Empire Today review: Steer clear of empire today! 102

I was wondering if anyone who had this problem with this place should be writing to the Better Business Bureau. So they can investigate the procedures and practices that are made by this company, whether it is a legitimate procedure or not. The BBB will definitely go out there and speak to these people.
Of course every salesman will try to sell the MOST expensive item on their list. What salesman wouldn't? The result will be the consumer. I am glad I read these comments because I saw the advertisement on t.v. and I was thinking about calling them, since I read these comments, I am thinking twice about calling them. Don't forget don't let salespeople fool you, you have to pay attention to what they are trying to sell and always ask for paper proof and writing of what everything costs.

The difference between Empire Today and all the other places is they have their contractors under their own roof so they know what is going on and they pay a good price to the installer. Therefore the installer is happy to be working for them and is more likely to do a good job. For instance Home Depot contracts all their flooring out to a sheisty company named US Installations Group. They pay their installers 1/2 of what empire pays and convieniently forget to pay a couple installers each week. Therefore the installer hates his job (but needs food on the table) and could give a crap how your floor looks when he leaves. Oh by the way ...The BBB is just a club you join to say your a great company. If you don't belong to it "you suck ".

I wush I had done my research prior to contracting with Empire Today. I am so unhappy with the way they left my kitchen and foyer. And to add insult to injury. . .I am beingtold that in order for them to fix their errors, I would have to pay for them to fix the botched up job that was done in my home. I am so angry about this. I tried calling to see if a representative could come to my home and assess what needed to be done to make me a satisfied customer and was placed on hold for 57 minutes. Then awhen a rep did come to the phone. . .they disconnect the phone call. I placed several calls after the installation to express my dissatisfation and was told they had no record of my calls.

IT TOOK THEM THE NEXT DAY AFTER MY INITIAL CALL TO COME TO MY HOME. . .BUT IS TAKING THEM FOREVER TO CALL ME BACK TO HELP CLEAR UP THE PROBLEM.

I AM SO UNHAPPY!

This in all by 55 years of life is the worst Company I have encountered.
I was sucked in by false advertisment and promises.
I wish we could all team up and recover our losses.
This is what I founf
1. lies
2. false ads,
3. no show up on scheduled days
4.lateness in coming to do what little they do
5. poor costomer relations
6. excessive hold times on phone
7.not returning calls8. rudness on the phone
a. interrupting customer
b.twisting facts
c.giving the run around
d. saying I 'm sorry and continuing same poor service
e. defending their co.
f.not answering phone
g. will not give info
1. home office
2 their legal dept.
3. not telling who they are (operaters)
4. not telling or getting supervisor when requested
h. hang up and customers

My sales person said " you have to schedule your time around our schedule, your just one order and one person, we have more orders than yours" I informed him on the principle I was brought up with " the customer is always right". He response was " that is not our company policy".
I tried to contct their home office in Northbrook IL. and got ame treatment.

I AM AN IDIOT. YOU HAVE TO AN IDIOT TO DO BUSINESS WITH EMPIRE TODAY. I MADE THE MISTAKE, I HOPE OTHERS WILL READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE THEY GET TAKEN IN BY EMPIRE. THIS THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEALTH WITH. THEY NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN. MY COMPLAINTS ARE SO LONG I HAVE NOT FOUND ENOUGH TIME AND SPACE TO LIST.

I AM AN AGENT AND DISAGREE...1. TO THE ISSUE FOR YOU ALL THAT WANT A BREAKDOWN TO "EVERYTHING" WE SELL..LET ME SHOW U HOW *OTHER COMPANIES* PUT ON YOUR REQUESTED "ITEMIZED" BILL:

EXP: CARPET PER YD. : $1.00
INSTALL: $500.00
MICS: $1500.00
TAX: $7.00
$2008 TOTAL

NOW IF WE JUST PUT WHATEVER WE WANT YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE PURCHASED? OMG WATEVER!

A friend of mine had Empire come out to put carpet in her bedroom. The guy showed up DRUNK! She ended up telling him to leave after he was there just a few minutes. Unbelievable! That's what made me google them and read this board. I also have heard from others that their prices are outrageous. I guess people just call because they see their TV ads all the time. Like that makes them reputable or something.

I am a Professional Flooring installer in business for 10+ years. I have owned and managed my own store where we dealt with walk in customers and also in home consultations. While it is NOT possible to make everyone happy, I always took the time to teach all my employees (yes, I said EMPLOYEES- not subcontractors), how to behave and perform when in someones home.

This is an INVESTMENT for the customer. When you decide to make any kind of investment into your home, You not only are trying to enhance your living space but also to increase the value of your home.

I advise each and every person out there to review all possible aspects of these companies before making your decision.

I have read so many complaints that say, "We used Empire or National Floors Direct because they are a big company, as opposed to a smaller company because they seem less likely to run from the problems". This assumption is totally wrong because We, the little guys live on our reputation. It is our reputation and only that, that keeps us in bussiness. I do not have a multi-million dollar advertisment blitz on tv. I have word of mouth. We cannot afford to have an unhappy customer go complain to BBB or to an online complaint board.

As the economy dwindles, and we all are looking for a great deal, I advise everyone that wants to invest to not only turn local, but simply do your homework. Contractors only get a bad rap from the bad experiences. Do your homework, take a few days- or weeks, to educate yourself about the product and services you are purchasing, an educated consumer is a happy customer.

Like all of our Mothers have taught us, "IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE..."

I had quite an experience with Empire. I live three miles up a winding road with no cell phone service so I said to put in the notes that they HAD to call me before they got here so I could open the gate. Otherwise, I would have no way of knowing when they were coming. This simple request ending up with us missing each other 3 times. Call before you come. Rocket science? I think not. Anyway, the guy came and was friendly enough. The carpet was for a motorhome so he showed me some... I want to call it "motel 6" looking carpet. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the 6 circus colors he had so he came back with more. I found one I loved and the price was more than I expeceted but according to him since it was a motorhome it wouldn involve lots of hand cut in pieces (which is true). So the next day two guys who barely spoke english (fortunately I know some) pulled up in a pick up truck with two rolls of carpet sticking about five feet out of the back of their truck. Not only did they not know it was for a motorhome, they did the measurements wrong and didn't bring enough carpet. They had to cancel their other job and someone else came with more carpet. They were nice to me but I could tell they were upset and I asked them if they were paid by the job which he confirmed as true. The guys worked hard and I felt bad about how labor intensive their job was, but boy did they f**k up! A huge noticeable seam, old carpet not taken out, carpet coming up in places, four places with the old carpet untouched. They honestly did work hard, but they did a horrible job. I called customer service and they were actually very diligent and kept right on it. They said someone would come back out to inspect my concerns but they ended up sending another set of guys to re-do the carpet. After taking one look the new guy in Spanish said "The guy who did this is my friend, but the work he did is no good". He showed me more spots that were messed up. They ended up spending another entire redoing most of the work. It's been about two weeks now since my carpet was installed. It looks beautiful and I'm pleased. I think Empire is kind of like the lottery. Some times you hit the jackpot and have a low pressure salesman and great installation, but more often than not that you will have a few bumps in the road. I received four calls over the last two days making sure I was now completely satisfied. For those of you out there with problems, you've invested a lot of money and deserve a quality product. If you are searching for a company to install your carpet... research research reseach

Now my dilema... how do I start paying for my no interest carpet. I just called GE with their India based call center and they had no idea what I was talking about. I can't find any paperwork on how to make a payment... I guess I will have to wait until "normal business hours" to find out... goodie.

I wish I could upload pictures of my kitchen floor fo all to see.

I had empire install new flooring in my kitchenn and foyer. I had to pull the drawre out on the botom of my stove to get a lid thatt fell behid it and oprevented me from closing it.

Much to my surprise. . .the floor was not there. . .the stopped just around the stove and refrigerator nothing under it.

I am at this point beyond angry, mad, frustrated and any other term that weould be fitting for this problem and inconvenience

I took multiple photos and think it is about time I sought legal assistance. It is bad enought that all my closet doors (which wer taken down fr the carpet installation) continue to fall and will no close properly any more.

How are they gettig away with making so many miserale with their imperfections and falsities they present to the public?

How do they sleep at night and face themselves in the mirror in the morning knowing their job isn't carpeting and flooring but riping people off daily.

What I think empire should mean is:

Empire Meets Poor Installation Request Everyday! That's rught. . .we'll install the next day and you will have to pay for our mistakes for the rest of your life. . .guarenteed! So give us a call and let us come show you how we can ### up your house too! Call 1-800-YES WE LIE!

Interesting. I was actually online looking for Empires website, but this one was at the top of the list. Curious, I opened it and have read every comment...even those by the "employees" of the company, which, by the way, make them look bad and confirm their poor customer service. I am still considering doing business with them, but having been burned in the past, my approach is always more aggressive and proactive. I will have them draw out my conditions including, work guarantee to my satisfaction, guarantee of installation date and time, expectation of response to and completion of repairs, if needed, etc, but I have also request all contact numbers that I will need in case I am not satisfied with the job and need adjustments done. After varifying that each number is valid by speaking with each person regarding my expectations I request a letter head with their signature confirming our discussion faxed to me. I will also draw out a detailed list of these expectations when I make the decision to proceed and have my sister (a notary) there to notarize the "contract". This gives you a legal foot to stand on. Include things like, if you have to seek arbitration, the business will be responsible for reimbursing costs accrued therein. The reason I am posting this, is because this IS HOW I DO BUSINESS on anything costly including purchasing a vehicle. If a company is non-compliant, I choose another. You are entering into a contract and you have to put yourself in a position of control and let the company "working for you" or "providing a service or product" that you are in charge and their are reprecutions to poor action. It is your money and they need you to stay in business. Too often people feel helpless and usurp control to those, as I see it, are working for you. If your maid came in and didn't perform her duties to your satisfaction, would you pay her...if you went to your job and your performance fell well below their expectations, would you have job security? Since when has the person providing the service EVER HAD CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. Think about it. There are many small businesses out there who desperately need the support of their communities and are appreciative of the business you bring them. One more thing; what ever happened to "you'll get paid when the job is done to my satisfaction". You think they would be more available if you were delaying their payday?

One more thing. I'll admit conducting business this way can sometimes be time consuming, however, when an agreement is made, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it will be done my way to my satisfaction. Large companies leave the consumer feeling overwhelmed in regards to challenging them to seek justice. They don't have to pick up their phones to answer your calls and they feel they can afford to compromise customer satisfaction because there is one more to replace you when you choose another path. They know that, like most people, you cannot afford the time, money or energy it will take to take them to court and their lawyers will intimidate you into believing that it will all be nothing more than a big waste of your time and your money. People have lost touch with "the principal beyond the deed". If consumers started approaching business deals with the same bureaucratic tactics businesses used to protect themselves, the whole fundamentals of customer service would change, but you can't expect others to take a stand if you won't. For that reason, nothing ever gets done. People always say, "someone else will do it" and if everyone said that...do you see my point. Sometimes you have to take a stand if you expect change. Those in power only have it because someone allows them to, but if you take him/her out of his/her big office and have them stand before you...all you'll see is another person, just like you, standing there.

I was in the process of filling up a request for someone to come to my house to do an estimate.

I am not going to be doing that now.

Thank you all,

me

Here's what I've noticed about Empire. The moment the sales rep arrives to the time they leave, it’s a rehearsed script. 1) They try to warm up to you (ask about children, play with your dog). 2) They tell you a story about the history of Empire Today. 3) They go over product (sales rep has very little knowledge here). 4) They go over the pricing (they start very high so their discounted price looks good). 5) They call the sales manager if you refuse to buy (to get an additional discount). 6) The sales rep won't leave until they get the sale. 7) The sales rep will try to close the deal and install it next-day (so you can't cancel the order or shop around). 8) When they leave, I'm sure the sales person calls the sales manager laughing.

Here's what I suggest. 1) Call Empire for a quote. 2) Listen to their story. 3) Watch how much the price changes from their first quote to their last quote. 4) Ask sales rep why they didn't give you their best price the first time. 5) Tell them you're going to shop around because you don't need it next-day. 6) Shop around with other companies (you work too hard for your money). 7) Carpet is carpet, buy from the cheapest person you can find. The installers are all the same. 8) Laugh at the Empire sales person for quoting the highest price in the industry.

I live in Michigan and read all the complaints the day after I had the Empire salesperson come out and give me an estimate on my family room for carpet. I had a great experience with all aspects of the meeting. I was worried about the installation however, because of the complaints. I must say that the three installers were awesome! They even fixed the carpet (at no charge) in my closet where it was separating from the metal piece transitioning to my bathroom. We got an estimate from a friend on less quality plush, he wanted us to remove the old carpet, pad and furniture and he wanted to charge the same price that Empire quoted us! We purchased a high end plush carpet with 8# pad from Empire and love it! NO COMPLAINTS HERE!

Empire Today installers are at my house right as I write this. they arrived on time but the installer asked how I was going to pay. I said by "check as soon as you are done". He then informed me that they don't accept personal checks, just cash or a bank check. I immediately called customer service and told them I would not leave my house to perfect strangers to go to the bank to get a bank check and the rep said it is company policy to not accept personal checks. I told her I had paid the salesman with a personal check for the deposit and she said sales reps can accept personal checks but not the installers. I then asked to have contact information for the company president (which they are required to provide by law) and she said she didn't have that information. Hmmmmm...not goo. She then said they could take a debit or credit card over the phone. I told her, not until the work is done and I am satisfied. She did give me a phone number for the admin assistant to the president which I will call on Monday (it is now late Saturday morning) to voice my extreme displeasure with all this. What kind of company does not inform its customers of payment issues and does not invoice after the job is done? I've had much work done on my house from roof replaced to new thermal windows and in all cases the contractors sent an invoice after the job was done and I sent a personal check in a timely manner, no problems. But Empire? they run their business like it was some kind of third world illegal drug transaction, cash up front or a bank check. Not at all a professional attitude. Do not use Empire for any reason!

I had a terrible experience this past month with Empire's Window Treatment division.

I needed to replace broken vertical blinds that came with my home when I purchased 7 years ago. I really didn't have the money but it became a necessity. I decided on Roman Shades. Since there are no good pictures on Empire's site, I checked others to make sure they are what I wanted.

Unlike when I purchased carpet and flooring, the salesperson DID NOT have a sample. What he had was a book with pictures. The picture showed a white roman shade set inside white moulding on a white wall. I didn't want white, so there were pieces of colored fabric in the book as well. From this small sample I chose the moss green.

When the installer came to measure, I told him I wanted the shade inside the moulding. He told me I wouldn't like it like that - and to believe him because he has been doing this for 20 years - and measured from the outside corners of my moulding.

What no one told me and what I could not see because there are no samples and no picture of a roman shade in a color other than white, is that the metal housing at the top of the shade is white - it does not match the shade fabric. If you look at roman shades at other websites as I had done, they all have the housing in the same fabric as the shade.

I have a deep colored wall and green fabric that goes from corner to corner covering my moulding AND AN INDUSTRIAL WHITE METAL STRIP ACROSS THE TOP. I am extremely unhappy and have spoken to many people including Maggie in customer service, Helen Brown in the "complaint resolution" dept, and Tim Sherwin from "the office of the president." I got the same answer from all of them. TOO BAD - YOU BOUGHT THEM.

I challenged them, especially the guy from the president's office, so show me where I would have known I was getting a white metal housing with a green shade and he said "I don't know that you would."

The are hideous and no one was wiling to help. I asked for my money back - no way. I asked for a different blind (one that comes with a valance of sorts) - no way. I asked them to just resize what I have so they sit inside the moulding the way that I had originally asked the measurer - I figured if there was white all around the shade I the housing would blend in - AGAIN: NO WAY.

I asked to speak to the president and was told NO. Tim Sherwin told me they are a privately held company and he did not have to provide that information. I asked to speak to his boss and he said NO.

The worst part of the whole experience - beside the 1000.00 dollars I spent on horrible blinds - is the lack of concern or understanding on Maggie, Helen, and Tim's part. They all said the same thing - EXACTLY THE SAME THING - it was obvious there is a script and no matter what I said or how upset I became (truly - like most people I do not have 1000 dollars to throw away) they all said the same words.

This was the worst service I have ever received and the worst major purchase I have ever made.

Obviously I will never again purchase from Empire Today.

ITS AMAZING HOW A COMPANY LIKE THIS STAY'S IN BUSINESS IN THESE ECONOMIC TIME! (A TALE OF 2 EXPERIENCES)

I own several properties that I rent out to tenants. Two years I had Empire come in to give me a price on carpeting one of these properties. Unknowingly, while I was out of the room, the Empire Rep hit on my wife, asking her for her cell phone number. When I called to complain they knocked $100 off the price and the install went without a hitch.

I should have learned my lesson and I should have looked at this web site before I scheduled Empire again. But last month (April) I had an Empire rep come to my house to give me pricing on a laminated floor throughout my entire first floor. I broght them in because they advertised to be the lowers price (guarentied). When the Rep walked in, I told him he had taken my neighbors parking space. Thats when he dropped the F Bomb and laughingly said " Oh EFF them if they can't just park somewhere else for 15 minutes." He was trying to be funny.
After it was all said and done, he was almost $2000 higher than our lowest price. And all along he kept knocking the competition. We ended up going with a local privately owned dealer who has their own installers. Their pricing was much lower than Empires so called price guaranty.
It would appear that Empire hirers the lowest of the low as their sales reps. These people are plain out and out trash! Their pricing is not what they claim it to be. I am glad my local dealer told me about this web site. I am a manager in a very large company. If my people would have acted like this they would have found themselves in an unemployment line. I would be willing to bet if Empire keeps approval record rating, that the rating would be less then 50% approval.

All right, I've read enough! Here is my own experience:

About 6 months ago I invited ET to my house after being bombarded by their ads in the Dallas area. The sales rep was actually a nice fella who had just moved from LA feeing the recession, and did a nice enough job that I signed them for a $12, 000 flooring job in my house. A day or two later, however, I sent the cancellation notice to them after I realized the price was too high by about 30%. Got a call from ET, and another from the salesman, both courteous and trying to win my business back. I said no, thanks, since they couldn't lower their price to reach market average. And that was it. No deal, but also no fuss at all - in fact all I talked to were polite and professional to the extreme.

I am writing my testimony here to balance all the negative complaints I read in this site. Anyone who knows statistics will understand that a company of this size has many, many thousands of installations EVERY MONTH! It's a statistical certainty that some will go bad. And is also a statistical certainty that some of their customers will have VERY difficult personalities and weird world views. It's unavoidable: you serve enough people and you eventually will meet them. So it's no surprise what is written in this site - in fact, it's even expected of any large company with with many, many customers.

The bottom line is this: WHAT WILL YOUR INSTALLATION BE LIKE? I don't know, of course. You could be the lottery winner and end up with the bad sales rep, installer, service rep, etc. BUT... odds are strong that you won't. Most likely, your installation will be flawless, as the vast majority of the jobs they deliver.

BTW, I do not work for ET and even canceled the work I had signed up for. I think they overcharge. But having my own company and dealing with many residential clients myself has taught me to examine complaints in the proper light. And that is just being fair to ET as well as their prospective customers.

I find this site and the complaints against Empire Today a bit disconcerting as I have on 3 different occasions purchased flooring from Empire and been happy each time. Not to say that some of these people haven't had issues with Empire but they are completely different from my experience. I would buy from them again and have recommend them to friends that have also had good experiences, when using Empire. Jean in Nashville, Tn

I had hired Empire Today to install carpet in my house on 6/27/09. The installers came and installed carpet on bedrooms and stairs, but they did NOT install carpet on the entrance hallway leading up to the stairs. The order form states "Hallway" is included, and our sales representative Mr. Joseph Orelien had mentioned stairs and hallway in the price quoted.

The installers said they had no more carpet left to do the entrance hallway and left. I did NOT sign the complete installation page. I intend to dispute your charge.

When I called the sales rep, he said Empire will have to charge me MORE money to do the entrance hallway as only top hallway was included, I WAS MISINFORMED and was assured that BOTH hallways would be carpeted.

I have digital pictures of the entrance hallway that has little carpet padding thrown on it and is UNFINISHED, and NOT carpeted as promised to me by Empire. The rep. wants to charge me more money to do the job right. This is unacceptable!

I chose Empire Today after reading about good customer service and fast installation PROMISES, I was offer NEITHER. I am extremely unsatisfied with my experience with Empire Today and I will post this on EVERY internet discussion board I can find to inform other consumers to BEWARE of Empire Today unless my issue is resolved

The guy in charge at the empire today in Monroeville, PA (Kevin) takes bribes/extra money from installers to give them the bigger jobs, and pushes aside the better installers with great ratings. They hire immigrants over Americans and pay them better. Our pay wasn't worth the work (if the job is 60 sy, they charge 2500 to customer(ripoff), give installer about $240, job takes 7 hours, and we had to pay helper outta that and taxes, which ends up we just made gas money. ((the sales guy makes a way bigger profit just for ripping you off)) no matter what the carpet installers have to do, carpet lift, moving furniture, scrap up old padding, etc, the pay is same as if regular install, no extra for the work to installer, even though they charged the customer for that)
Empire today also makes the carpet installer collect the money, money order and makes them call in the credit card payments, when this should be the sales representative job. the carpet installer has enough to deal with going into the job.
Home depot is much the same, except they don't make installer collect money.
Yes it is better going to your local small carpet stores, you get better service, and get a clear square yard price with no added charges.
ps. Most carpets, the company gets for $3 to $9 sy, padding no more than $1.50 sy, installer gets around 4 sy most people going to empire pay over $25 sy. even at 60% off. They make a big profit off ya. (2500 divided by 60 = 41.00 sy those people paid for cheap carpet)

I had briefly read over this board after I had scheduled ET to come to my Brooklyn apartment to install a floor. I thought that, yes, many people had complained, but perhaps, as a previous commenter had suggested, these were unique and bad experiences and mine would be different. Someone from another state had actually recommended them to me.

During the first assessment window, they didn't show up, I just waited around, away from work, in an empty apartment. The guy finally left a voicemail after it was past the three-hour window, saying "well, it's after three anyway." I rescheduled. This time a seemingly amicable woman showed up. She was very chipper and rapidly measured the rooms. When I mentioned that the closets and certain areas didn't have to have flooring put in, she said that didn't matter because it was insignificant. We sat down, and she instantly came up with an estimate that was 250% of the other estimates I had heard for the place. Unbelievable high! I told her thanks for the estimate, and I would let her know what I decided in the coming days. That's when things started to go sour.

She turned the pressure up very high — saying how much better their product was, etc. I showed her a previous estimate, she called home base, and they said they could match it. It seemed very odd to me that their prices were THAT flexible! What was the actual installation cost? I told her that I would think about it, and just as other customers here have complained about, she said that I would have to sign today, right now if I wanted it to happen. I reiterated my desire to hold off, and she pressed on. I said I could drive to the store, and she said they didn't have a store, I said I could call, and she said they couldn't do it by phone. Why not? "That's just how it is." It became very creepy, actually, as her attitude became more and more angry. I wanted her out of my new home. She finally said, "Why would you pay the same amount for inferior work!?" in a violently interrogative tone. Of course, how would she know the other workers were inferior?

It took a long time to get rid of her, but it left a bad feeling with me. There was no way I was going to pay for it after they treated me like an idiot.

It's a telling sign that, as of this posting, two of the top three Google results are complaints about the company. They probably were able to get away with this before the internet blew up and are a little over their heads.

I'm sure there are good parts of this company, and perhaps certain locals are more poisoned than others — I suggest that commenters write where they are geographically.

Here's 1 point for Brooklyn, NY (They service all of New York)

Empire install two bath and shower liners for me almost a year ago. When I first inquired about their products, a salesman was at my house within a days. Just recently I call to request a technician to come out to assess some dis-coloring, small black spots, mold and rust stains forming on the shower liners and the chaulking, but no one has showed up or call. Its been over three weeks. We contacted the Coporate office several times and they said a local office will contact us within 48hours. This is bull...They were very quick in sending out a Salesman to get our business, but procrastinate when there is a service call. I'm going to contact every TV channel they advertise with along with the BBB.

S. Gaskins

I think that people need to do a little more research on a company before thinking they got ripped off.
One of the most common things I'm seeing in all these comments is that the salesman wouldn't give a price per foot or a itemized lists.

I recently had empire out and when they came to install my hardwood and carpet they were about 40 feet short and (unlike ANY other flooring company out there) empire didnt charge me a dollar more...because the salesman priced for the job and not for the square foot it saved hours of stress and delay on my end

And lastly Empire is the oldest flooring company in the nation and even though they have a MUCH longer track record empire has the 2nd highest customer service score out of ANY COMPANY OUT THERE NOT JUST FLOORING COMPANIES! With the 28000 homes a month empire does with carpet alone (340, 000 per year) and over the last 3 years or so only having 50 or 60 complaints is only due to the human condition. If empire has 1000 people who arent happy, which is about 10 times the number of complaints you see on this site, it would still have 98.5% of their customer base having a good experiance like me.

I hope people looking at these things are taking this stuff into consideration before making any kind of decision because i had one of the best customer service exeriances i've ever had

DON'T USE EMPIRE TODAY! OVERPRICED AND RUDE!

We are currently researching your concerns. We are dedicated to service and satisfaction. A representative from our customer service team will continue to be in contact with you to assist with all your concerns.

Sincerely,
Consumer Advocate Team
Empire Today, LLC

I scheduled carpet installation for my home this spring. The day of installation the installers instantly came in my home and said they were unable to move my dining room china cabinet, they said it looked very expensive and was fearful that it would be damaged if moved. He offered to cut around my cabinet but wasnt sure how it would turn out. He than called the company and explained to them that he was fearful to move the furniture and that he offered to cut around the cabinet unless the customer wanted to be responsible for moving the furniture.
The customer service person on the telephone offered to take $500.00
of the price if i would consider cutting around my cabinet or having family members move the furniture the day of installation. I was completly insulted by both offers. The installers that was sent to my house spoke very poor english which cause a language barrier.He told me that he was a private contractor and was only being paid $250.00 to do this job by Empire. He stated that he would be responsible and would have to pay for the damages himself NOT Empire. I asked him to leave and cancel the order. Thank GOD that I didnt give them a deposit!
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE ****BEWARE****

I just had Empire come today 7/27/10. They gave me a window of 8:00 to 6:00 and they showed up at 6:30 pm. I wasted a vacation day waiting on them. When they got there I proceeded to look at the carpet and indicated to the installer that it did not appear to be the same color as what I had chosen. I had matched it up with colors in my sofa and the carpet was clearly a dfferent color. Also on the tag of the carpet it read Sand Dollar... at the time I picked the carpet I was told it was Sand Storm. The installer proceeded to call the saless person Leo who said he had made a mistake when he wrote it down and the color was Sand Dollar and not Sand Storm that Sand Storm wass a berber carpet thaty he got mixed up.. They asked me what I wanted to do and I said that Leo said it was the color I picked out and told them ok to install. I was upstairs for most of the installation to stay out of they way but as they were doing my hallway I noticed that they color was really a lot different than what I had requested. I then called Empire with my concerns and they told me I could either tell the to cease installing or let them finish and then talk to my sales person. I spoke to the salesperson who reiterated that it was the carpet I picked out and that I should learn to live with it. Of course I was pissed... I think that he misread the color of the carpet when he wrote up my sales information. Now I have carpet that does not match my living room colors. How do you rectify this type of situation when you are not satisfied, does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do. Do I talk to someone legal to see if I can make them replace it. I AM POSITIVE THAT THE CARPET INSTALLED IS NOT WHAT I PICKED OUT... IT'S NOT VISIBLE TO THE EYE UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY PUT IT DOWN. Why should I have to pay for something that I am not happy with. If anyone has any ideas on how I should handle this please post a response. I WILL NEVER REFER ANYONE TO EMPIRE AND IN THE FUTURE I WOULD NEVER USE THEM AGAIN AND SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT EITHER.. I should have read the reviews for using them, if I had I certaintly would not have... I assumed they were goood because of all the advertisement... BUYER'S BEWARE. They rush you thru the process to get the business... but when they've made the mistake there is no remedy...you just have to live with it as the sales person said to me... If you live in Philadelphia or the surrounding area beware of the sales person named LEO i don't think he knows his colors.

I'm sure Empire Today doesn't want to be known for all of this dis-satisfaction, however, when you want a service done, you should choose a local company. When your car breaks down, do you call 1-800-auto-fix?
I have been in the carpet install business for 30+ years.
When someone says they install "next day", do you really think they have an unlimited amount of stock of a product that has thousands of choices, so they can send a crew the next day? Meanwhile, a reputable installer isn't going to hang around a warehouse waiting for jobs to pop up the next day. Good installers have jobs scheduled weeks in advance in most cases.
When you buy carpet from national chains "Empire Today, Costco, B.J's, Home Depot, Lowes, and even department stores, you are not getting professional help at any level.
The store has an expensive display of samples. They hire a local contractor to supply a person to advise and estimate. The contracxtor gets a cut, the estimator gets a commision, as well as a fee for measurement in most cases.
Then, the carpet is ordered and paid for by the consumer.
Then, the materials are sent to a local contractor, who hires local sub-contractors to do the work. The first contractor is paid a reasonable rate, but to make money, he has to hire someone to do the work at a rate that leaves a profit for him too. What you get, is incompetent installers with no experience, who aren't making enough money to pay attention to quality or complaints.
If you look at the help wanted at any site, and you see ads for installers that say "Background Check Required", you can be assured that this is an ad for one of these contractors, because that is all that is required of thier installers. Nevermind experience, insurance, etc.
It's fine to buy your materials at these mega stores even though they are over-priced, but if you want quality, look for your own LOCAL contractor.
Explain how these home improvement stores can install a whole house of carpet for $39.00!
How much interest will your installer have in providing you with a quality job?

Jeff Eckstein was the Empire representative that came to the home that we are in the processing of buying. He came in introduced himself and we introduced all that was there. He said that we was going to get the samples from the car and would be back. Excited to start the process of picking out new flooring we waited for Jeff to come back in. He came in with 4 carpet samples and 2 hard wood books. Not knowing I looked at my husband as to that is it, but didn’t say anything to Jeff. He then proceeded to throw the samples of carpet one by one on the floor and said “This is good, this is better, this is even better and this is the best”. I started to laugh because it was funny to me that a sales person would introduce carpet in that manner. Then he opened the books of hardwood and set them behind the carpet samples that he threw on the floor.
Jeff then asked what rooms were being done; we explained that we were going to be doing the living room and hall as one color, each of the bed rooms and the kitchen and bathrooms. He then said that he was going to take measurements of the house. We thought that once he completed that he would then sit and explain the difference in the carpet and the hardwood to us. Once he completed the measurements he asked which carpet we liked, I liked the two middle carpet samples due to the information that I read on the back of the samples. He never asked about the hardwood, he then said “I am going to use your counter for a desk and work up prices for both for you”. I was stunned that he didn’t want to explain anything to us. Once he finished he gave us the price and I asked well we would like to the living room and hall with the butterscotch oak hardwood. He said “which one is that”, my husband took him into the other room and showed him the one that we wanted and then he started to refigure the price for the hardwood. Once he told me the price and then said and oh the carpet would be less and then figure the price for that.
My Mother was asking him questions and he rudely answered them with out looking at her as if she were crazy. With my Mother working in the carpet business a couple of years ago she had questions to who would come out if there were to be a problem with the carpet. She also asked about the warranty of the carpet since she didn’t read the back of the sample. He said it’s on the back and flip the sample up and then proceeded to read the information on the back of the sample. He never once looked at her while answering the questions that she was asking.
We then picked out the colors which all the samples that he brought in were shades of brown or very dark blue and red. With the house that we are purchasing the rooms are not that big and therefore we don’t want to get dark colors to make the rooms look smaller. I asked if there were any other colors and he said no that is the only colors it came in. He then said that he was going to get us 6-7/16 padding and when asked about other padding he said that is the only one they have. So not knowing any better we didn’t question the padding or the color shades. I picked the colors from the sample not truly happy with the selections that I had to choose from but what choice did I have.
Jeff then wrote up the orders for the carpet and said that they would be out tomorrow and install the carpet. I explained again that we were in the process of buying the home and we would be going to settlement on December 15, 2010 and would like them to come out the 16th if not sooner to install. He then told us that he would need $100 deposit to lock in the price of the carpet. I said something about the buy one get two free and he said the carpet is on sale. After he wrote all the orders he started going over the pre-installation check list with us. When he said that they would tear up the old carpet and remove all the old carpet we told him that we needed to have a solution put on the floor prior to installation as there was stuff on the carpet that soaked through to the boards and we wanted to treat the floor prior. He then said well we don’t do that you will have to do that yourself. We told him that was fine that we would tear the carpet up and fix the flooring but would they be able to get rid of the old carpet. He stated that they would do that.
When Jeff got to the part about the seams he said that due to the size of the room that we would have seams showing that they would not be able to get the seams out. My Mother made the comment that a good installer you wouldn’t be able to see the seams, Jeff said that they are the best and there would be seams showing. At that point he started to mention that he has been doing this type of work since 1966 and there are going to be seams. He mention to us at least 4 times that he had been doing this since 1966 and that he started because he needed to make more money to get married to his first wife.
Once we went over the rest of the contract we signed and he asked what my Husband’s favorite football team was, he said well he didn’t really have one but he liked the Redskins and the Ravens. Jeff then asked which he would prefer to watch and Kelly said the Redskins so he proceeded to tell him about that the raffle and Kelly filled out the sheet that was given to him. My husband helped him out with the sample’s that he brought in and that is when he noticed that he had a trunk full of samples and Jeff made the comment that he brought the whole show room with him. Once I was told about that I started to question why did he only bring in 4 when there were several others we could have looked at.
Then realized that we never got picked anything for the other rooms as they were not getting carpet or hardwood put in them. The next day I called the 800 number and ask questions about when they came out what would happen; how many samples would they bring, would the person explain the different options, and so on. Realized that we didn’t get anything that we should have gotten and found out that there are 5 different types of padding that you carry not only one. I was very upset and called to make a formal complaint.
The lady that answered the phone was very helpful I explained what happened and what I received. She apologized and told me that she would call the local office and tells the sales manager who would be calling me back in 1 to 3 business days. She also gave me the reference number of 1-[protected] to refer to if I needed to call back. I also explained that I felt that I would like someone else to come to the house to redo the carpet as I didn’t feel that we were given the proper information or choices that we should have. I also wanted to see the different padding options and the buy one get two free choices that we would have. She set us up with another appointment with another person for that Thursday. She told me that I would still be receiving a call from the sales manager to discuss the actions above. I told her that would be great.
That Thursday we had Michael Szelistarsk come to the house and he was completely the opposite of what we had prior. He went over all the samples that he had from the carpet to the hardwood and on. He explained the difference of the hardwood and the difference of the carpet. He brought in all the samples which were about 20-25 with colors and so on. I laughed because we didn’t see the burber carpet and didn’t even see some of the other options. We asked that he include the kitchen as we asked the prior person and they didn’t include that.
Michael took measurements after showing us the samples for us to look over and research. Once finished he return to ask us if we had any questions and what we were looking at. We explained that we would like the hardwood in the living room and Kitchen with carpet in the rest of the rooms. We also explained that Jeff quoted us a price of $6000 just for the living room to do the hardwood and Michael said that he would try to do better then that. After figure up the price it told us it would be $11, 000 for the 2 rooms of hardwood and the 3 bedrooms with carpet. We said we can’t do that, he then called his supervisor, after discussions on the phone came to a price of $5605.00. My husband and I looked at each other with amazement considering the following: we were getting hardwood in the two largest rooms of the house and then carpet in 3 bedrooms. When Jeff was there we were going to be paying $5100 for carpet in just the living room and the bedrooms. We couldn’t believe that for $500 more we were getting an extra room fixed and we were going to be getting hardwood. Not to mention that the price Jeff gave us for just the hardwood in the living room was quoted at $6000 which was more then we were now paying for the entire house to have the floor replaced.
We were even more upset at the fact that Jeff was charging us so much more then what we should have been paying. I would have never used or called Empire back had I not met Michael and would have never recommended them to friends or family. With this experience I would just tell them that they should call just make sure that you don’t get Jeff. I feel that he was trying to rip us off and was not giving us a quality service. I would now recommend but make sure they don’t get Jeff to their home and question the price and if there is anything that they can do to make it less.
With all that is said my over all experience was great, everyone with the exception of Jeff was great. Everyone was very helpful and considerate. I would if needed use Empire again to get my flooring. Granted we have not had the carpet/hardwood install as of today but the service that we received this far would make me want to call again. Noted that the sales manager has not contacted me as of today, which has been 4 business days but overall happy with the company experience. A very bad situation was made very well with the great sales/service that Empire has. Thank you for your time in reading this letter. I wanted to give the experience I had since it could have turned out very different then it did.

Empire is a SCAM...I used to be a sales rep trained to scam people ! after a while I really got sick of all the negativity and just quit...the prices they teach us to calculate start at triple what you would pay at Home Depot. They teach us to work our way down little by little and they never have a fixed price. The T.V. commercials are also misleading and clients get a discount but nothing is free. They say the carpet is free and you only pay for labor, the carpet is probably made in China for 2 cents a square foot. Plus they don't give anyone not even the sales rep. the price break down for the actual carpet, and it usually comes out two a few hundred dollars anyway bc you usually have a hungry salesman making his own prices. The overall feeling I had working with Empire was a cut throat flooring company trying to make as much money as they can sucker you for. If you don't get suckered into paying high prices the sales reps. don't make money and neither does the company. They blame it on the commercials that they play over and over again and pay millions of dollars for, well thats their problem! So does Burger King and McDonalds you don't see them selling a cheeseburger for $15. So these people are crooks out to get you for whatever they can fool you for, trust me your best defense is to have a quote from Home Depot at hand, so you can get the best price and take advantage of their next day installation. Or have them get their manager on the phone and ask for 25%-30% discount below the the low price which is the price you would typically find at Home Depot..thats how expensive they are!

I to am having problems with EMPIRE Today as well and I wish I had seen all of these complaints before we went and spent 5000.00 on flooring... We had the salesmen come in and he saw that they really didn't have to do any work, I had already removed all of the carpeting so, he had seen the cement floor exposed we did question him about the floors and if they would be able to put laminate over cement and if that would be an issue we were told no that they used a mositure barrier. But 2 yrs later it wasn't a very good barrier because we have several areas where it is bubbling and worping. I did contcat them was told they had discontinued this product now I wonder why. They had in inspector come and they stated over the phone that the inspector had stated ina report which I have not recieved a copy that I was in a flood or had water leaks or I over cleaned my floors so, they were not at fault. I have since called several flooring companies and they have stated to me that really they should be liable because they failed to really chec floors for moisture and that they might not have taped properly this is why maybe moisture got into flooring. I have to try and get my own inspector to come in and check floors before they will do anything. Unless I want to pay them again for flooring they would come in right away this is what I was told. I am going to call channel 13. If you are still having problems withi this company maybe if you email me and we can get 6 or moer people we could file a Class Action Law Suit againist this company and maybe gte them closed down. Seeing that the BBB doesn't help at all. So, email me we maybe able to get this issue and your corrected.

The internet is an interesting thing, you quite rarely ever hear from the happy customer that just goes on with life...

I'm a sales rep for empire today. My screen name is anonymous on purpose so I can be real. That said, Empire Today is the best national full-service flooring company out there as far as consumer customer service goes, bar none. That's not just my opinion but a track proven fact. The A+ rating by the national BBB is real, that comes from dealing with any and all complaints recieved by customers. There is no other nationwide full-service specialty flooring company that is that has this rating that I know of. Imagine attempting to keep literally tens of thousands of 100% satisfied customers in cities like Boston, Manhattan, Tampa, Atlanta, LA, Miami, Philadelphia etc... A monumental task to be commended by any company.

Yes, our prices are higher than most mom-and-pop shops, similar pricing to Home Depot and Lowes. That said, Empire offers a far superior experience to 95% of the companies out there, directly services the comprehensive manufacturer's warranty on all products sold (NO other company- including HD and Lowes does this)and SHOULD get a premium. I could work for any of the other guys... These complaints I see online are quite possibly legitimate, but many are downright ridiculous and the complainer simply has no clue what they are talking about.

There are thousands of 100% satisfied very happy customers that continue to call Empire back for future service, and refer friends and family. I've sold thousands of carpet orders and only rarely have a dissatisfied customer, which is promptly rectified.

I'm just a 39 year old sales rep with 3 kids and a wife to feed, how much money do homeowners think we make? Gold rolexes? Hah, gimme a break, I might make 50-60k a year if I'm lucky, and I sell a LOT of floors. And some people treat us like I wouldn't treat a dog, let alone a human being. Seriously...

Empire is a good company, you could do far worse...

Good luck with your flooring choices, and have a great day!

I worked as an electrical contractor for Empire Today. I had done around $50, 000 worth of work for the company and except for extremely slow payments, which he said was the president's doing, it went well. Their method of payment left me broke on the last job so I asked for a partial payment in order to finish the job. The manager went through the roof and gave me two weeks to finish. I couldn't finish, of course, no money. He then asked for an itemized bill to order to pay (first time ever) but my foreman had moved to Denver with all the paperwork and lost it. I hired an attorney but he couldn't get past all the lies the manager was telling and I ended up stiffed for $6500 at a time I desperately needed the money in order to catch up on all the bills I had on hold.

I described my experience to a psychiatrist friend of mine and she said the manager exhibits the classic behaviors of a sociopath and predicted all the moves he would eventually make.

Thank you all for your time and input regarding Empire. Due to your opinions, I will NOT be going with Empire and would rather give someone local my business.

It makes me sick that I didn't read these before my husband signed on the dotted line for just under $6, 000.00 worth of flooring from these ripoff artists! We too seem to be stuck with vinyl flooring with bubbles & seams in the wrong places. Laminate flooring that's separating in a months time of being installed! Several phone calls, several visit from everyone who works for them & several months later we still have no resolution to our flooring nightmare! I'm going to call our local news station for them to do a consumer profile on the company and then I'm getting a lawyer! In this tight economy money is very hard to come by. We too were lied to by the sales rep. I could go on & on. Let's just say that I found something in everyone's story on this page that we too could relate as well!

I made a appointment with this company Saturday after talking to a salesman at the mall Sat (they had a booth there) I then came home later and got on the computer and went to the website where of course all testimonials are good. I then type in complaints for empire today and pages of complaints popped up. Thank-goodness for the internet I will not even take a chance with this many complaints. Too bad a big company like this is out for a buck and have no ethics or customer problems would always be resolved to customer satisfaction. The carpet complaints are overwhelming people who paid a lot for high quality carpet (or rather were told it was high quality) have their carpet wearing abnormally this is not normal and they in all cases I have read tell the customer it is normal wear and tear sorry empire a 2 or three year old carpet should not be wearing down even a builder carpet last longer it seems. If the customer is complaining it looks bad then it should be fixed. That is what is customer service and every I repeat every phone call should be returned ignoring your customers is the worst customer service ever. All I have seen in all your responses to these complaints on the internet is I'm sorry give us a call. I'm sure each and every customer who is on here has called to get it resolved before coming here to warn others. By the way which I appreciate because you lost my business and I can only imagine how many others like me see this and move on because we don't even want to take the chance of a bad product and no recourse when the customer tries to get is resolved your company seems to ignore the phone calls. Sometimes a bad install and carpet means replacing the whole product and redoing it and you should step up to the plate and do that if your product is wearing bad for carpet, or flooring etc. coming up. That is what good customer service is. You must loose thousands of dollars to sites like this for endless complaints. I have chosen to go with someone who installs the flooring his-self, no contract out and has not one bad reference on the internet and can provide references just my choice due to all your endless complaints.

We bought some wooden floors for our living room, after a few years a mound appeared. I called Empire and they sent someone out, check for moisture, no moisture. Said he had never seen anything like it. He took pictures, and gave me his card. I called him several times and emailed him, finally heard from someone else. Stated that I needed to pay $175.00 for a service call. Why should I pay anything, it is not something we did, it is something they did wrong. I am going to try and call again and find out about the warranties, we were told that it was for 10 yrs, but not sure. If I get no reply I will contact WRAL 5 on your side, BBB and the Attorney General Office. We paid a lot of money, and with one income in our family I am not about to pay them another penny, we had to save up for a few yrs just to have carpet replaced by wooden floors. Shame on you, Empire Today!