Empire Today®

The end result was spectacular. Had some issues with the pandemic, but Sherri the salesperson kept me up to date on everything. The installers (Cipriano and Brian) were terrific. They are awesome contractors. When I do my tile work I will request only them. Their pricing was by far the best.

Client Review of Empire Today March 2019 My recent experience with Empire has not been a good one. The stairs and upstairs hallway was completed only a few days ago. The final feeling I am left with, and that I plan to share with anyone willing to listen, is that I am very disappointed with their incredibly unprofessional workers sent into homes to do the labor and are there to represent the company. My initial experience with the sales man was great and I was left with high customer service expectations. When you let strangers into your home you are very vulnerable and you must take that into consideration in order to get the product you paid for. In the past my family and I have chosen larger chain companies like Lowes or Home Depot. We wanted to give a less well known company a chance this time around. The first day, Friday, March 15, was to be application of laminate flooring on the upstairs hall in addition to re-carpeting my stairs. I have pets who soiled my upstairs hallway causing the laminate work to be postponed to the following week due to high moisture. I was totally understanding of why this was necessary. The two men that came spoke Spanish in front of me while discussing my home and I could not have a conversation with the man that was to do the laminate at all. I was left standing there while they discussed my home, unable to understand the logistics that they were trying to explain to me. I was told the final payment needed to be made before they started the job (when they got there), and my credit card information was then given over a cell phone in another language. A few things about this did not sit well with me, first that I needed to make complete payment before the job was even complete; and second that my personal information, including credit card numbers, were given over a cell phone in a language I didn’t understand. Once they left I was able to look over the stairs and all was good until I realized the last step carpeting was left jagged and uneven. Additionally, that weekend I was on my Facebook and noticed a name I did not know “like” two of my pictures. My account is set to private; however these photos were tagged with a location and thus made public. Since I didn’t recognize the name of the person, I looked at their account and realized it was one of the workers who came to my home. This person went out of his way to seek me out on social media. I felt very violated that someone I did not know, but let into my home, had looked up personal information about me online. I am a woman living alone and these men know that. It was incredibly unprofessional of them to look me up on and then to “like” my photos. I immediately contacted my initial salesman to report the stair and Facebook issue and request they send a different crew for the next installation. He told me he would refer me to customer service and they would call me. The next day he then gave me the name and number of the man in charge of the workers and a contact number the next day upon my request. I relayed my concerns and was told a new crew would come, yet I did not feel heard regarding my Facebook complaint. When the new two men came Tuesday, March 19th, I asked them if they had the shoe covers since I had just had my steps done. One said, no, they did not and they would go to Home Depot to get them. It was an hour later before they returned. I was unable to converse with these employees either. I stayed down stairs while they worked upstairs with my 3 bedroom doors and bathroom door opened for them to work as needed. I checked on them a few times and noticed things that upset me, however since they can’t understand me and I realized trying to speak to them was getting me absolutely nowhere. One man wouldn’t even look me in the eye and the other looked at me like a deer in headlights every time I asked him something. These are a few things I noticed: my bedroom fan moved into their area. Their cell phone plugged into my outlet. Their equipment is in my second bedroom on the carpet, carpet that was not being replaced by the way and these items should have been placed on a mat or something. I noticed a roll of toilet paper on the floor in my bedroom which they did not bother to put away (or ask to use). They left a mess in the entrance of each bedroom and the bathroom. I see my guest bathroom toilet, the one downstairs, and most importantly in my personal bathroom in my bedroom all were left with the toilet seats up. I live alone; none of my guests were visiting throughout this service. Only one time the first day was I asked to use my downstairs bathroom. No one asked to use my personal bedroom bathroom. There was absolutely no reason for them to enter my bedroom and use my private space to use the toilet and leave the seat up no less. I was not asked to use a fan or for toilet paper or paper towels. It was all just taken. With the fact that I have 2 other bathrooms, there was no need for them to even enter my personal bathroom, let alone my bedroom. I may not have known they did any of these things; however they left a mess, the toilet seats up and sought me out on social media. It was as if my home was at their disposal and manners or common curiosity was not a requirement. I do have an additional complaint about the installation. The carpet was torn in front of each room and then tacked back down. It was torn in a very uneven cut and one bedroom was not put back down the way it was found. One would think they had to be prepared with padding since carpet had been previously ripped up, yet he told me they had no padding to replace the area. Old carpet scraps were used as padding resulting in uneven carpeting that was not to be removed or replaced from the start that was not even secured or left in the way it was found. The quarter round that was placed after repairing the downstairs step from the first trip was left short. I have chosen not to report the majority of this to Empire because I do not want to give them a chance to make it right. They had the one chance on that second trip and it still was not up to par. Those you let into your home to do a service are there as another “face” of the company. The work itself is not the only representation of a product/company; it’s the customer service that you really remember. The initial sales man and his great customer service are no longer viable because this negative experience has canceled him out completely in my eyes. I will sway anyone I know to not use this company ever.

There were a few hiccups along the way (a cancellation, a price reduction, a failure to schedule properly on their part) but in the end it was all installed. Unfortunately the stair tack strips were not covered very well and I may have to have at least that much revisited.

Appointment for installation on 8/10/17

One of my worse home improvement project yet! Didn't show up until mid morning. Had no ID . Only proof they were contracted by Empire was they had the bill of sale. Spoke little to no English which made it impossible to communicate with . I would ask a question and they just ignored me or walked away. It was a tight area to do and I was concerned how it would be done. They seemed to invent a way as they started. They did move the furniture but placed two wooden items against each other . The 2 pieces were rubbing each other. They did not seem concerned about causing any damage. I had to stop them to put a padding between the 2 items. I told them I wanted to take a few minuted to vacuum the edges between the tacking and the wall after the old carpet and padding was removed. They did not like that. But I had been told by the sales person I could. I did not want new clean carpet put on top of dirt. The space between the tacking and a wall gets all kinds of dirt,dust, bugs etc . They said they would sweep before putting in the new but I watched them and they did not even try to clean the edges. Am I the only one who likes things clean and done well? One if the installers that spoke some English sad I should not expect it to be done well . They had to work fast. When I insisted the called their supervisor saying I was in the road( I wasn't). And proceeded to wast over an hour before doing any more work. They threatened to leave and not finish the job and said find someone else to finish . By then I had no usable bed,2 bathrooms that could not be used due to stuff moved from the bedrooms, no cable or wifi . It all had to be disconnected prior to the install. They finally resumed work but proceeded to break the front door frame including tearing some dry wall, Scratch and put dents in my less than a month old painted walls, Put a large gouge in the base of the upstairs railing ,leave metal scraps on the floors,nails and staples on the floor. I found several even after someone vacuumed . and found nails out on the front porch. Eventually I guess figured they were never getting done and had 2 more people come help. Again they did not identify themselves and just walked in without even ringing the doorbell. But they did a much better job than the first 2. They fixed the uneven edging in the hall done by the first guy that damaged the wall. and they stayed until the job was done. The first 2 left after finishing the last bedroom. The house was finally empty at 1030 PM . Now in addition to putting the small stuff back I have to clean up the mess done and move some downstairs furniture back Lots of other things but I think this give a good picture of the poor workmanship for this company. And they were recommended .

They were really good. The price was good, which is why we went with them. I recommend them to friends and family. The workers did a wonderful job and cleaned up after themselves.

I scheduled two different appointments with them. They never showed up for the first appointment and never called to explain why, for the 2nd appointment they called 5 minutes before the two hour appointment window was over and said they would arrive in 15 minutes - we waited 40 minutes then left to do some errands. The Company might have the best prices in the world but based on their poor responsiveness and punctuality I would never do business with them.

Horrible. First they did not want to do a walk through and take pioctures as stipulated in contract. Then they wanted to open windows when it was 50 degrees outside. I did not allow it because of not wanting to heat the outside. They spoke English well enough until they were almost done. T hen they told me they didn't know how to put the bed back together (mattresses were stuffed into the bathtub), nor could they install the metal strips that border tile or doorways. I said I wanted it done. It was inthe contract. The carpet would start coming up if it wasn't fastened down. I finally had to call a male friend to come over and help. They did put the bed back together and put the closet doors back on. In the procress they busted a hole in the baseboard. My firend finally got them to call a supervisor. The supervisor promised me they would be back Monday to finish the job. They never came. When I try to call Empire, I get an out of state call center. They claim they cannot give me the direct number to the Norolk office but will pass my concerns on. I have yet to have a call back or my carpet finished. Almost $3000 and I have carpet that is not coming undone from the edges.

The salesman, Hal, was extremely helpful and very patient assisting my wife and I select the right hardwood floor for our home; a beautiful Cappuccino Birch. Empire Today matched Lowes' product and installation price. Installation was conduct within days on my schedule. The installer, Cipian, and his crew were exceptional! Very professional from start to finish. They let my wife personally inspect each board before it was laid down. A+ craftsmanship on trim work!!

I had used Empire Today in my previous home and I was very happy with the installation and the quality of the carpet and how it held up over the years. The carpet in the new home we purchased was old, stained and horrible so it had to be replaced so we went with Empire Today once again. They again did a great job on the installation and the carpet is great. The installation team was prompt and very efficient.

Our salesman was topnotch and advised us of best quality and value for what we wanted. He did not try to oversell or push any product on us. The workers were prompt, efficient and friendly. Vary professional and knew what they were doing.

I would use them again if I had to.

Punctuality, I would say an F. I would say overall for cost and stuff, the deal that I got, it was a great deal but they weren't punctual. We just had problems with thinking about times with them and then actually showing up to the meetings that we had. When they did show up to do the stuff, they did a good job. Price and quality of work is A but I would give them a strong F for punctuality.

They have next day service. She came in town to make it up in volume. They were installing everyone's floors, making sure that they were alright. They were great.

They are a bigger company, and they came out right away. They did the whole thing in one day. The service is really good, they did exactly what they said they would do, and when they said they would do it. They didn't make a mess, and they cleaned up after themselves. I am in a condo, and they cleaned up my floor, and the first floor, and the elevator. The quality is very good.

I called the company on Wednesday to let him know what I wanted. He sent a representative out on Thurday to my home who was very knowledgeable and he even brought a presentation. He never hesitated to answer any questions I had and made me feel very comfortable. He didn't make me feel rushed. I was assigned a man the next which seemed like very rapid service. Then the company came in from 8:45 to 5:45. I left the T.V. on to make them feel comfortable. That made me feel like it was a good customer/worker relationship. They were Hispanic (which didn't matter) and able to communicate to me to make me feel comfortable and not anxious about the work being done. They did everything in the line of work to not only please me but their company as well. I was very please with the work. I called the company as well and told them how I felt and then said I would leave a review on Angie's List. Overall I would say that if there was anything higher than an A to rate them, they would definately get it. Elmer Gomez was quite efficient.

Worst customer service ever. Consultant never showed up, never called. I called the main line twice and spoke with the rudest rep ever who told me that he tried to call the salesman but he wasn't answering his phone and that I shouldn't be upset because he did his job. He told me to sit around all day and wait for the guy and that they wouldn't even call if he did hear back from the salesman. Learned my lesson never to deal with these large companies. All that money they put into their TV commercials would be better spent on competent employees.

The install was smooth. They used a local company for the installation work.

The sales person arrived at the end of the time window we were provided, and smelled of cigarette smoke. Very much a salesperson. We liked the carpet and placed the order. Empire, according to the salesperson, specializes in next day installation. We didn't need that, we requested a date 15 days later. On the evening before and the morning of installation, we moved all the nick knacks, pictures, etc. Disconnected TVs too. Then they called us at 8:00 AM ish and said the installers would be here between 1:00 and 4:00 PM. Really??? They're doing the whole house. They arrived at 2:00 PM ish, and worked until 9:00 PM ish. They moved furniture as needed, and installed padding and carpet. The didn't do too good a job of putting things back together though when they were done. We had some issues with the transitions they installed and asked for them to redo it. They tried to repair it first, and we still didn't like it. So they finally replaced it. But they started complaining that one of the installers had to get back to Richmond that night and it was late. Empire the company seems to care as they called and asked how we liked the service a couple times. Overall we received the carpet on the day promised. I wasn't too happy that we were stuck in our house all day though.

Lots of oohs and aahs from before and after visitors!

I hired them mainly because of their prices. They did not charge for an estimate and they negotiated well with me. The installation went relatively smooth and they initally did not have the right amount of carpet so I did have to reschedule. They were able to get everything done in one day. I am happy with results.

The representative, Madonna came on Sat to show some samples and go over everything with my daughter concerning kinds of carpet and price. She was very helpful and informative. She was a joy to work with. They set up the apt for Tue and actually got there earlier than expected. The 2 guys that came did a fabulous job and even carried the bedroom furniture upstairs from the garage. My daughter had just moved in on Sat. These guys went above and beyond the call by doing that. The bedroom furniture was very heavy and they were so careful not to scrape or hit any of the walls. The steps have a turn and it was a little tricky to get around that bend but they did it without a hitch. I would absolutely recommend Empire to everyone and especially the representative Madonna because she is a wonderful person helping you but not trying to push you into anything. She could've told my daughter that she should get the hallway carpeted like another company did and that would've been more business for them but she was honest and very helpful. The guys who actually laid the carpet was Rowland and his partner and they were great. I have no complaints and am extremely happy and satisfied with the job. Oh, I almost forgot that Madonna even came out to check the job that night to make sure it was done right and to our satisfaction. I don't know of too many companies that do all that.

A terrific experience from start to finish! Our friends in NY had urged us to try Empire Today and we are SO GLAD WE DID. The Norfolk branch sent a knowledgable sales professional (Madonna Bossa) to help us with product selection and in-home pricing (on the spot).....and then sent a team of precisionists (Sandra's team) to install the project the following day. Immaculate post-installation clean-up and Madonna stopped by for a QA inspection after the project was complete. We would use this company again in a heart beat and will recommend them HIGHLY to all of our friends and neighbors.

No story to tell. I just think that sharing my information with another company is totally unprofessional.

I do and will continue to put Empire down. The whole company stinks. Product is cheap. Installers were rude and then they tried to double bill me. I had to go to the lender to have the double bill removed. Never an apology. Now Im stuck with flooring that is coming apart and carpet that is falling apart. Please DO NOT use the one in Norfolk. I have heard other franchises were good but this one is awful! Cheap product and they dont stand behind it!!!