costs for the entire job. I had already gotten an estimate and Empire's came in MUCH higher. After I told the salesman this, he made a few phone calls to give me a 'special price'. He lowered the cost to meet my other estimate. Going against my gut, we signed up. The carpet was installed and within a month, it looked worn and matted. The quality was absolutely terrible. My husband and I lived alone and wore no shoes in the house--there was no reason for the carpet to look 10 years old so quickly. Save accommodating regular herds of stampeding elephants, I can't imagine ANY reason a carpet should look so dated so fast. I called the company to complain and they kept passing me to other departments and not returning phone calls. EIGHT MONTHS later, they sent someone to the house to determine whether or not my complaint was 'valid'. This man decided my complaint was 'invalid' because, and i quote 'I don't vacuum enough." Yes, you read that correctly. Empire called me to reiterate how vacuuming is an important part of carpet maintenance and I should 'look into it." Without exaggeration, without hyperbole, without fail, Empire Today is the MOST insulting and criminal company I have ever dealt with. The salesmen are dishonest and stupid at best, criminally shady at worst. The quality of the carpet is so wretched I believe they do the old bait and switch though I can't confirm. Their customer service department is so abysmal that I can almost see them hanging up the phone with a customer and slapping high-fives and laughing at the 'new sucker' because hey! One is born every minute. Friends: do NOT use this company, no matter what deal they're offering. My assumption is they are still in business because of the fabulous ads on TV promising the moon. Their ads are convincing and will always attract new customers. But hopefully more people who have been duped by them will spread the word (thank you, internet) and save others the trouble of fighting with these people. There are other 'next day' companies. There are businesses who are not so arrogant as to think they can mistreat customers so grossly because they are too big and slick to fail. We've seen from recent government bail outs that the mighty can, in fact, fall. My prediction is Empire will too unless there is a complete overhaul in their service philosophy. I will be replacing 3 floors in my house soon (a new house) and I wouldn't even dream of calling Empire, despite their 'whole house special' being currently advertised. AVOID AVOID AVOID. I still shudder when I hear their annoying jingle on TV or radio and it's nearly 9 years later. PTSD?? And remember the old adage: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The salesman was not too pushy, was helpful in chosing the materials and worked to reduce the overall price. The team that did the job were such hard workers it was incredible and did an excellent job. The team leader was Rubin Lopez. Empire today is very lucky to have him. The only problem was they worked until they were finished and it was almost 1:00 am! It was beautiful when they finished and now we are going to see about carpet and wood flooring for the rest of the house.

The review of the carpet samples went well and things were looking good until the price discussion. The first price he gave me was $19K. I was astounded that he would even tell me the retail price, and then say this was just informational. Why do I need to hear that if that is not your price. The $19K was still over double the competitions retail price. He then went on to tell me his discounted price was $9K. I let him know he was still double other quotes and was too expensive. When I told him there were others competing for the business, he seemed a little put off. Of course I would get multiple estimates I said. I told him the price of the competition, again a little put off he called the office and said on one certain carpet he would beat the price by $20. At that point we finished with the conversation and I chose another vendor.

Very qucik turnaround, that most others were unable to do. Prices were very good on the overall job for both the tile and carpet. Most places were a little cheaper on the carpet, but much more expensive for the tile. Installation was quick and done professionally. Quality of the carpet is not the greatest, but as expected for the price.

They did a great job. We had some problems and I tried to contact, but couldn’t get anybody to come back. It was because the installer had had an accident. Overall it was fine.

Excellent, expedient service. Entire job was done in 5 hours by two professional workers. Clean up and trash removed without any problems.

all i know is i put laminate wood flooring in the kitchen 4 years prior, it was cheap and it lasted up tell that point of empiretoday pulling it up! i was gentle while putting it in and it was great, they were rough and hard with rubber malets! not cool! they dont waranty any water damage or if they think its water damage!

We called and had Empire come out to give us an estimate on laminate wood flooring. All went well with that until the day of instillation (we scheduled it for a month after the estimate). On the day of the installation the workers showed up but with the wrong material. They brought 8 inch wide wood planks when our order form clearly showed 3 and frac34; to 4 inch planks. The workers called the home office/salesperson who, at first said no problem as the workers would just cut the planks in half. The workers started to argue on the phone with the sales person telling him that you can't do that with laminate wood. The salesman then switched gears and said that we ordered 8 inch wood planks. We referred him to the contract he wrote up and had us sign that showed a different size. He did not have an answer only that he did not believe the size we wanted existed. After a series of calls with the home office, supervisor (all who at first tried to claim that is what we ordered as they never made the color/style we picked in that small a size) however after referring them to the contract their sales rep filled out they admitted that he made a mistake as that size was never available in the color and style we wanted. It was at that point that the bait and switch came inand hellip;.they had a similar color and style in a narrower size but it would the cost would go from $6,500 to over $8,000. We talked to supervisors and made several calls asking why it was our responsibility to correct their error out of our own pocket. In the end we found another supplier that had a nearly identical color and style in the narrow width and for only $6,200. If you use Empire 1) make sure that what the salesman tells you is available is written in your contract; 2) save that contract for when they pull the bait and switch on installation day; 3) don't use themand hellip;..go with a more reputable company. The provider response is not correct, a representative from their customer service team never contacted us. My report stands....the salesperson was not truthful and the company did not stand by the contract their salesman signed with us...they could only offer us something diff. for a huge price jump. (updated 05/15/2011)

Their service was good. They knew what they were doing and they finished in a reasonable amount of time. The quality of the carpeting for the cost was not what I thought it was going to be so I feel the cost should have been less.

I did not use the company, oaccepted an estimate from another company.