Empire Today Reviews

They demanded that I pay the installer $100 on the side for putting on the sealant and did not install the sealant across the entire floor. They incorrectly installed the carpet on the stairs, chipped the marble on my fireplace when removing the old carpet, and did not arrive at the times when they were scheduled on either of the first two weekends. After promising me, I would be reimbursed for the multiple moving costs, the broken doors, the damage to my fireplace and the hours of time lost, Empire's corporate customer service manager refused to pay me the amount the local customer service representative and district manager agreed in writing to reimburse me.

The specific details are as follows: Last November, I arranged for the first floor carpet to be installed on Saturday afternoon. I scheduled an afternoon time so that I could have the furniture moved out of the dining room, living room and office areas. I received numerous calls and emails about the installation for days before the carpet was scheduled to be installed, asking me to confirm the times, despite having already scheduled the installation for a specified time. On the first Saturday morning starting at 7:45 am, the installer called to tell me he was on his way to my home. I told them he was scheduled to come in the afternoon and he could not install the carpet until the furniture was moved. He said he could not come in the afternoon. After numerous calls and a ton of frustration, the district manager and sales representative finally convinced the installers they had to come in the afternoon.

When the installers arrived, they did not have sealant for the floors so I had to take the installer in my own car to get sealant and a roller which I had to pay for myself. Even after buying the sealant, the installers only put it on in spots, not over the entire floor, and then proceeded to install the carpet before the sealant dried. The installer told me I needed to pay him separately for putting on the sealant, asking for $100 for putting on the sealant even though I already had arranged for full payment of the carpet installation. In the process of pulling up the old carpet, the installers chipped the marble in my fireplace. When the installers were done installing the carpet, there was a large bump in the carpet in the office and the wrong carpet had been installed (the wrong color and style).

After bringing these issues to the attention of Empire's local customer service representative, she assured me that the next weekend when the upstairs carpet was to be installed, the installers would come at the scheduled time in the afternoon, they would have the sealant and equipment they needed, and that Empire would send their very best installers. She also assured me they would correct the problems with the carpet already installed.

On the second Saturday morning, the installers again called me at 8 am to tell me they were on their way to install the carpet. I explained that they could not start until the afternoon because the movers were moving the furniture out of three bedrooms. I reminded them that they were scheduled to arrive at 1 in the afternoon. The installers told me that they could not complete the job if they came that late in the day. Again, after calls to the district manager, the installers arranged to come at the scheduled time in the afternoon. Interestingly, they finished their job by 3:30 pm, having no difficulty completing it before the end of the day.

When they arrived, no one spoke English. They rushed through the job and had it done in less than 3 hours. Once again, they installed the wrong carpet. There were dips under the carpet in several locations where they did not take the time to match up sections of the padding. When walking on the carpet, there were several indents that could be felt even with shoes on as you walked. The installers removed three closet doors. They broke the hinges on the hall door but put the door back in place as if it were hinged. When I went to open it, the door fell on me. The closet door in the bedroom was not reinstalled at all because the hinges were broken off. New hinges had to be purchased to reinstall the door.

After complaining about these problems, two people from customer service came to my home to inspect the carpet installation. They assured me the problems would be resolved. They suggested the bump in the floor was simply the padding expanding. They told me the installer should have had the sealant and equipment with him, that he should not have asked me to purchase it and that he should not have requested separate payment. I was assured he was no longer with the company which was confusing. Was he an employee of the company or an independent contractor? Interestingly, the salesperson who sold me the carpet and the installers all work for Empire, hold themselves out as representatives of Empire, use Empire forms, wear Empire badges, have their time scheduled by Empire, are paid by Empire, are under the direction and control of Empire, can be fired by Empire, and hold themselves out as Empire employees; yet, they are considered independent contractors. This would be a good company for the Department of Labor, the IRS, as well as the comparable state agencies in Oregon and Illinois to audit.

Empire assured me they would send out another expert installer, their very best installer who could correct the problem with the dips and bumps in the carpet. They would pay me for the sealant and supplies and they would pay to have my fireplace repaired, instructing me to have me get estimates for the cost of repair. They also would pay for the cost of paying movers to move the furniture again so that the necessary repairs could be made. This meeting with Empire representatives took place during the week, requiring me to take time off work. The representatives confirmed that the wrong carpet had been installed and agreed to install the correct carpet.

Again, I arranged for all the upstairs furniture to me moved in preparation for the third installer who again came on a Saturday. I spent hours moving personal items so the furniture could be moved. When the third installer arrived at my home, he observed the problems and confirmed that none of the carpet had been properly installed. He indicated he could not fix the problems with the upstairs carpet without removing and replacing all the carpet because the padding had not been installed correctly. He did not have carpet to install that day because he was told he could simply come in and fix the dips and bumps in the carpet.

So, all the time and money invested in moving the furniture this third time was wasted as he could not fix the carpet without removing and replacing all of it. In the office, he found a wad of padding in the location where there was a visible bump in the carpet. He found that the sealant had not been put on correctly in any of the rooms. He also noticed that the carpet had not been correctly installed on the stairs. Another full day of my time was lost because he could not fix the problems he encountered. All the items I had boxed up so the furniture could be moved had to be unpacked so the bedrooms and office could be used. Once again, I had to pay the movers to move all the furniture back in place. If there is any doubt that all this happened, the movers can validate it all: the same movers moved the furniture five times. Customer service again came out to my home for another meeting so the correct carpet could be selected and installed. Customer service verified that the correct color and style of carpet had not been installed in any of the rooms. Two more weekend dates were set up to reinstall the carpets.

In January, two more weekends were set aside to reinstall all the carpet on both floors. Again, movers were paid to move all the furniture upstairs and downstairs and I spent hours boxing up books, dishes, and personal items so the furniture could be moved. Two more weekends of time were lost. But finally, the carpet was installed correctly. Customer service assured me that I would be reimbursed for the cost of the movers who repeatedly moved all the furniture three extra times. The local customer service representatives informed me they could not match the marble on the fireplace that had been damaged by the installers but told me to get an estimate for repairing the damage to the fireplace and assured me that I would be paid for the cost of repairing the fireplace after I gave them an estimate.

Customer service assured me that I would be made whole in every way for the hours and hours of time and frustration I experienced in this ordeal. The email communications with the local customer service representative and her district manager confirmed Empire would pay me $2,500 to compensate me for the damages. Weeks passed and I was repeatedly assured by email that it was just a matter of time until I would receive a check. But the check never arrived and still has not arrived. After waiting for over a month for the $2,500 payment promised to me by the customer service representative and the district manager for the damages caused by Empires carpet installers, I received an email stating that I could only be reimbursed for my losses if I signed a settlement agreement agreeing not to defame Empire, agreeing that I was bound by Illinois law even though the work was done in Oregon and including equally inappropriate terms.

Empire had one employee in this whole ordeal that was honorable, honest, and tried her best to right the wrongs that Empire committed. That person was the local customer service representative. She did her job to the very best of her ability, she met her commitments, she acted honorably, and she tried her best to provide excellent customer service, only to find out that the company would not stand behind her word. If all of the employees of Empire did their job like the local customer service representative, Empire would live up to its motto and the representations about excellent customer service that it makes in its advertisements and on Empire's website.

No customer deserves to encounter the problems I experienced with Empire. I would not wish this nightmare on anyone. Empire caused damage to me and my home that they witnessed, documented in pictures and acknowledged in their emails. They agreed on a dollar amount to reimburse me for the loss and now they refuse to honor their agreement.

He was peddling what he called solid hardwood but it was actually nothing more than engineered wood planks (a sliver of real wood pressed unto plyboard). Anyone who's in the market for hardwood would know he's full of garbage but he persisted. Granted, engineered wood is actually very nice, but it certainly isn't solid hardwood and it shouldn't be advertised, sold or peddled as such. The salesman continued. Keep in mind, a major Home Improvement chain already bid the job at around $5,000 including installation (solid, .75 inch wood planks). Empire wanted $15,000 for the same job (using the engineered product). That's over $35.00 per SF! Are you kidding or just high? What a total waste on my incredibly valuable time.

This crew was very courteous and professional. They left absolutely no mess for us to clean up. Best of all, they did no damage. We were anxious that walls or trim would get damaged. Not at all. We would highly recommend Empire Today to our friends and neighbors, as our experience was highly favorable. Thank you, Empire Today for a job well done.

On Monday morning, they arrived a little late, but it was understandable since they were coming in from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The installer was extremely knowledgeable and he immediately showed me that the carpet was the correct carpet. Based on what I had read, I was worried. The only problem was that I had originally secured the pad with pet protection. It was not written on the invoice, but after some brief discussion with Empire’s customer service, dispatch and sales, a remedy was sought and agreed upon. Everyone worked well with each other and I was surprised, based on what I had read, how everything worked out so well. The installation was awesome. I would recommend this company to anyone. They were that good!

After I called and talked to two people for over 30 minutes, I was told that they will be here after 3:00 pm, before 6:00 pm. I wanted to speak with the supervisor, but was told I can't do that. I asked the supervisor's name and was told that they will not give names for anybody. This sounds like in some communist country where questions can't be asked of responsible people. After arguing with me about the horrid way they do business, one finally came on the phone. All the people I spoke with are not from this country. So their company is run by foreigners, as I can see it. Their way to run it is like in the third world country. No names, loose scheduling, people in the company's names will not be given to client when trouble arises. Another thing is that nobody is responsible for any mistakes made. How maddening is that? They readily accepted my cash of $800 for the down payment without a problem.

But now that the service is needed, nothing so far. What makes this so irksome is the fact that my husband is off three days for us to put the house back together. Since today is his last day off, nothing is going to work like we planned. No carpet so far, the house is a mess with all the furniture in the other rooms, jam-packed everywhere. And we are expecting a relative from San Diego in a few days. People, if you need carpets and on schedule, do not use Empire Today. The quality they show is nothing to hurrah about either. This is cheap, loosely run enterprise, run by fools at the helms (if there is anybody at the helms).

Then, a third-party inspection company came out and said that my crushing was normal. I would never have purchased the carpets if I had checked these web comments ahead of time. I hope that I can save someone else. It cost me $3,249 and I want to cry. I have been given the run-around. The best part of the experience was the two Mexicans who installed the carpets and one of them didn't speak a word of English. Of course, the man who sold us the carpets initially no longer works for the company. I think that the carpet sample I saw was misleading. My carpets do not look even close to new. I wish I did not purchase from Empire.

So when I called to complain that we were charged for work we did not have done, they promised me a $210 credit, which I never received. I am still attempting to get that as I placed another call today. They also promised me a call from the sales manager, which I never received, and I called back a second time, but he's never called me back. They also took a huge piece of vinyl with them when they left, which I'm assuming we paid for. My husband didn't want to use them for the kitchen. He thought it was way too much, and the salesman was measuring the kitchen at almost doubled the actual square footage. Then they took the leftover material with them. I'm guessing so they can then sell it to another customer and get paid twice for the same piece of vinyl.

I also had carpeting put in my family room, stairs and upstairs hallway. Tim, the salesman, told me they do not put thick padding under Berber carpeting. Well, it's more like no padding! I had Berber before this, and the padding was much better. We also have Berber in one of our bedrooms, and you can tell the difference from the hallway carpeting to that bedroom. It's much higher and softer to walk on. I really, really wish I had read the reviews before I dealt with Empire. People warned me against them, but I didn't listen. Do not deal with Empire. I'm 63 years old, and they are the biggest rip-off company I've ever had the unfortunate experience of dealing with.

So here is where I'm at after speaking to countless reps and managers at Empire, I'm without my "free" carpet. But boy did I get suckered on this one. My kitchen flooring cost over $4,000! Empire will not hold up their end of the bargain, which was to give me the free carpet. Plus, they will not discount the cost of the kitchen floor to help offset the cost. I only agreed to have the flooring installed because of their deal, otherwise, I either would have gone with another company or just waited longer to have new flooring. The sales rep is guilty of not providing full disclosure when he came to my house for the free estimate. Of course, his goal was to make the sale. But he mentioned my kitchen may (never tested or confirmed) have asbestos and that is why they laid the new floor directly on the old flooring. But he made no mention that my carpeted areas may also have it. Had he done so, I would of course cancel out right then and there!

We called again, waited all day after second call - where are they? - they will be there to see the floor problem at 7:00PM. We are on our way home and got a call at 6:21PM. They are there waiting on us. Get home and they will look at the floor - don't know what happened? They say it must be a leak under the floor - then why would they install a floor over it? The damage is not at the door. They say "you have dogs" - yeah, that is why we took up carpet and wanted hardwood floors!

The salesman said the floor had a patent to keep water out on the interlocking system. This guy says what salesman says was **. They will come back in a week after talking to Empire. We have already wasted 4 days waiting on Empire and looks like we purchased a bad product. I will not use them again or recommend.

The VP of Customer Service, and supposed front line to the owner of Empire Today's (whom I asked to speak with but was told "no"). Linked In profile reads: Sr. Regional CS Manager at Empire Today, LLC. The last I knew, "Regional" is not all encompassing, nor is it a Vice President. I spoke with the BBB today, and their opinion is as follows: In that, I relied on their expertise and professional experience to make my decision, I have a reasonable complaint to file with them. I'm doing so now.

On 2/13/2012, Jeff ** called and told me he would have customer service call me. So far, no one has called. At this point, I would never recommend Empire to anyone. I am in Real Estate and advise my sellers when they need to update carpeting. I could not, in good conscious, recommend this company to anyone. This is such cheap carpeting and had I been told by the salesperson that my carpet would look like this in less than six months, I never would have purchased it. I don't know of anyone that would professionally clean their carpet two times a year. When Chuck was here and did testing, he could not find dirt on the carpet. We don't wear shoes in the house nor do we eat in the family room. My next step is the BBB.

We contacted Empire in January and told them (we have a 1 year warranty) and they sent a representative to review everything and they then sent the same salesman again. We picked a different product because this product was not what was promised or did it meet our agreement when we signed the contract! Empire said we would have to pay an additional $4,000.00 for the floor (wood laminated) so we opted to have them reinstall the original floor and do it right this time. The installer came and said that they cannot install that floor onto a concrete slab and gave me better options.

In between, all this phone calls are taking place and the customer service representatives are very nonchalant and rude and I'm getting nowhere. A salesman comes by again last week and I choose another floor which is compatible with the concrete slab and then I get a call that I have to pay $4,000.00 more. This is completely ridiculous and I told them on the phone that I am going to take them to court now because they is not how they should treat a customer who paid in full on a floor that should never have been sold to me in the first place.

Empire Today is not monitoring its territories, its salespeople need training, their CSR need training in people skills and they need to honor their agreement and treat the customer with respect and professionalism.

We were initially trying to resolve the issue with Empire directly for which we were unfortunately unsuccessful. The last time Empire was here to evaluate the floor and have a third party inspector determine the outcome they took pictures and evaluated our home. Empire then followed up with us by saying that they would no longer fix the floor unless we paid for it ourselves because the dents are happening from objects that we have in our home.

Below is the information we have acquired from Empire when trying to resolve the issue with them directly for which we were unfortunately unsuccessful. We would like to have this issue resolved and a positive outcome.

Desired settlement: replacement.

Product or service: Visions II hardwood.

Order number: **

Purchase price: $4275.00.

They were at my home until 2330. They left my shower and sinks filthy, one of the toilets now leaks, there are gouges in my walls from where they moved my furniture, tiles are lifting and there are spaces between the tiles when they should be flushed. I was assured by the salesperson, Theresa ***, that the crew were experienced, professional installers who worked for the company for many years. Instead, I received a contract labor from Diamond Flooring. I have made numerous phone calls to Empire's customer service to no avail. I had to hire a plumber to repair the leaking toilet. I will have to purchase paint to repair the gashes in the walls. There are areas around my home that are covered in tile glue and I can't get that off.

Today, Nov. 3, their plumber called before 8 am to tell me the person who was supposed to come "had a family emergency" and could only come Sat. Nov. 4 in the morning. I refused; I received another call again a few minutes later, just before 8 AM, and was told that someone was on his way and would arrive at 9 am. 20 mins later, their plumber called again, saying the #5 Freeway was very slow, and he would be late. When I told him he messed up my day, he told me I "messed up his day too". Somehow, 2 hours later, no one has showed up and I very much doubt that I will see today a plumber from Empire Today. The shower stall was not installed according to professional standards and Empire Today is failing to fulfill their responsibilities. I already had a leak problem right after they installed the shower in May 2007.

At 3:30PM, the representative finally arrived. It was then that my family and I began to suspect that this company may be unprofessional and possibly shady. We indicated to the representative, namely Arsan **, that we were only interested in wood floors. Several hours later, we settled on what we thought were wood floors. Arsan stated and re-stated that they were wood, both verbally and in writing. She measured our home to be 612 square feet, but we could not afford the entire 612 square feet, so we settled on just the downstairs. She showed us many wood floors that she alleged were wood and we picked out Simply Living Century Oak. We had no idea that these wood floors that she quoted were actually laminated.

To our surprise the following Saturday, the installer called and indicated that they were laminated. We immediately canceled the order. Once again, Joe contacted my family and told us he would give us an unbelievable deal if we took the laminate. He stated, "My guys are half way out to you and I want to make you happy". I tried to make a deal with him to give us the floors for half off with the additional square feet that we could not afford, and he flatly refused. He stated, "I was trying to be nice". We were satisfied that he did not agree because we had originally wanted wood floors and not the laminated ones. Besides, we had the original contract which stated the opposite, with a specific quote of $4,454.16. I tried to get the company to give us the deal that they originally offered for the wood flooring, but the representative, Ms. Helen ** at corporate, was unresponsive, rude and unprofessional.

Ms. ** never gave me an opportunity to explain our situation and what we demanded. We were clearly in the right, and this company was in the wrong and should fix it. The regional manager of Empire Floors was worse. Tim S. was argumentative, combative and unprofessional. He flatly refused to give us the wood floors for the price that was stated in the original contract and laughed at giving us the additional square footage, stating that we'd have to pay well-over 6 thousand dollars. This is clearly fraud. This company lied, baited, bungled, heisted and flimflammed my entire family into believing that they would say what they meant and meant what they said, even though it was a mistake. I have this quote in their writing and on their letterhead; and now, they refuse to give me hardwood floors at the price that they originally stated.

If a sales representative comes to your home representing a certain company and alleges that they are selling you wood, how are you supposed to know it is not wood? How is this error your fault? If I go to a supermarket, and it is advertised at a specific price that they have to give it to me, what is the difference in this case? I wasn't worried because I had the proof in writing; but now, they won't honor what was written as per their own contract because Joe, Ms. Helen **, and Tim S. all stated to my elderly mother that Ms. Arsan ** made a mistake. According to Tim S., "Simply Living Century Oak is a laminate and not a hardwood". However, according to both pages of the contract, the representative checked HW and wrote that it is a hardwood.

The commercial that Empire Today is advertising is very misleading to the customer, and it is on national television. This is a disgrace. And I do not think that it is fair to the consumer. The advertisement that is on national television only says it is on selected brands, it does not tell you that the padding or installation is not covered. I would like to know why this type of behavior is allowed. I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau to advise them of the false advertisement, and how I felt rushed by the sales representative to make a decision. I cancelled my order because of the service that I received from the sales representative and his manager.

I had to reselect a carpet for the sitting room. I did so with another sales rep from Empire named Reggie. The carpet in the sitting room was installed on June 27th, 2008. This was supposed to be a replacement carpet from Order # 1 that was already paid for, but instead the office mixed up the order numbers and charged my American Express without my permission. I contacted Empire on several occasions to explain to them that I have a zero balance and that this is an error and they refuse to credit the $1,810.75 that they charged for the replacement carpet that was already paid for. I had to file a dispute to American Express to get my money back.

Empire Carpets has me in collections and put it on my credit report. I would like consumers to know that Empire has bad customer service and their quality of carpet is not good. I'm still having trouble with their carpet. There are 4 seams in my son's bedroom, when vacuumed the vacuum cleaner is full in secs. The quality of carpet is horrible. I would like for Empire to review their paperwork and admit to the error and to remove this collection off my credit report! I have a zero balance. I already paid them $5,189.25 which was a waste of money. I have so many regrets.

I called Cary the salesman and he said he was busy and would get back to me later. I called the main office and spoke with a manager who said it was exactly what I ordered. I stated, “This is called bait and switch and I don't want this or any carpet from Empire installed in my home.” They did send me my deposit back but I had the house torn apart and now had to go find a new carpet store. Did not receive any other contact from the company or salesperson but did hear from local friends of the same issues with Empire.

I called Empire and complained; they were not very helpful. They gave me a # for the office in Raleigh. I left voice mail for Mr. **, then called back and they said he would return my call at his "convenience." That's not good to hear. Anyway, I got his email and sent in writing my complaint because that same day, it was installed already and edges were coming up. The area looks so tight it's bubbled up. The molding was not finished, adhesive was on floor ... So, I sent an email again with pictures to him and headquarters. He sent his installers back, with 5 boxes to replace and fix.

Installers took pictures; I told them the installation was poor, unfinished. They had been in a hurry to see another client and they explained what happened with their job. They started telling me that once they started removing flooring, the way it's made, all of it would have to be replaced, the whole floor, that they didn't bring enough for that. I called the boss. He couldn't come at that time. The installers told me that, in reality, nothing was wrong with the installation, that it was the material, cheap, low quality, that several jobs have had floor replaced 3-4 times.

Well, that really made me very upset ... They left to get the boss to approve more supplies and I have not heard from them. They came on a Tuesday. On Saturday, I sent Mr. ** an email stating that based on problem with floor/installation, I had decided I did not want it in my house any longer, to take it up and refund my $3500. He came back with "no refund", that we needed to discuss fixing what I thought was wrong with it via phone. I emailed him that I wanted to discuss in writing and email would be okay. I explained to him that all I wanted was my monies' worth, a good quality product that if floor is sticking up now, imagine what it will be a month down road. He seemed to not believe it's true, and wanted me to approve an independent inspector to look at it and make a decision. His inspector? I don't know what to do.

He had to have a $199.00 down payment. I wrote him a check and it went through our bank on the 15th of April. The check was written on the 4th of April and was cancelled on the 7th, and it looks like it was cashed after it was cancelled. I have called them 4 times for our money back, and we don’t have it yet. Maybe I should charge them interest? We are in our 80s and we don’t have money to throw away. We still have to get tiles and the money would help.

I received my first payment notice in Jan 09 and to my surprise, there was an additional $822.37 added to my bill for interest. I offered to pay the amount off then and there if they would take the interest off. But they said Empire Today had to make that decision, and Empire Today Carpet says it’s up to GE Money Bank who is financing me and now out of their hands. Very frustrating. GE Money Bank is rude and puts you on the defensive immediately. Consequence: My carpet I purchased at an advertised low rate is not a deal as an additional amount of money was added unaware to me not reading the small print.

Issue 2. My salesman did not offer me the same discounts, he as a friend of mine the same day I had my in home estimate done 8/1/08, he didnt explain the difference between the carpets because like he told me its apples for apples. I later decided to talk to my friends salesman Paul S. and asked what the difference was between our two carpets that we choose and he told me just the names. My friend had her living room done (same size as my bedroom) stairs, linen closet, hall, and a few more stairs and she was quoted 1650 and was given disounts for having multiple installers coming same day, and having it installed with in 4 days. I too had mutiple installers come out and had my kitchen floor & carpet installed and with in 4 days and did not receive the same discounts.

When I called Rons manager, Bill B. he told me well I see here Ron did give you a $150 discount for a coupon you didn't have, he just didn't tell you. Who does that? Does that really make a difference to me if your not gona tell me, sure you can tell me but I don't see it on my contract anywhere. I feel these are very much improper selling practices. And the prices are way off! Bill B. and Ron N. both told me they were going to see what kind of compensation they could offer me for this hassel and when they saw I got my carpet for less then my friends I have not been offered anything. I explained to Ron that I am very unhappy, this is unexceptable and he said he agreed. But he never once called me to see if things were finished or how things were going, I always had to call him. He got his commission thats all they care about.

Now I am stuck with a half finished carpet! So when I explained to Ron the salesman that if they don't finish this carpet by a certain day they can take it back he told me "to go for it". Tuesday they final installed carpet but I am still trying to resolve the issue with the installation of the carpet. took them three days to get back out to finish. When they finished we had 4 seams in a 4 by 4 piece of carpet in a 14x15 sq. room. Could see all the seams, gaps, had a bald patch in one section. It was like patch work. We called and they sent an installation coordinator out to inspect. He agreed it was not acceptable and suggested they redo in one piece section with one seam.

Sam M. called me and explained they would redo but they would have to redo whole room because of color differences. So we set up day and I requested different installers to come to fix. When they finished there is one seam now, and you can see the seam running from one wall to the other. And the 4x4 piece is dark and the rest of the room is light. They installed in opposite directions. They ask you to look at when they are done. What do I have to do, watch them do their job while Empire charges me $1050 for the installation?

I immediately called Helen B., (she has been aware of situation from start) and she said she would make some calls. Now I have to wait for another inspector to come out to inspect this job. And then wait again for them to fix it. This is 2nd time and 2nd set of installers and 2weeks to do one bedroom. This is unacceptable! In the meantime, I cant put anything back in my bedroom, and I had to waste my whole week vacation waiting for them to finish this SIMPLE JOB that still isnt corrected and they can't tell me when it will be corrected. This is unacceptable. What is the problem here, I could have done this my self.

They sent another inspector out on August 15 for a second time and that inspector/installer confirmed that it was a "horrible" job because the 14X4 section did not match the other section of carpet direction which in turn did not hide the seam. (which basically means it is was laid the wrong way) As professionals that seam should be invisible to me as the consumer. A job for one room has taking two weeks as of today, and this will be 3 times to hopefully get it right. That is absolutely ridiculous. We are not satisfied. We have had to be inconvienced, annoyed, ignored when we were told people would call back and they don't, waited on hold, the salesman just wanted your sale, and then could care less what happend to you after, and waited for installers to show who never did.

I am sorry that we didn't go with another company. We planned on having much more work done, but after this experience we have reconsidered. And then after all this and two weeks of their mistakes and many, many phone calls they want to compensate us with $150 credit. We spent $3150 total! After all there mistakes, and having to deal with hassle and stress, and time lost because they couldn't do their job right the first time, they compensated us with a $150 credit. That was probably that $150 dollars that Ron never told me about from day one I guess I finally got it. What a slap in the face, how insulting. Thats how minimizing they feel this situation was.

So basically they can screw up many, many times and just get away with it. Empire says they strive for customer satisfaction, this is one unsatisfied customer. Many people will know and have already been made aware of this company and how they do business. This is not the way you compensate a customer especially when they screwed up not once but 3 times! I am now left with $3100 dollar bill for a job that was a just a horrible experience, and we were left with no care instruction packet like our kitchen floor. I have worked in customer service and was trained that the customer is ALWAYS right and in this situation they made me feel as if I was just another number, just another carpet going in. No quality control! I was very insulted to be offered a credit of $150 for the hassle they "May Have Caused Me".

I have noted everything that has happened during this ordeal. We have been nothing but stressed, upset, and we made that very clear when we called each and every single time. And Empire allowed a full week to pass before someone called to see if the carpet was finally finished with quality and correctly the third time considering the situation. They just made us feel they just didn't care. And that was clear when that carpet went in and no one called, not even the installation manager like I said after all our issues. We work hard for our money $3100 is a lot when you are trying to save for a wedding, and you just bought a house that your trying to fix up. We try to make better and then we get slapped with oh here how about $150.

Upon arrival at our home, we noticed the crew which was sent consisted of what appeared to be a family. Only one male spoke English, 2 of the crew appeared to be minors. I telephoned Steven Colonna and stopped the work until I could verify the age of the workers and why such a small group had been sent when he promised to send his best crew and complete the job in one day.

I had great apprehension with allowing minors into my home to work, ie.. lawsuit if one were to be injured on the job.

Only 4 or 5 people were on site, they had to move all my furniture, lay carpet and padding and replace the furniture in one day. Mr. Colonna accused me of "Having a problem with women working". I took great offense with his statement and told him so. He went on to argue with me. I was given his word that the crew was :His BEST CREW" and no one was underage, and the job would be done in a day. I asked for 2 days, due to the heat and the amount of work. But was assured one day was enough. I did contact Empire Today and notify them at there corporate office of Mr. Colonna's accusations and was then contacted by Mr. Zavondny. He came to our home and apologized and in a good faith effort took $1,000.00 off the $7,000.00 purchase price.

Since the day the carpet was laid until today May 1, 2008, the carpet has shed.

We have purchased a $700.00 Oreck vacum in addition to the Oreck we already own due to having it in for repair. It continues to become clogged and the belt burns up from so much carpet shedding from each time we clean the upstairs carpet. We have tile downstairs.

We have contacted Empire Today with this problem at 1-800-588-2300, we have emailed and telephoned Mr. Zavondny numerous times. We have allowed Service Master to come and clean our carpet in good faith on our part, because we were told that would cease the shedding. It did not.

Per Empire's Notice of Cancellation I signed the Notice within 3 business days on February 7, 2006. I called and instructed Empire Today to come and remove the product from my house. For a period of two weeks 4 separate subcontractors came to my house and tried to fix the issues with the carpet, the problems with my wallpaper, baseboards and cable wires were never addressed. The fourth set of subcontractors said that there was nothing they could do to fix the problem and that the job that was done looked like an abortion.?

I put a stop payment on my American Express card immediately following this and called Empire again on February 13, 2007 and instructed them to remove the carpeting from my house pursuant to the Notice of Cancellation. I was told that they did not want to do that and they would not come out and get the carpet. American Express tried to contact Empire for 6 months with no response about the stop payment. Eventually, American Express stopped trying and dropped the charge from my bill.

Within the last 2 weeks I have received letters from Empire's Collections Department (Michelle Ramos-Jenkins) outlining that Empire will be putting a mechanics lien on my house for failure to pay. I have received two letters outlining that I am also going to be sent to creditors.

I have followed all appropriate protocol, signed the correct documents and made Empire's product available for them to retrieve within the 20 day guideline prescribed by the Notice of Cancellation. I do not know why Empire is resulting to harassing and bullying when I, the consumer have done nothing wrong.

My phone line was cut, so the phones did not work. I had to wait over a week for the phone company to come and repair it.

Some major scratches on some furniture, gouge on chair. They did not take all of the old carpet, and took a leftover piece in which I wanted in case of anything happened in the future. They also propped the storm door open and it was not secured properly so it broke, that had to be fixed and replaced.

They unplugged the fish tank whick they did not plug it back in, all my fish died but one. It wasn't in the way it was on the hearth. I have not recieved a free gift either, we are expecting some sort of compensation.

After leaving the President Steve Silvers x3010 several messages, Troy Pringle then calls me back, however since I have had this type of window treatment, it has only been a hassle. I have been offered compensation but have not received anything yet. This company is falsely advertising, and it is not fair to the consumer. Their products is suppose to have a lifetime warranty. Please if there is assistance that you can give me it would be greatly appreciated.

When empire contacted me they told me they do not guarantee seamless carpeting. It took weeks of calling and complaining before someone would call me back and follow up. If they expert seam sealer does not do the job to my satifaction I will take them to court. They have also left something under the carpet which has caused a hump in my floor.

Numerous calls later, two Empire supervisors viewed problems, agreed with my complaint, but said their word is not accepted and an outside independent inspection would be made since it was likely a "mill" problem. Inspection was done the morning of 12/9 by a Susan Krisha of Inspect Solutions of Zion, IL. On 12/16 I rec'd a letter (& copy of the report) denying my claim; stating the carpet and installation met industry standards with a person to contact w/questions. I tried reaching John Bell twice but spoke to a Dee Glatney instead who told me to do what I felt was necessary, but as far as they are concerned, the matter is closed and there is nothing further they can do.

The inspection report states there is peaking in the seams and color variance, but when doors are closed shutting off natural light from windows and skylight and artificial light is turned on - no color variance is visible making this an "acceptable" product and installation. Their claim is that the carpet is from the same roll/die lot - I completely disagree.

Please help me.

I paid with a credit card and did not want to pay until the job was finished. The installers insisted I pay upfront or they would not begin work, so I agreed. They worked until 11:00 p.m. when they stopped, and informed me they had ran out of carpet and could not finish the stairway. They were to order more carpet and would call when they could come back. The only call I received was to my home answering machine the following day saying they were at my door and where was I.

I work and so does my husband. The instructions were very clear. Someone was to call me to reschedule. I called the main number and was told they had not ordered the carpet yet and it would take a week. My first question was why was Mr. Jenkins crew at my door the next day if they did not have the needed carpet. Putting that aside, I scheduled for the next Saturday so we I did not have to take anymore time off work for carpet installation. They were to arrive in the morning.

Dan Banks installation crew arrived at 2:20 p.m. They put carpet on the stair steps but did not have enough to do the stringers (something we had told the salesman and Charles Jenkins when they were here that was needed). So now it is the third day of installation, it is 10:30 a.m., and I just received a call that they will be here in an hour to finish the job. This is the third day I have sat around waiting for carpet installers on a job that was supposed to be a fast, easy job. I had requested an 8:00 a.m. installation today so as not to waste my entire Saturday waiting around and was promised we would be first. As it turns out, first means around 11:30 a.m.

I see several problems with Empire Todays handling of my situation. I called the local installers office three times after the second crew ran out of carpet asking for a manager to call me. I called the main Empire Today line and asked that Resolutions call me. I have never talked to a manager of any kind, although I have requested it several times.

There is also a huge problem when two different carpet experts measure and cannot get the measurements correct for such a small area. I would be more understanding if we were talking new construction and installing carpet in a large house. I had carpet installed in one bedroom, one very small upstairs hallway and one staircase.

There is no communications between the people answering the telephones and the installers and the managers (assuming they have a manager of any kind at either location the main office or the local installers office). I paid my $1,900 upfront on August 10, 2005 and here it is September 24, 2005, and I am still waiting for the job to be finished. I am still waiting for someone to call and talk to me regarding this situation.

The installers convinced me that it was and they would explain to the company what I wanted and everything would be in laminate. So I set up an appointment for the following weekend becaouse I work and the only time I was available to do this was a weekend. Nobody showed up the following weekend. Not even a call. I lost my entire day waiting for them. I had much more important things to do, but I still decided to wait beacouse I wanted the job done. Seeing that nobody showed up I called and we set up an other installation date. This time it would be during the week, after 4:30 pm so I could be home. I waited all evening. Nobody came. I called Empire again!! We set up an other appointment and again nobody showed up.

Not even a call to say they weren't coming. One day somebody did show up at 8 pm to do the installation and they ripped out the old carpet and when they went to install the new one I found out they had the wrong color. So they left me with a bare floor with nails sticking out were you can easaly get hurt. Till this day I am still arguing with the company and have been getting no results. I have been ignored and they have played a round with my personal time.