Empire Today®

Actually, I was pretty happy with them. The salesperson was not very knowledgeable. Fortunately for me, I knew enough about the types of flooring that I was able to get through the process but the installers were fantastic. They couldn’t speak much English but they were great. They were on it and they were very good at what they did. They were very fast and very professional. The pricing was very reasonable. In terms of responsiveness, they called me up at the same time so everything was ok.

They took a lot of time and showed a lot of carpeting to me. They took 3 or 4 hours to make sure everything was done right and that nothing was loose. They followed up with me and they were really nice to deal with. It was a pleasure to have them and I would recommend them to anyone.

When installers showed up, they had problems trying to figure out how the laminate would go around the original wood that was already down, holding up the wrought iron bannister. Unfortunately, my son in law had taken whole bannister surround down, as instructed to do so by Joan, salesperson.There were two men there, one younger, one older, younger one spoke some english, and older gentleman spoke only Russian, I believe. Therefore, it was very hard to get answers about any questions, and they truely had no idea what they were doing. They wanted to take the original wood completely off, leaving at that point the 1/8" of laminate that would be put down to be the only surface to have to screw the huge wrought iron surround going completely around the staircase. At that point, I was so beside myself, I told them no, I was not going to do that, and I would call company. I immediately called my bank, cancelled transaction, and awhile later got phone call from Joan. I told her about what had transpired at my house, how unhappy I was, and hadn't even gotten to any carpet talk, could not understand what the plan was, nor did the guys there.Also, she had made it clear that every room had to be staple free, and swept clean (which most people would do anyway) NOT the staples, I would think that would be part of the labor. She also said that depending on underfloor, that they might still charge me for various items, including plywood, etc. etc. After the men left, I was so appalled, at thewhole thing, from start to fi nish, I reread the papers from this company, and decided that no way was I paying $12,675 for the work that would be done. uFor this amount of money, it would have iincluded living room/dining room combo(carpet) Hallway and stairs (carpet ) and one bedroom. The cheap laminate would have been in foyer, and kitchen only. and by cheap, I certainly do not mean price. I would never reccommend this company to anyone. Go to a legit carpet store, and order what you want, who have decent installers.

Everything was perfect!!!!

I didn't see this question, but basically answered it in above

I was not satisfied with Empire Today. They gave me a quote and I applied to get their credit. I wasn't approved to get their credit, so I called them and wanted them to maybe makes some changes so that I could afford the project. I was basically told they were too busy to come out. I just wanted to change a couple of things. So far, I haven't been able to get anybody out. He first came out on the first week of April. They had a special for $99.00 per room, but when he came out, he told me I didn't want any of that carpet, because they have better quality carpet. So, basically, the sale is just a hoax to get them out there and in your home, so they can upsell you. They're garbage and shysters, as far as I'm concerned. He had also told me he had no more samples to show me, but I walked him out and saw his whole back seat full of samples. They want to put in your house what they want to put in your house, not what the customer wants. He kept pushing shag carpet on me and I kept telling him that's not what I want. I called them today and told them, busy or not, if I didn't hear back from him today, I was calling the main office and filing a complaint. This is just ridiculous.

After the first installation there were a few problems with elivation in the entry area and with some of the trim work. We notified the corporate office and in short time new installers were at the house to straighten out the problems. There was actually additional work completed and we were not charged for this additional work. After the fix was completed we had several visits to the house to insure we were happy with the final work. We also received several calls from the corporate offices to make sure all was well. We are delighted with the job and the response fo the company. We would not hesitate to use this company again and we have already refered them to several of our friends. This is a quality company that cares about their work, image and customer satisfaction. A+++

They come in and show you a very limited selection. They start with high price and if you don't bite they "Have their office call you" or tell you if you want a special discount you have to put down a deposit. Guy gave me the creeps

I first reviewed that it was a terrible experience but then someone contacted me, and my experience was all uphill and flawless from there. They did everything they could to please me and it made me feel valuable!

They brought a piece of carpet that I would not put in my house. It was the cheapest piece of material I have ever seen.

Tim Keeley is an outstanding sales man who will take time with you in picking out the carpet that is best for your home. Spencer and Dan at the district office are very accommodating and will meet all your needs. The install team of Louis & Alfonzo were efficient, respectful, and are experts in their field. If you have any questions, they are very prompt with returning phone calls.

Upon Empire's response it appears I missed their communications and updated the score to reflect their response. However, by this time we have already contracted with another provider

We were very pleased with the FIRST sales rep who came out (sold us the carpet and kitchen flooring). We were pleased with the carpet installation, and mostly love our kitchen floors, but there are two areas that need to be fixed and Empire still has not come out to look at it as promised. We scheduled a time for a guy to come out and look at the areas that need to be fixed and he didn't show up. A customer service rep called after the carpet was installed wanting to know how it went, and I told her about the kitchen floor. She said she'd have someone call me and no one has. Then yesterday 5/12 I scheduled another appt for a sales rep to come out to give us an estimate for carpet in our bedroom. I told this sales rep that we weren't very happy with the fact that we can't get anyone to come out, and he looked at the problem areas in the kitchen and stated verbatm that it "wasn't a big deal". I then told him that flooring shouldn't have GAPS in between the tiles and he begrudgingly agreed. I proceeded to show this sales person our bedroom and before giving me a price he asked if I wanted it installed on Tuesday (2 days later). I told him that I would need to know the price first, and he scoffed and said "well obviously" RUDE! After giving me a price of $850.00 to carpet my master bedroom (200.00 higher than I really wanted to spend), I told him I wanted to get other bids to ensure I'm getting the best price. He then kept pushing and lowering the price. Finally after telling him for the third time that I wanted to get other bids, and asked if he could give me the service managers name and number to look at our kitchen floor, he told me he was going to "make a call". The call wasn't to anyone who could help with our kitchen floor, but to someone who could give him authorization to lower the price on the carpet for our bedroom. He ultimately lowered the price to $685.00 and I told him AGAIN I wanted to get some other bids. He then laughed and picked up his stuff and left. I went to another store after he left and found a carpet I wanted for $500.00- I've used this company in the past and have the same carpet installed in my Family Room. Even though I know Empire Today has a "price matching" policy, I will never use them again. Their lack of care or responsiveness on my kitchen floor matter, and the rude / pushy sales rep has left a bad feeling for the organization in general.

The representative came with samples for our bedroom which were fine. When it came time to measure she didn't seem like she knew what she was doing. Then came the real problem, she gave us a quote for 3 different types of carpet (not sure of the exact price because she would not give us a copy of the quotes-saying company policy not to give them out) with prices ranging from $4,000-$3000. When she said we had to make a decision that day we were not aware of this and told her we had other people coming for estimates. She said smartly "That's why you call us last." She also said let me make a phone call to my manager which she did in our bedroom. She got different quotes from him (lower of course) and then said "let me call my district manager and see what he can do." At this point I felt like we were at a car dealership. She then gave us 3 more quotes-so we had 6 all together, 3 for each type of carpet. She said her DM could give us this friends and family special that starts on Monday but could only guarantee it for that day and we had to sign now (very high pressure). We told her we could not commit and she was ticked off and left. Then I get a call a few days later from her saying she has some new prices, then the manager calls (I did not talk to either of them) and leaves a message. About a week passes and I get a call again this time I answer and it's the company calling for a survey which I did. They told me a few things, 1. the representative is permitted to give a copy of the quote. 2. you do not have to sign that day and the price would be valid. Hearing all of this made us furious that she lied about all of this! I'm so glad we did not go with this company and I WOULD NOT recommend EMPIRE to anyone!!

The sales representative was Gretchen Lesic and the installers were Adrian and Matt. (here's hoping both names are correct). Gretchen met with me for hours during the first scheduled meeting and returned to review and confirm my choice of hardwood flooring. She was a great with assisting me with my decision by informing me clearly about the drawbacks and benefits of each of my choices. Do ask for her if you when asking for a rep. Adrian and Matt were unbelievably proficient and professional. Both young men were tireless in their performance and their skills were exceptional. The installation took an entire day but was well worth it. They thoroughly explained everything and even included some additional work that was not included on the write up. I would ask for them again as well. I am very very pleased with the finished product.

It wasn’t a good experience. The salesman was very pushy, and I felt like he didn’t listen to us as a customer.

The salesman was the best part of the experience, professional but personable, down to earth and punctual, but a salesman nonetheless. He was able to contact the company to 'negotiate' the price when we mentioned we were going to get other estimates (Empire was the 1st company we called). We were given a quote on a Friday that would expire in 48 hours. No other company would likely have come over the weekend to give us an estimate, so we decided to go with Empire. We had many issues. Of note, payment is required before the job is completed, the first order of business when the installer gets there. Laminate was installed on day 1 by one flooring installer. My husband said there were two boxes leftover that the installer took back. I called to inquire about a credit for the unused boxes but was told that what we purchased was used and the installer always brings extra. We could not dispute because we did not count the boxes used. I asked for one extra piece so I could match with furniture for that room but never got it. Carpeting installed on day 2. The two installers worked quickly and quietly. Consumer is asked to sign off on a form when work is complete. I browsed and signed. In the evening, our 2 year old screamed because he stepped on something sharp. It was the tack strip in the hallway. We started to inspect. First, the carpet in that hall was not secure; we were able to lift it up with one finger. Second, the tacks were not pounded down all along the wall in the hall. We all were stepping on tack strips. Shame on me for only browsing. Upon further inspection of the entire carpeting job we found major mistakes. Most of the carpet on the 16 steps was cut too short, not touching the sides, and in one area we found the entire piece was cut short but remedied by a piece over it (hard to explain). In the upstairs hallway where the hall reaches my son's room again the tack strip was noticeable, and along the wall the carpet was 1/2 inch short, padding showing as well. The fairly symmetrical living room carpet was okay. I called the 800 number right away, was given a 'ticket' number and told someone would contact me within 48 hours. I was not satisfied with that answer because my 2 year old was running across tack strips. I was contacted in 24 hours but had to wait another 3 days before someone came out to look at the work. I must report that the inspector was a pleasure to deal with. He took pictures of the flawed installation and said that he or another installer would call to schedule a day for replacement. Both hallways and all the stairs had to be replaced. He did explain that it is very difficult to carpet stairs in old homes and showed me how the steps did not measure the same, lending to some of the installation errors. My rebuttal was that the installers should have been aware and worked accordingly. It seems that Empire hires great people for sales and inspection/trouble shooting, but apparently not for installation, which is subcontracted. I was disappointed that the inspector himself did not come to do the work. I had already missed 2 days of work for the install and was not able to miss more because of their faulty installation. I needed the work done in the evening or on a weekend. Three other subcontracted carpet installers came about 2 weeks later, on a Saturday, to replace the carpeting. I believe they were actually surprised by what they saw. Their finished product was much better, but I must say that there are minor flaws still on the stairs. Hey, it's an old house. As a gift, I was able to keep the pieces of carpet that were removed, although they were full of staples. Keep reading. There's more. I had to call again and get yet another ticket number because the luan board we purchased was not used in the dining room and we were due a credit, which we eventually did receive. I also requested an inspector come to check the work on the laminate because several areas of the 'floating' floor left significant space where it met the quarter round. I was told basically that the margin of error would permit such a gap. If it had been a larger gap, the floor would need replaced. Again, my house is old, crooked, asymmetrical. Another week went by and it was time to turn on the furnace. Prior to, we clean the registers/grates which are flat on the floor. Alas, neither I nor my husband could pull up the register in the dining room, where the laminate was installed. If we pulled hard enough it would have come up, but as we could see, so would the laminate around it! Another ticket number . . . This time the repair person (not the same for the carpeting) did not show as scheduled, nor did he call. And another ticket number. . . The register had been hammered in the square to make it fit. The repair person had to make the opening larger so the register could fit in and pull out easily. He used a small circular saw . . . .while the furnace blower was on! Saw dust everywhere! Perhaps that was my fault. A minor mistake but major clean up for me. The flange got pushed down along with my duct work, slightly, but again, those things happen in an old house. In closing, by Thanksgiving, we were credited for the luan board, the carpeting was installed to my general satisfaction, and the grate fits in the floor. I did not receive a call from anyone apologizing for the inconvenience we experienced overall. I will not call Empire again and I have told several people of our experience. We've been told to contact the BBB as well as the Attorney General to report what seems to be terribly incompetent installers. I doubt we will. Perhaps Empire should work on new homes only, or hire professional installers, or not be in business at all if the subcontractors cannot perform the work. The most positive experience we had was with the salesman, Joe, the inspector whose name I forget, and a contact person in the Pittsburgh office. The second crew of installers deserve credit as well for being cordial. But overall, we are not satisfied with our experience.

The installation time window was given to us as 8am to 6pm, which basically ruined our whole day. Had they been able to narrow the window, even 24 hours before the appointment, we would not have had to take off work while waiting for the installers. Overall, the product looks nice, but slightly disappointed with the pad and long time window of installation.

From the visit by the salesman to the installation of the floors, service was impeccable. We originally had the installation scheduled for October 31st, but I called on October 26th to the have the date changed to October 28th. I was told they would come between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm. The installers showed up promptly at 8:00am - I was actually a little shocked and pleasantly pleased to see them on time! They worked on the removal of all old flooring items, leveled a bad floor and did a lot of cutting to get the floors in correctly. The end result is absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend them and love the work that they did. The installers went over and above what needed to be done. We have had a lot of work in our house in the last few months and they have been the best crew!

The salesperson was curteous and knowledgeable, and was able to work with our schedule, however on the day of the install, no one showed. I called Empire, and the scheduled us for the next day and gave us $75 off, however the scheduling conflicts were still a mess to work through.The general installation was OK, however, they cuased quite a bit of damage, and the install on the stairs was terrible.Trim was broken, walls damaged, clean-up was poor, however aside from that, the install was generally acceptable (no seams showing, etc).The stairs were another story. They apparently ran short on carpet or didn't measure well when cutting the pieces. Many places were left short, or patched in, and the carpet padding was missing in places. You could feel the gaps as you walked on it.We called Empire, and within about a month, they fixed everything, however the sour taste is unfortunately still there.They use independant contractors, so perhaps we just got a bad one for that job, but I will certainly be looking for our next carpet company to have their own installers as part of the company.

Everything went well. They installed the wrong molding at first, but they returned quickly to install the correct kind.

It was pretty good. They were on time. It was very well crafted work.

Several family members had used Empire Today and were quite pleased with the results so we called them for an estimate. The salesman Marty was very nice and professional. His presentation was about 40 minutes too long - he made assertions that turned out to be not quite true. Empire guarantees next day installation, but we did not need that. We set up a day for the following week. Empire called us at least five times to confirm the date. We were told to call on the morning of the installation day to get a two hour window of when the installers would arrive. We called and were told that they would arrive between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. At 3:30 pm they had not arrived, nor did we receive any communications about their delay. I called their master toll free number (800-588-2300) and was told that they would look into it and have the installers call. The installers called around 3:50 pm and said they were 10 minutes away. They finally arrived at 4:40 pm. After they ripped up the two year-old carpet, the installer said the padding we had was better than what we had just bought. He offered to leave it in and said we could settle up with Empire later (!) We declined and had everything replaced. We were charged for "furniture moving" and were told by Marty that all the installers were professionals and experienced at moving furniture. Since the installers blocked all access to our main floor, we were unable to use the kitchen to make dinner and had to use the "facilities" at the neighbors. They did not leave until nearly 9:00 pm and we had to move all the furniture back ourselves. We were promised a rebate for all of the inconveniences by Dan (866-588-2332, extension 4358) within five business days but that has not happened and he claims not to remember having the conversation.

The salesperson was pleasant and punctual. But the choices were limited and the cost was astonishingly high.

I was led to believe they would be here about 9:00. They didn't come until 10:45. I was also told that all I had to do was remove breakable objects. The installers told me I was also supposed to remove clothing. This caused them to take much longer. They didn't clean up to good.