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On 2/21/07, a sales representative from Empire came to my house to give me a quote. The representative measured the two rooms (living room and bedroom), advising me that it totaled 80 square yards. I picked out two different samples. For the less expensive sample, he advised that it cost $29 per square yard, including removal of the existing carpet, padding and installation. Including taxes, he quoted a price slightly more than $2,500. After I hesitated, he stated that the "sale" would end that day. I asked him what the "regular price" was, and he responded that it was $38 per square yard. After I hesitated further, he asked how much I would be willing to pay. I paused, then stated, "maybe $2,000." He said, "Okay, but I need to know now." I hesitated again, and then I left the room to call a contractor-contact of mine to ask if that price was reasonable. He advised me that the price was high. I told the sales representative that I had to think about it, and I would call him the following week. After he left, I had an independent carpeting contractor come to the house to give me a competitive quote. The other contractor came to my house later in the day to take measurements. He advised me that the two rooms totaled only 68 square yards. Thus, the Empire sales representative lied to me about the total yardage. I decided to drop it, and not call Empire back.
The most egregious act by Empire, however, was still to come. On 2/25/07, I received a call from an Empire telephone representative, who asked me if I was interested in purchasing the carpet. Without explanation, I said no. She responded that Empire could beat the last quote. I stated that I was still not interested. She asked me why. I then started to explain the entire story, including that Empire lied about the amount of square yards. Before I was finished explaining what had happened, but after I told her that Empire lied about the total yardage, the Empire telephone representative hung up on me. I fully expected her to apologize and tell me that Empire would undertake an investigation, but instead she did just the opposite. By hanging up on me, she exposed Empire for the fraud it really is. Obviously, this was not a situation where the sales representative who went to my home was a "bad egg." To the contrary, by hanging up on me, she proved that Empire is in on the fraud. Empire's fraudulent scheme, among other things, is to overquote the amount of square yards needed. Empire should be shut down.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer's satisfaction.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Total customer satisfaction is important to us here at Empire Today. We take customer feedback very seriously and we are always striving to improve the customer’s experience. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate any of your information that may link us to your account being that you did not identify yourself at any time. Please give us the opportunity to correct your issues at a suitable time. You can reach us at [protected] and ask to speak to one of our resolution experts and please give us either your telephone number that links to your account or your contract number. Thank you have a great day.
I had a similar experience, except that I was naive enough to purchase the cheaper carpet they recommended that I was grossly overcharged for. The carpet shredded so excessively that it clogged every vacuum cleaner I tried. Within one year the carpet was so worn that it looked at least 5 years old. When I complained and Empire came out to inspect it, I still did not get a response back. I had to call customer service only to be told that it needed to be steam cleaned. When I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau they made up all kinds of things to say that I voided the warranty. They have refused to give me any kind of credit. I ended up having to give a carpet allowance when I finally sold my house. I agree that they are crooks and selling extremely cheap products at above market prices. It seems that there should be some kind of recourse against companies like this.
Thanks for this site as well as the complaints. I have an appointment for an Empire free estimate next week and am canceling. There commercial sounded too good to be true.
To make my home more attractive for sale on the market, I will be recarpeting it. In addition to getting my first quote from one retailer, I wanted to get a second quote. I thought I'd check out Empire, since they do such a huge amount of TV and radio advertising. I went online to get their phone number & noticed this "Complaint" listing. Thanks to this listing and complaints, I won't even be calling Empire. I appreciate whoever set up this site and those who wrote up their feelings about Empire -- what a despicable operation!
Im actualy waiting right now for the empire estimate guy, Im glad I got to read these reports, thank you
I had purchased flooring a year ago, a few months after installation the floor was scratched. It took many phone calls to empire and one phone call to finance company when i finally got someone to come out and replace the damaged areas. Now the floor is buckling at the seams. Someone did come out and took pictures and said someone else would get back with me. After a few week i called customer service (answering machine) and left messages. As of this date no one has returned my calls. I will never buy from empire again. The floor doesn't hold up like they said it should.
I'm so glad I saw this ! I was looking for empires number via the web and saw this comment thread.
I'll find somebody else to quote it.
Thanks,
Joe!
JUST TRIED TO GET INFO ON PHONE TO NO VALE. THEY TOLD ME TO GET INFO I WOULD HAVE TO SET APT FOR SOMEONE TO COME TO MY HOME, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE... I'M GLAD I SAW THE COMPLIANT LIST.. I'LL BE LOOKING ELSEWHERE FOR MY CARPET... THEY SHOULD BE OUST...
I had a similar experience. I felt highly pressured in my home and ended up calling and canceling, however the carpet installers arrived at my home the following day to install the carpet and they stated they had no record of me canceling despite the fact that I spoke with the person who came out and measured. I felt humiliated and embarrassed when the installers came out anyway and I felt pressured once again to have them install the carpets/flooring anyway. I finally just called and spoke to the sales rep and was quite angry I felt as if I was being duped.
A few months later, I received several quotes for comparable flooring with a much lower price tag!
I think they get customers who are desperate to get things done and get those of us who are impatient and impulsive- and... naive.
overpriced, high pressure, arrogant, they are not helping our industry at all. Buy from your local experienced installer. Lower price, one on one service. I know, I am that guy. I value ALL of my customers. ALL OF THEM
Thank you for the ten Complaint postings. I read every one of them and then called to cance tomorrows appointment which I just made this afternoon.
Got through to a live body but when she heard that I was cancelling my appointment and that I was not interested in re-scheduling said she would transfer me to the person who could do that. Ten minutes later she returned and said I should call back tomorrow.
That caused me to become very factual and described my findings and consider this notice as a cancellation.
She put me thru to another person who offered me $50.00 off my purchase ( ON WHAT PRICE ?) if I re-scheduled.
That confirmed my readings and intent. We cancelled tomorrow's appointment. Thank you for the insight.
called yesterday for appointment to estimate said would be there between 9 and 11 on sat. it is now 12:30 and not hear yet! what a bunch of losers! I will go with my local HOME DEPOT! Thanks for the site. Later losers
Thanks for all the posts! It seems they operate similar to how carpet cleaners operate. I was going to schedule an appointment and have now decided to look elsewhere based on what I learned here.
I own a duplex and I am currently remodeling both sides. Thank you to all of you for your feedback on that company! I was going to set up an appointment with them but forgot their phone number from the TV add. I had to look it up on line and saw what a nightmare company they are ! I will let all of my friends know about that "caca" company.
I'm really glad to have found this site, I had just called to setup an appointment to get an estimate on carpet. Which by reading this Won't happen. I want to say thanks to all that have taken their time to help others not get scammed by companies like this one.
I just got online to look for Empire's phone number after seeing their tv commercial and I am so glad to come across this complaint listing. Thank you so much for the information. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT PROBABLY IS!
Go to the top of this website and type in Home Depot in the website search bar and over 200 complaints come up. That's less than Empire. Anyone who has every been to Home Depot knows what you get from minimum wage workers. Good luck at Home Depot, 3-4 weeks for special orders or the crap they have on hand in 3-4 days. Had nothing but horrible experiences with Home Depot.
Good Luck Dealing with HD, they are real professionals that get paid minimum wage, of course they don't care to work hard for you.
Laughing about the buttons to push when trying to find someone to help you in the departments. Just walk in and look around and ask questions most workers walk by you with their head down as if please don't dare ask me a question. Dealing with the managers is even better, have fun.
I'm sorry to mis-quote the complaints from typing in Home Depot above in the website search box. There are only 210 complaints and 21 pages of complaints.
I do home inspections, and I can't tell you how many complaints I hear and see about Empire. Carpet is thin and the installation is often substandard, particularly around seems and baseboards. I would never, ever have Empire install anything for me.
Had a very similar experience. I measured up after the rep had gone and my measurements came in smaller by over 25%. I did this to try and get a per foot cost (they wouldn't give me one - not their policy I was told) to compare and found the carpet was way overpriced as well.
The manager told me that I didn't know what I was doing and tried to spin me a line that the measurements were out because of the wastage they had to build in due to roll width.
Needless to say I didn't proceed.
They prey on our impatience and a desire for immediacy.
Do your homework and get reputable suppliers in.
Steve,
No matter where you get carpet you'll find that you need 15%-20% EXTRA in order to size the rooms correctly and put the seams in the best locations, this is NOT an underhanded move or spin. Carpet comes in 12 foot widths only. If your room is 10 foot by 8 foot, you're going to need a piece of carpet 12 x 8 and who do you think is supposed to pay for the waste? the company you buy from? Get real.
I was going to give Empire a call on getting a quote on two houses I recently purchased. After reading all these negative comments I have now decided NOT to even bother calling them. Obviously they are NOT even trying to please the public for IF they wanted to they would fix and repair their ways of doing business. Thank you so much for this site for I would have been mad to pay out all the money to find it was totally inadequate and NOT what I wanted.
I am in the carpet business. If you have 10 carpet estimators come to your house and measure you will have 10 different yardage amounts. We all do it differently and in fact, the guy who estimates higher is actually doing you a favor. The guy with the low estimate is going to put a bunch of scraps on your floor when seaming. He may even turn the carpet one direction in one room and another direction in an adjacent room. They do these things to lower their bid price and yes you will pay less for your carpet, but in the end the low guy has done you no favor. There are right ways and wrong ways to install carpet and ways that would be considered short cuts. Short cuts don't wear well and in the end you will not be happy when the imperfections become apparent. I would fear the low yardage guy over the higher yardage guy any day.
You have no idea what I have been going through with this company. They have been installing ceramic tile here since Feb, 1, 2008 and they still are not done. Today the guy comes in and tells me that he doesn't have a shop vac and if he couldn't use mine he couldn't do the job. I can't wait to call the company and tell them that one. They act as if they care. I know what a ripoff they are. My price on one room of carpeting and one room of ceramic tile was $7800.00 I almost fainted and I said way too high. He then told me the exact same thing he told you. " What do you want to pay" I really thought this was a reputable company. I guess money and advertising can really change minds. Maybe we should SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. I am so glad that I found your website. Please call me if you wish my name is Ken Bednarik, 11879 Cook Rd. , Canfield Ohio 44406 and my phone number is [protected] please feel free to call me and discuss this matter further. Have a good day.
WOW after reading all these complaints I CANCELLED my appointment.
I am so glad that I found this website. It has saved my family not only lots of money but lots of frustration also. I will be looking for local companies to do my entire house and not worrying about Empire Carpet.
Empire Carpets does't go into african american neiborhoods!
As a result of watching your many Carpet Commercial Advertisements on TV, I decided to call Empire Carpeting to set up an appointment to have a representative bring carpeting samples to my house. Since I just recently had my kitchen totally renovated, I felt a need to have an upgrade of my entire apartment. Therefore, I reached out to Empire Carpeting for improving my floors. However, when I called the number [protected], one of your representatives answered and she asked me several questions. The last question she asked me was for my ZIP Code. When I gave her my ZIP Code number 10451, she informed me that Empire Carpeting does not service my area. I asked her why they are not servicing my area and she responded, I do not know.
Consequently, I became very angry that in today’s world we have businesses like yours discriminating against various areas in New York. The mere fact that you are allowed to select the areas you service is a disgrace and insult to those neighbor hoods that you are refusing to service, especially in the Bronx. I am totally against your type of business making money off of certain people in the State of New York and then refusing to service other areas. Therefore, I am going to write the Mayor, Governor and the Attorney General about you discriminatory practices and ask that they ban your company from conducting business in our State.
Empire today carpets is the most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with.
****** DO NOT BUY FROM THEM AT ALL***************
I purchased blinds for my windows and they said I could finance the order on their credit card thru GE money. No payments for 1 year. They needed an 800.00 deposit and that would be refunded to me minus the 25.00 fee once the order was installed. That was on 12/29/07. The install date was on 2/6/08. I have yet to be refunded and have gone thru three billing cycles on my credit card. I now need to be refunded the 775.00 plus the three billing cycles finance charges. I have left 15 messages for the person that I have been dealing with, and have yet to get one return call. It is now 3/20/08 and I am fighting for what they owe me on my other card. I repeat do not buy from this horrible company.
Thank you for brining your concerns to the attention of Empire. We are dedicated to providing world-class customer service to every customer. We are currently looking into the concerns mentioned in your post. We will contact you within the next three business days. Please feel free to contact us at CustomerSupport@empiretoday.com for further assistance.
I purchased carpet from Empire in 2001. Over a period of 2 years I begain to notice that the carper seem to have what I thought to be dust around the edges. I would vacuum but it would not go away. I pointed out to my husband who said it may be just dirt. By 2004 it was evident that the carpet had faded not just on the edges but now it was under the dinning room table. I began calling Empire I spoke with customerservice who said they would put a claim in and send someone out. When no one came out I put in another request. This went on until the fourth time I was given the District Manager in my area. She was no help. She told me that the company did not cover fading. Finally I got her to agree to come out. She never did. I spoke with customerservice again. This time I was given the Chicago office who offered to send a rep out to sell me more carpet. This was unacceptable. After speaking with customer service yet again I was given back to the Chicago office. This time an attempt was made to put me through to the Regional Manager. I was told he was on the phone and I was being connected. I got his voicemail instead. Lastly, after calling Chicago yet again a person who identified herself as the manager said Empiere was not responsible and that perhaps the o zone or bad air had caused the problem but either way my warranty had now expiired. I responded the warrantyt had not expired when I initially called and defective carpet should always be covered as it should not have been sold in the first place!
I will not buy anything from Empire. There Ad. on the TV and radio is driving me an others I Know nuts. Every stupid station has it on. I would like to smash that little ###. I am a easy going guy but this gets my goat. This is as bad as the head on AD. You turn to next station and there he is again. I go to work and turn on the radio, there the ### is again. Lets shut him down. Bill
Yes it is very true that actual verses what you really need to carpet a room/house will not be the same. For those that are inexperienced 20% over actual is a save bet, for those that know carpet and how to truly measure that might not be the case. An experience carpet person will measure the entire job and then minimize the extra that it will take, based on the layout of the job and the width of the carpet chosen. Most carpet does come in 12 ft width's there are others that are wider, but those are very few.
Empire is a rip off
Every 3 months since I purchased rugs from this crooked place they need to be stretched again and I paid 75 dollars the 1st time, 3 months later they needed to be stretched again. They were stretched about 5 times already now EMPIRE wants me to sign a release letting them off the hook and not letting them be resonsible for the stretching ever again. IF they were installed properly this would not happed unless they were poor carpets which seems to be the case. If anyone can advise me if they had a similar situation please contact me.
They are crooks, and the guy who comes out to stretch them is nuts too saying he owned a rug company, then why the hell is he working for Empire the CROOKED rug place? Call for action on your local news station, alert anyone you know not to buy from them!
Thanks for all the information, I am calling to cancel my appointment for myself and my mother in law, my sister and her husband also. I will stick with a reputable company.
thanks for all the feedback.
I am trying to find information about Empire like the owners name and I can not find it. That company appears to be very simmiular to a company by the name of Pacsetters Corp. That company had many companints they caused many problems for home owner than one day they sold the company than the company filed Bankrupcy. I am in the opinion that those two companies are one in the same. Maybe somebody can add information inorder to make the connections.
I had a very bad experience with Empire Carpet. The sales rep who came to my house in Gardena was drunk and talking with a force selling - I was ready to give him the "Karate chop" and throw him out of the stair. I would not patronize Empire Carpet even if they were the only existing carpet store.
Apprehensive in Gardena
I bought carpeting from Empire, and I have to say it is the worst carpeting I've ever seen. I was overcharged and the carpet is very cheap quality. The samples they bring is the not the same type of carpeting they install. My carpets are 5 years old, and they look like they been in my home for over ten years. Even when I had them cleaned, it made them worst. The carpeting was not installed properly, I called them back, when they returned they did not correct the problem. I have loose carpeting all over my house. I hate the carpeting and believe me, I'm telling everybody I know to never, ever us this company. They are crooks and rip-off artists.
As I read the complaints, I couldn't get over how one person (who never bought anything) lays down a complaint and everyone falls in line like blind ducks and does whatever the first person tells them to do. An intelligent person would at least investigate any company and find that there are two parts to every story. The waste factor of 15% to 20% is normal, but people can't figure that out. I'll bet someone is also comparing an expensive carpet from one company to another person's cheap carpet and think they are getting ripped off on the price by the first company. A good job isn't cheap and a cheap job isn't good.