Empire Today - Page 3

LANTANA, TEXAS -- So back in July 2015 we change the floors of a house we bought before moving in. We got engineer hardwood floor. That time the experience was ok. Crew did the job on time etc. They glue down the floor. We had some issues of areas sounding hollow and they came made holes and injected more glue. But edges on the wood started to peel off a little. I called and they came to fix it (about 3 times) after that I just kept on using the markers they gave me so it wouldn't show much.

Well after two years it was impossible to keep doing that. Boards were cracking all around the house and edges peeling even more. Asked two experts who said material was bad. In August 2017 called Empire, they sent somebody and they said they were going to fix the areas that were bad. The other expert we hire said it was all the house. So we didn't accept Empire's offer, they hired a third party inspector who agreed it was all the house.

So Empire said they will change the whole floor and we decided to upgrade to solid hardwood floors because the quality of the engineer they brought was awful. So we paid a difference. To start off I called Empire to ask if they were going to bring the wood ahead of time so it get acclimated (because that's what everybody else recommended). They told me that was not necessary. OK.

So the day they were supposed to start they didn't even show up or call or nothing. I had to make many calls. Finally 2 days later they started. Let say they brought 2 people to take off 1400 square feet of glue down floor.
So while they told me on the phone it will take 3-4 days it took actually 2 weeks (counting Saturdays).They put out the furniture (some got scratches).

The mess was awful. You couldn't even breathe. I had to change A/C filters every day. I had to keep my boys in a room because also the noise was unbearable. I couldn't cook or anything. Two weeks of having kids locked in a room missing all their activities. They finally finished. I notice one area was bad making sound when stepping on it. They said “it will be fine after a few days”. Well no. It got worse. Hardwood floor starting making cracking sounds all over the house.

The guys damage walls. I guess they hit them with the boards or I don't know. The whole house was awful dusty. Even the walls had to be wiped out. Everything. Had to hired people to help me clean during 3 days. Starting calling about all those issues right away. Finally after a month got an answer. They sent the same crew to fix it and even they noticed it was a bigger problem.

Empire sent again a 3rd party inspector. Of course the floor is bad. They did many mistakes installing it. Edges are peeling off. Boards are so separated it that you can see the bottom boards. I have lost socks, my kids had ripped clothes (kids crawling) etc. We don't want to deal with Empire anymore. They are hiring people that don't know what they are doing probably to save some money. But this is the second time. Bad installations resulting in bad floors. Have to be calling and calling them to get answers etc.

We want our money back. We don't want to deal with them anymore. Awful experience!!! They are only offering to replace it again. We don't trust them anymore. We will see when and how this is going to end. I'm waiting for the manager who is supposed to call me today. I will keep updating.

LITTLETON, COLORADO -- Where to begin? My experience with Empire Flooring was far from acceptable to say the least!
To start, we had a salesman come to our house to measure and give us an estimate;

Sales pitch: I regretfully must admit that I bought-in; hook, line, and sinker. Alex really talked up the product very well and made us feel like we were getting a great deal. He also said that Smartstrand and Anso R2x are the same product. He said Smartstrand is the new name for it (found out later they are two totally different companies). I knew I was dealing with a salesman but, I did my research on costs and I thought the “ease” of the purchase and the all-inclusive (tear out, installation, & disposal) was a good deal. We agreed to a price and decided to finance through their company. However; once we began to sign paperwork, the Alex told us that he needed the down payment...which we never discussed. He said it was because they needed at least 10% of the purchase paid for installation purposes. I was caught off guard and questioned this, but I conceded because it went towards my purchase after all.

Installation (1st attempt): The installation workers showed up with a carpet that had a different style name than what was on our paperwork, although, the pattern was similar to what we ordered with the salesman. Because of the discrepancy, my wife informed the installer that she didn't think it was the right carpet because the name of the style was different than what was on our contract. He questioned her judgment and asked her if she knew what she purchased. She didn't argue back but requested he get what was stated on the contract. The installer made a call and said he had to go back to the warehouse to pick up the carpet listed on our paperwork. He also asked for her to clean out the garage so they could have room to work. He said he would call us with an update in regards to when he would be back. We didn't receive a call for the rest of the day.

Contact with salesman (Alex) and Empire: I called to express my frustrations about the installers not calling us back or following up with us to determine when they would be back. The customer service representative said he contacted the installers who said they left a message for us (no such message exists) and that they would be back the next morning. He also said a manager would call us back (ref #1-2134372591). That did not happen. I explained to the customer service representative that I wished I had looked at the many horrible reviews before making this big purchase. He acknowledged that there were a lot of bad reviews but stated that they "always try to make it right" (turned out to be a lie).

I then called Alex and he explained that there was a "glitch" in the computer system and that name on my contract was wrong. They did bring out the right carpet (the patterns were very similar), but he understood the confusion. While talking to me, he disregarded the input error of the order and focused on the installer's bad attitude. He said he couldn't guarantee anything but that he was sure his manager would compensate us for our troubles and would send a new crew over the following day with the carpet we initially agreed upon.

Installation (2nd day): The new team of installers arrived on this day and stated they needed "Cash On Delivery" before they could start. Seriously? We had to make more phone calls and straightened that out as it was already financed. I have to say, this installation crew was friendly; however, after getting to almost 2/3 of the project completed, they said that not enough carpet was ordered! We had to make more calls and apparently there's a separation in sales and installation because they both appeared to want to blame each other. The installers had to install what they had, leave the job, and travel across town to pick up the carpet. Due to the lateness in the afternoon, we agreed for them to comeback the following morning to complete the install.

Installation (3rd day):
Installers arrived, finished the install, and left. Later that afternoon, I finally got a return phone call from a manager. She didn't appear to initially recall the conversation we had the prior day about the shortage of carpet, but later said they sent out carpet without measuring because the cutting equipment was down. So apparently they were just sending out whatever and figuring it out later. She didn't at all seem too concerned with our overall experience, and only said she would “talk” to all parties involved and was “sorry” for the experience. I asked about being compensated for the time we had lost due to rescheduling appointments and waiting for the completion of the project. She said she would bring it up to the other managers and would call me back on Monday (Never received that call). Huh, guess they aren't too concerned about making it right.
Overall: I didn't feel valued as a customer. The salesman seemed to want to sell, the installers seemed to want to install, and we just wanted new carpet. We did our part in picking out the carpet and financing our purchase. The rest should have worked itself out...well, that's how it was presented to us at least. I'm one of those easy to please customers and I don't like to complain as long as I get halfway decent service. I would have to say Empire was far below my expectations and it's amazing to me that they continue to function with such dysfunctional internal communication and below average customer service. Still waiting for the manager's return phone call to happen...shows how important I am :( I would love to update my review by saying they "made it right", but I don't have much faith in that happening. I and anybody I know will not be using this company in the future. Save yourself the stress and use Lowe's or Home Depot if you want to save money. Unless you want to take your chances with a company that states they will make it right instead of getting it right (and they can't even deliver on that promise). Sorry Empire. You get a thumbs down…way down.

SACRAMENTO -- In my original complaint shown at the bottom of this entry I stated that we had our carpet installed in February but they did not have and still had not ordered the baseboards we ordered at the same time we ordered the carpet. I was told the baseboards would be ordered immediately and should be here to install within a few days. It has now been six weeks since the carpet was installed and up until I made my first complaint on here I had been calling Empire Today several times a week about the problem. I never received a callback or any help of any kind until I wrote a complaint on this web-site.

Within 24 hours of my writing my complaint, I got a call from a representative who made an appointment for installation today and was told the installers would be arriving between 8 and 10 this morning. We were up and ready, even had moved everything away from the walls to make things easier on the installers. No one showed up.

We have called four times today and have been told each time that someone would call us back right away. No one has called back. One young man did tell us that our baseboards are in the warehouse in Sacramento, but he didn't know why the installers hadn't picked them up and installed them. Needless to say this has become beyond ridiculous. I will never use this company again nor will I recommend Empire Today to anyone.

'Still No Baseboards.' Original complaint and response, 03/22/2016: "SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA -- We ordered carpet and baseboards for three rooms in our house. The carpet was installed 2 weeks later at which time we were informed that the baseboards had not been ordered yet, therefore would be installed at a later date. The woman I spoke with told me she would order them that day and that they should be in and installed in 10 days to two weeks. I waited the two weeks before calling to find out when they would be over to install the baseboards and a very rude person hung up on me.

Since then I have been calling several times a week and every time I call I am told someone they can see on their computer that I have called several times and they will try to get someone to resolve the issue. So far no one has called me back even once. Each time I call, the customer service representative apologizes and promises they will leave a message with management and I should get a call back within 24 hours. Still no callback. I am ready to sue."

Company Response, 03/24/2016: "Hi Barbara, the lack of follow-up you've received is disappointing, and we can assure you that we are taking your concerns seriously. We will be contacting you shortly to discuss completing your installation, as well as any other questions or concerns you may have. You can also reach us at customersupport@empiretoday.com. Thank you. Bill **, National Customer Service Manager."

SHAME COMPANY, FLORIDA -- I decided to do laminated floors in two rooms. So the first thing the saleslady says when she walks in is "today is your lucky day because we have a 50/50/50 sale." She does all the measuring and it's about 350 sq ft. She sits down and comes up with a price of 4600$, I almost fell out of my chair. Then she goes with the 50/50/50 sale, we cut the 4600$ down to 2300$ like she's doing me the biggest favor in the world.

Then I showed her an estimate that I got the day before that was for 1045$ From US Wood Flooring here in South FL. I asked if she will match or beat that price. She put me on the phone with one of her bosses. He basically was trying to get me worried not to go with that product from that company. I've done plenty of home remodels and renovations in my life and the product from the cheaper price was better. Bottom line is that Empire Today overcharges people that don't know any better about cost of flooring.

CHICAGO -- A customer can sign an order on the sales rep's tablet but try to cancel and one is forced to use USPS (never by fax number or email) and such written notice MUST be received within 3 business days of the rep's visit! One look at Empire's cancellation policy, one can clearly see why it's best NOT to do business with Empire Carpet. If you ignore this warning, DO NOT sign nor pay a deposit, unless you're 100% certain of your order.

As of 2016-JUNE: "Late Cancellation: I understand that I have 3 business days to cancel this agreement, as described on the Notice of Right to Cancel. I understand that if I want to cancel this agreement after those 3 days, Empire does not have to allow that. If Empire does allow that, however, I agree I will pay to Empire a late cancellation fee of 15% or as otherwise allowed by applicable law, of the agreement's purchase price. However, if I have placed a special order with Empire, Empire will have incurred extra costs in preparing and beginning processing of such special order.

Therefore, I understand that if I want to cancel a special order after those three days, and Empire does let me cancel the special order, I will have to pay to Empire a special order late cancellation fee of 15% or as otherwise allowed by applicable law, of the agreement's purchase price for special order carpet/flooring and 33% or as otherwise allowed by applicable law, for special order window treatments. I also agree that if I do not pay Empire any of the money owed when it is due, I can be charged a late fee of 1.5% or as otherwise allowed by applicable law, on the amount owed for each month the money is owed and not paid.

I also agree that if my payment is returned unpaid by my financial institution, I authorize the electronic debit or use of a bank draft from my account in the amount of the payment plus a service charge of $25, or the maximum allowed by law. I also agree that if I default on my promises under this agreement, and Empire hires an attorney to enforce this agreement, that I will pay Empire its reasonable legal fees and related costs or expenses, as long as it is legal for me to do that."

TAMPA, FLORIDA -- ****(WORD OF CAUTION,**** Empire Today are Thieves and will steal your money
RECORDED 12/20/19 After not getting a 24 hour phone call

We gave our money as a deposit in good faith of $600 to do a Laminate flooring in our Living Room.

We called the installer to ask about floor preparation being the fact there was caked in mud and urine stains, we need more time to clean what was hidden under the carpet. To invest $2000 into a 17 X 11 ft Living room with Fake Laminate Flooring we wanted this install to go smoothly.

Well, the installer spoke very broken English (Very Bad English) for that matter was very frustrating. I was trying to be nice but for what ever reason maybe cause did not understand him, he hung up and when I went to call back he would not answer.

I realized with this level of customer service and Poor Communication this was not what I expected. So I canceled within the (3 day Right to cancel) 2 days from 12/16 to 12/18 and was giving a cancellation # 14265365864

It has been now 17 Days and no return of our money.
They keep telling me after 4 times they will call in 24 Hours and they NEVER do. (24 Hours never comes), its like living in the movie, "Ground Hog Day"

It is now January 1st 2020 and I called Angelo Dass the Sales Rep, Tampa FL who took our $600, said he talked to Donald Blevins his Boss as well as Derek Walter Marketing Manager both from the Empire Today of Tampa FL. They have not called ever in the 17 Days of waiting for my Money. They just don't Care.

Now there will be Ripp Off Reports, the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Bureau, Channel 8 on my side, BBB and reviews. (No wonder they have Bad Reviews)

All they have to do is treat me like a Human Being and I have been too patient as everyone is telling me. My family who also lives in Tampa are very Disgusted. We are spreading the word.

CAUTION NEVER GIVE YOUR MONEY TO EMPIRE TODAY OF TAMPA FL OR ANY OTHER LOCATION IN THE USA FOR THAT MATTER CAUSE THEY ARE LIARS & THIEVES.

MA, MASSACHUSETTS -- In 2018, we hired Empire Today to install a carpet in a large, 2-room basement area of the empty home we'd just purchased. The installers charged us $600 for new padding, but never installed the padding. They put new carpet over the old padding and kept our money. We discovered this the following winter, when water damage forced us to pull up a small section of the new carpet.

Empire informed us that the entire carpet needed to be replaced if we wanted to keep our warranty. This was a huge problem because the basement was now fully-furnished and contained over $50,000 of fragile electronic equipment which would have to be moved. After a fight, Empire agreed to do the re-installation for free.

Since we didn't trust a carpet crew to move the very expensive equipment while they worked, we agreed on a 2-day installation. We would clear one room for them on day 1, then move all of the equipment to the first room, clearing the second room for them to work before they arrived on day 2. No problem.

They arrived on day 1 and completed the first room, but they didn't leave. The carpet crew proceeded to move all of that equipment themselves and finish the second room, completing the job in 1 day for their own convenience. I discovered this only when they were nearly finished. I yelled for them to stop but the foreman literally refused. It was very difficult to communicate with them, they spoke broken English or none at all. Frustrated, I resigned to let them finish the job.

The crew left our belongings in large, disorganized piles throughout the basement, some of which fell over and collapsed. I photographed all of it and notified the company the same day.

After several days of inventorying the mess, I discovered several thousand dollars in damages to equipment and furniture. The job itself was notably poorer than the first installation but that's the least of our concerns, and we're not allowing this company back into our home for repairs.

The company was completely unresponsive to phone calls and emails for weeks at a time. It's very important to persist throughout this period, which appears to be this company's standard operating procedure for claims and complaints. It's now been months and this company continues to deny any wrongdoing – but they've offered us a small monetary fraction of the damages “for inconveniences.”

The crew has lied about their conduct and misrepresented the condition of our home in their photographs, using “after” photos as “before” photos (yet neglecting to provide both sets for us). We have photo proof to the contrary, of course, and this will be an easy case in court. But the negligence, fraud, theft and destruction for which Empire Today has been responsible throughout this 10-month ordeal has been tremendously frustrating for us.

Find a local crew for your flooring, stay away from Empire.

MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT -- I ordered close to $7,000.00 worth of carpet. 3 install dates because of the size of the order and timing it needed to be done in. First room of carpet went fine. Charged 1/2 of the price after the salesman said that we'd pay for each room that was to be done on each install date.

Second install date they wanted the other 1/2 of the amount owed and forgot to bring the hallway carpet. They used two different kinds of batting in one room making the carpet slightly higher (the installers insisted that it was the same just looked different). Also in between the 2 of 3 installs I've tried contacting the salesman Gary ** to hook back up with him to change the type and color for my in-law apartment that is to be the 3rd visit scheduled for December 28, 2018 but he has not tried to contact me. Called the office requesting to meet with Gary but still no callback.

Meanwhile I've been trying to get Empire to schedule the installation of the hallway carpet that they forgot to bring during the 2nd visit and no one can give me answers even asked to talk to a supervisor and wasn't connected to one even though I was on hold waiting too. I was even told by a customer service person that I “could sue the company and get money”... told him “I didn't want to sue I just need my salesman to contact me and my carpet done and who on earth tells a customer to sue instead of looking into solving the issue!”

Very very disappointed, aggravated, embarrassed and worried I'm going to get screwed in the end. I'm considering canceling everything now and going with Home Depot. But I'm worried because of the weird way they have me paying now that the difference in money won't be given back. The last carpet that was installed was quoted as $700 and the check they insisted on having written to be around $1,300. I will not ever use them again. I will promote them. I will contact the Better Business Bureau. And I will make sure that everyone knows what I'm going through and what the outcome is... What a soap opera.

BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA -- I was sold LVT in a rectangular shape. The sales representative showed it to me and sold it to me. The installers showed up with square and I was not made aware of the tile until they completed demo on my floor. I was left with a sticky mess In my kitchen and was told they don't even make the rectangular shape. I have a 1 year old child and a dog. Leaving the floor sticky and unusable while I looked for a different provider was not an option. So they installed the tile which they brought. I remind you this was not what I chose, or paid for. As they finished they quickly tried to have me sign a document without reading.

I looked over their work and noticed they completely smashed my refrigerator power cord. Their fix was to break off one of the prongs and ask me if that was ok. Also they cracked the wood floor in my home which is right next to where they were working. When I pointed this out they gave me a frozen type of wood filler and said I could fix it myself later. Also they grouted in my dishwasher. So I will not be able to remove it in the future without taking out the tile near it. I found out they sub out their labor which is likely why it was inexpensive and awful execution.

When I called my sales person I was told it had never happened before but a manager would call me. When he did, over a day later he was unapologetic and almost unbelieving of my experience. I asked for a refund and he said, while this has never happened, that isn't an option. I was sold a product that they don't offer, was left with an unsafe environment and then when left with no other option had them install what they had for safety of my family. He then called me a day or two later and said they would offer me $300 which isn't close to what I paid for this.

Also, after the I stalkers left I had tiles lifting up. I stayed off them longer than they said, but still there was damage. They came back to fix it but obviously did not put down enough adhesive in the first place. I am extremely disappointed, I was sold a product they don't even make. Then had damage to other flooring and appliances by their Installers. Then when I made their management aware I was treated poorly and offered a very minor financial refund. Don't forget I also had to fix my surrounding floor and appliances. Sales, install, and management were all incompetent. I would recommend that anyone else choose a different provider.

SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS -- We recently had Empire give us a quote to install laminate flooring. The salesman came out and was pretty persistent and when I told him we would let them know the next day, he said that if we wanted it done that Saturday, he would have to get the order in that night. We decided to go ahead and had an install date for that Saturday (this was on a Thursday) and he told us that we would get a confirmation call the next day and if we did not get the call, to call them to confirm.

When my husband got home from work, we hadn't received the call, so he called them to confirm and they stated they had no record. He was on the phone quite some time with them with no resolution. My son called and was able to get a confirmation number for the installation that Saturday. We cleared the room, and sure enough, Saturday morning we get a call from the installers saying they would not be coming. We again got on the phone with Empire and they said the best they could do was the following weekend and we stated that wouldn't work because we had furniture coming that weekend.

The reason we chose Empire was because they promised it could be done when we needed it done. I was willing to rearrange my work schedule if they could come that Thursday, but they said no. They had no problem taking my deposit from my account, but could not deliver what they promised. When I realized that it was going to be their way or no way I canceled my order because I did not want to let it get past the 3 day cancellation and lose my deposit.

I did leave a poor review on their Facebook page, which they promptly deleted (as they do with all bad reviews). This is the reason that people think they are a good company... not right. They also blocked me from posting or replying on the page. Please shop around before you choose this company.