Empire Today - Page 2

VIRGINIA -- I contacted Empire Flooring to install new carpet upstairs in my master bedroom, hallway, and stairs. This was the worst mistake EVER. The initial visit with the salesman Ed was fine, but after that it was downhill from there. We set an install date, but was never given a time until that day. This was never told to us that the install times are between 8am and 6 pm. I would have informed the salesman that morning is the time I want. This way the installers can get in and out in a decent time. I called the morning of my appointment to see if I could get a time as I would not want an appointment late in the afternoon.

I explained to the gentleman that I didn't want a late appointment. He placed me on hold and called the installers. He returned to the line and informed me they would be to me between 1-2. The installers arrived at 1:45 with no phone call prior to showing up. The installer (Maro) asked me what floors were we replacing. I showed him each area that was to be replaced. However, upon entering the master bedroom, he looked at me and said he didn't know if they could move the furniture out.

I asked him were they not told there was furniture to move. He said no, but it was listed on the paperwork just not in detail. He stated he would have to call his boss. He sent a text to his boss after taking pictures of the furniture pieces. He received a call from his boss a few minutes later. Maro asked his boss did he see the pictures he sent. I could hear Maro being asked can they move the furniture. He kept saying I guess, I don't know. They were on the phone negotiating a price for Maro and his partner to get paid to move the furniture out of the room. This was so unprofessional!!! We were already told the price for replacing carpet included removing the furniture.

Needless to say, after going back and forth, the furniture was moved out. I did help a little by taping the glass and supplying tools to use. I didn't mind at all. I was even going to give the two gentleman money out of my pocket for moving the pieces because they were big furniture items.

However, I changed my mind once they started acting pure money hungry and would not do and work until they were instructed since the representative on the phone could not process the check electronically correctly. I got on the phone and asked the representative for Empire's routing number and account number so I could transfer the funds. She informed me that Empire doesn't have a routing number.

I informed her this didn't make sense for a business not to have a routing number and they cash checks. She then stated I'm sure they have one, but we don't have that information in our office. I informed her again, this doesn't make any sense at all. While I was on the phone trying to get this resolved, the other gentleman had went back outside and brought the old carpet back in and put it back in my bedroom after he had ripped it out. UNPROFESSIONAL again!

I called the salesman that was originally out and informed him what was going on. He informed me that this was an issue on their end and they should still be working. I informed the salesman they are no longer working. He informed me he would make a call and call me back.

While waiting for a return call, the installer informed me that it is too late for them to start. I asked him why when it is only 3:30 and they would not be finished with the installation anyways. He repeated the same to me. I then informed him if they didn't start today, there was no need to return. I took the day off of work and I was not going to take another day off for them. I received a call back from the salesman who I informed him of what the installer just told me.

I advised the installer and the salesman, if I knew all of this was going to happen, I would have never called them. He apologized to me for this issue and informed me the floors would get installed today and he was not sure what their problem was. He asked me had anyone called me back. I informed him no. He then asked had anyone called the installers. I asked him to hold while I asked them. I went in the room and asked them if anyone had called them. They both shook their heads no.

I informed the salesman of this information and I informed him they were not working just sitting in the room. I also informed him that my husband has now gone to the bank to get a cashier's check. He asked to speak to them. I handed my phone to the Maro who seemed to be in charge and speak better English, but he really didn't want to speak with him and kept asking me who was on the phone.

I informed him this was Ed from Empire. He balled up his face and kept saying I don't know him several times. He finally took the phone and after a long conversation, they got back to work. I was so ticked off by now! Mind you, the account we use, we use daily for all of our business transactions as well as personal transactions. NEVER had an issue with a business being able to not process a check from us. NEVER.

Just a few weeks prior, we wrote out several checks to another business for window replacements. No issue at all. Empire says they accept checks, but in actuality, they want either a money order, cash, or a credit or debit card. If this is the case, then they need to stop lying to consumers and remove the check option from their list of payment options. I prefer to use checks for business transactions to avoid giving out my credit or debit card. There is too much hacking going on.

I kept checking on the work progress, as I didn't want the workers in my home late at night. When the master bedroom was done, I started the clean up process to help them speed up and get out of my home. I piled the extra carpet and paper in a big pile. I vacuumed the entire room and made my way to the hallway once he was finished with the seeming. While cleaning the hallway, I noticed that one of the gentleman used by restroom. If they would have asked me, I would not have said no, but I would have directed them of which one to use. It would not have been my upstairs bathroom.

I do think you are suppose to ask any homeowner if you can use their facilities. Not just take it upon yourself to do so. The other installer was finishing the stairs while cleanup was being done upstairs by me and the other installer Maro. Once all the trash was removed, Maro helped complete the work on the stairs.

Once all this was done, they began place the furniture back into place. I oversaw this as they only had to place two pieces back in the room instead of all the pieces that were removed. This was all done and by now it was 8:30 pm and I was tired and ready for them to leave. I understand fully why homeowners do a lot of projects (DIY) themselves and choose to do other work after they have moved out of the home. This is EXACTLY where I am at based off of this experience! Companies take your money and then want to treat you like crap.

I would not recommend Empire Flooring to anyone at all and I would NEVER use them again. I noticed the next day during another round of cleanup, that the installer placed some of the trash in my bathroom trashcan and the seam in two of the bedrooms is not very well done. I had to use a heavy toolbox to sit over the door seem for a few days to see if it would lay the seem down more. I am so disappointed with the ENTIRE process from Empire!

NORTHGLENN, COLORADO -- Never, and I mean never, do business with Empire for any of the services they offer especially including flooring. Last spring around April one of their salespeople came to my house for an estimate. A gentleman showed me samples and I choose the flooring. He quit the company soon thereafter so I had no advocate or someone I could talk to just to see when my floor would be installed. Every time you call there is at least 30 to 45 minutes on hold before anyone speaks to you. Usually, you get the wrong person or get disconnected and never get called back. This is customer service at its worst.

I waited 3 months to get scheduled, then the subcontractor left the job immediately telling me there may be asbestos and I needed to test for it. I called an asbestos tester and paid $310 and they found NO asbestos. I thought I was on the way to finally getting my floor installed, but no. Leticia, a supervisor, told me my test was not adequate. She even went on to claim I didn't get the area they are installing tested. Laughable. You think I would spend that kind of money and have them test an area I was not having my floor done!!!! Never got that straightened out and 10 phone calls later never got satisfaction. I could tell more details but if you want a good, timely job done get it anywhere else than Empire. The worst company I have ever dealt with.

NASHVILLE,TN -- My wife and I are currently dealing with Empire. It is slowly turning into a nightmare. We did our due diligence and had three estimates done for flooring. My wife at the time of the estimates was eight months pregnant. The sales representative from Empire came out. He was a pretty nice guy. Did his song and dance and we told him our problems. We needed carpet in two bedrooms and laminate in our kitchen and living room. The problem is our living room is not level and is off as much as an inch in some areas, we told our representative that and he was completely aware of the problem. He sold us what I will assume is good carpet and a nice laminate.

Fast forward two weeks to install. The carpet was to be installed Tuesday and the laminate on Thursday. Empire called to confirm our appointment on Tuesday only to cancel it the day of install and they want to come Wednesday. Great, we had set up all of our dr. appointments for Wednesday so now we are scrambling to figure out what to do.

I called customer service and stayed on hold well over an hour and only made headway when I mentioned they had breached their own contract by not installing when they said they would. They ended up giving us a discount that covered my day's wages as that is what I would lose if I had to stay home for them. The install crew was awesome! Very courteous and quick. The carpet looks great. You have to remember they are contractors not really part of the company.

Now for the laminate. Install was supposed to be there between 8-10. They didn't show up until 4:30, as if they were going to get anything done. Then the install leader tells my wife he can't install the type of laminate we selected that it will crack because of the uneven floors.

Wait a minute??? That's what we told the rep? Then our installer tells us of a cheaper material that could be used LPV. He calls the install manager who has someone bring out a book of choices for us and they say "if you pick one today we may be able to install on Saturday." My wife picked one out and that was the last we heard from anyone for two days. No one would answer their phones. I called customer service and they couldn't reach anyone as well. Now I'm getting mad. They have a $900 deposit for a floor that salesman sold me that won't work. Now I feel like I've been had.

Yesterday sales representative calls and says he will be out tomorrow to see what we can do. My wife is now almost due and we were ensured this would be done within two weeks let alone a month. Today my wife got three call attempting to confirm Monday as an install day. To install what??? We haven't picked anything new out? I'm wondering if they are just going to send out another install team that doesn't care to attempt to install. I guess I will find out if the sales representative shows up tomorrow.

At this point Empire has violated their own contract and it's getting old. Their customer service is the absolute worst I have ever dealt with. I should have known something was up when there was only one number you can call. And they will never transfer you to a supervisor. Bad business if you ask me. I have never treated a customer the way they have treated me and my wife. I will keep this thread updated as things go along.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- If I could give them a zero I would! We got carpet installed less than 2 years ago and about 2 1/2 months ago the carpets were cleaned in all 3 rooms. A day later the smell that came from one of the rooms was so bad I had to tear it off and remove it because it was right next to my kids rooms that are 2 and 4 years old.

When I called empire to report this they told me that all I can do is create a case and they would get back to me. About 4 days later they told me that they wanted to send someone out there to take a look at the carpet, which I had no problem with but he could only do it in 3 days. Now we are talking about a week later, which I had to keep my kids away from the carpet because I tore it out and they wanted to mess with the threads.

Once the guy came out he took pictures and asked if he could take the carpet I ripped out with him and I said yes. About another week and a half later a woman named Janet ** called me and said that the carpet didn't dry correctly. So I told her that it sounds like a product defect because all three rooms were dried the same way.

She told me that they can replace the section I tore out with new carpet, which was not even up for discussion because a 2-year old carpet even with cleaning looks completely different from a brand new carpet. So she then proceeded to say that they will pay for material and I have to pay a $400 dollars for labor. I told them that it was unfair that I had to pay again for a defect that their product caused and they should absorb the whole cost. She told me that she would need her supervisor to agree to this and that she would call me back.

One month later with 3 phone calls and 2 voicemails unanswered I was finally able to talk to a supervisor named Linda ** that decided to tell me that they would lower the price to $200. I told her that it was ridiculous how they have treated me and that they should be ashamed of themselves. I had to get the carpet replaced because I had a hose hole in my floor for the past month and a half and I couldn't live like that anymore so I agreed to pay the cost.

A day before the appointment they decided to call me and tell me that they over booked and can't make it. They did tell me that they would now install it for free, which was the first decent thing that they have done for me. We rescheduled and the second time they came they told me that they were going to install gold or silver floor transitions, which I told them that there was no way they were going to do that because they originally installed wood transitional and it was even noted on my original order form. So yes once again I had to reschedule.

The third time they came out I told them to come early but the gave me a window of 9-11 which they ended up coming at 11:30. This time they told me they couldn't replace the carpet because I needed my husband to remove the closet folding door. I told them the original time they were here that they removed it and put it back together. The guy said he doesn't do that and I should call my husband. I told him that there wasn't going to be anyone here till 6. By this time I was so upset, I have missed 2 days of work for them and moved furniture twice by myself all for this crap.

I called Linda again and left a message. The guys told me that they were going to go and I told them to wait till I got a hold of someone so I knew what was the next step, but before I could get someone on the phone that I was on hold for 25 minutes they left my house. So now I still have a hole in my floor, I still need to miss another day of work and I have to put everything back and take it out again. Still no one called me back!!!!! PLEASE! PLEASE!! PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!!

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- July of 2014, we called Empire Today. The pushy sales lady came to my house the same day. She did not leave until we signed the contract with her. The next day, I called the company and wanted to cancel because their price was very expensive, and they would not cancel. They gave me a couple of hundred dollars off the carpet and tile installation.

We did not have a major problem with the tile people, but we started replacing the carpet August of 2014. The installer was at my house July 28th and inspected my furniture and my house and the flooring to make sure that they have ordered enough carpet and to see how they would move the furniture. There were supposed to install the carpet the next day which would have been Tues July 29th. Based on his suggestion he said for us to start August 1st so that he can bring more people and that they can finish the job sooner on Saturday. I said okay.

They started the replacement of my carpet August 1st 2014. Two people came and literally hostage in my house. They were using laundry room door and front door to come into my house. They put all the heavy furniture with no coverage on my front entry, which is marble which was in perfect condition before they started working. They moved the rest of my other furniture in my kitchen and in my breakfast area and we were held hostage because we couldn't use our kitchen and refrigerator and front entry. So, we were literally living on the front yard or backyard. We were not able to get into the house to see what was going on, or in some case use the restroom.

At 7:30pm on Friday, we were informed that they would be back Saturday and he would bring 4-6 people to finish the job. They put some furniture back and some furniture on my front entry. Saturday Morning they came back around 11am and there were about 4-6 people working. We stayed outside again, and blocked out again hoping that they would finish the job today.

Around 2:30 when my husband left the house to get something to eat, the installer came to me to tell me bad news, that they cannot finish the job today. This was because the carpet he had was different than the carpet he had yesterday. The color is the same, but the lot # is different. He wouldn't be able to match the seam and that I would be unhappy.

All my upstairs furniture, they shoved it in the balconies of my master room and my daughter's balcony, and he said that he feels really bad for us because he has to bring back the furniture to the room, but can't put the furniture back because he will be coming back on Monday to fix the problem. He brought everything from the balcony and shoved them more into the bathrooms and we were all blocked out of our closets and showers, and restrooms and changing clothes. Everything was shoved in a small place.

The only place we were able to use was the downstairs powder room, which has no shower. And we were able to only use the kitchen and family room. He said he feels really bad, but Empire would take care of you and give me some kind of credit, which they did not do that yet.

He came back on Monday August 4th, and he said that he will fix the problem for me. He has the right carpet he said and he left Monday around 8pm and he wanted a signature from my husband, and checked marked for where we would survey him. I told him I am not happy with the carpet change, and furniture was very much damaged and the seam of the carpet all over the house was very much visible. He told me the carpet is not thick enough for my home, and will shed. So basically, Empire needs to re install the carpet again, and he would come do the change.

Knowing that he knew from the beginning that the carpet is not thick enough, and knowing that the carpet they gave him was not the right carpet, and also knowing that he would have to come back and re install new carpet because of this. Saturday August 2nd, 5 people had to sleep in the family room on the floor with no pillow and blanket since we had no access to anything in our house and everything was locked out. We didn't have access to toothpaste and toothbrush and had to go out and buy them since the no access. We had to use the powder room downstairs to brush our teeth.

Based on his suggestion we had to call Empire today and tell them what was going on immediately. And since August 5th 2014, we are calling Empire and letting them know what happened and what's going on and little by little that 4 door stopper were missing in my house, the base board was broader, doors were not closing. Baseboard and walls and paint have been damaged, and also couches. Also formal living room couches, and glass dining table has been chipped at so many places. The house was painted In Nov of 2013, and most of my paint upstairs have been damaged, including the kid's bedrooms, master bedrooms, etc.

All paint is damaged, and all bedroom sets also have been damaged. The installer did not put all the screws on the bed, and the bed was loosened. The formal dining room and buffet which has been covered with sheets since we moved in have also been damaged with scratches and dents. The chairs and coffee table and side table have scratches and also book case and office and room desks have been broken.

Also master place fire place marble have been damaged, and also the casing around the patio door because of the moving of the furniture. He broke the casing of the patio door in front of my husband, and told him he would come back and fix it but never did. All my marble have been scratched and chipped where the carpet meets the marble.

There have been so many damages on the marble that I cannot describe anything. The staircase has been deeply scratched and it is so excessive that I do not know what to do about it. Small picture frames in the hallway fell and damaged the frame and also the wall. And bigger tapestry pictures have been broken due to being fallen.

We have been following all the installers instruction to put things in box, and put the small items away, and I have 3 or 4 days to put things away. He never told us to remove any picture frames. Empire changed my flooring of my 5 bathrooms with the tile, and he also damaged the tile which was connected from my daughter's room to the bathroom. There are so many chips in my kitchen flooring, and breakfast area.

Pieces of the tile are gone, and he came back and shaved some of the pieces of the tile in my kitchen and laundry room to make the pieces straight. He did the same to my daughter's bathroom, and for it to not be noticeable. But, I have more carpet there, more than tile, which you are supposed to have more tile than carpet. Due to the rolling in of the heavy carpet, my washer and dryer have been scratched and paint has been damaged.

We have sent pictures to Empire, they have sent supervisors to my house to look at the damages, and each time they tell me they are going to fix the damages of my kitchen flooring and marble. They said they are going to order marble to replace your chipped marble, and someone is going to come and paint where has been damaged and change the flooring for kitchen and laundry room with the same tile of the bathroom. When the painter came to look at the damages, he said he has to paint the whole house to make it all even.

For the staircase, even with sanding and staining, it will never go back to when it was normal in the beginning, so little by little they changed their mind, after all the promises Howie (installation supervisor), me to directly and Janet (Cus. Serve. Rep), to fix everything, they have only decided to give me 10% of the purchase price, which is about $830 dollars, and I rejected the offer.

They reported this to installer insurance company, and they came over and looked at everything, and rejected the damages due to previous existing damages. What I want to ask them, is if the damages are pre existent, the first of installer should have told me and had me sign some sort of paperwork. The first installer came to inspect my house on July 28th, and if there were any pre existing damages, he should have taken a picture, and sign something like two other installers that came and changed the carpet again.

Most of my furniture were new, and were kept really well since they were covered until the first installment. This tells any logical person, that there were no pre existing damages, and no furniture damaged. If so, he should have said something about it. After the second installer came to inspect the house, and when he was changing the carpet, while he was dissembling my bedroom set, purposely put the foot board and head board in the wrong place for me not to see the damages on my cherry wood furniture. I have trusted Empire due to the false advertisement on TV due to what they have promised.

For the second time the carpet has been changed for the second time in Nov. 12th of 2014. The second carpenter took an hour to look at the furniture and the damages, and let me know the damages have been done previously to show me that they are previous damages, and he would not be held responsible. He did a terrible job of carpet installation. The cuts were horrible and easily seen and it took him 3 days to finish the job. He left the Friday at 4pm and said that this was the best he can do.

Meanwhile we are paying for the carpet every month through Wells Fargo. We asked Wells Fargo to help us to get our money back through them, and Wells Fargo is not helping us and we are disappointed with Wells Fargo because they are telling me to deal with Empire and not them. Wells Fargo is a credit card company, and I don't know why they want us to deal with Empire, and Not Wells Fargo to get my money back for an unfinished job.

Anyhow, now the carpet has been changed for the 3rd time. The supervisor's name is Juan, and he came over. He said that everything is wrong with the carpet and it has to be changed for the third time. On June 10th, the carpet was finished. I called the next day. We still have a problem with the stairs, with the size of the nails, and the carpet is pushing out on both sides.

I hope to never do business with Empire again. My life has been changed since August of 2014. I am still dealing with them and getting nowhere. I am calling them daily. It is frustrating not to get a response from them. I am only getting an email once in a while, and keep getting promises made but not getting any of them.

BONNEY LAKE, WASHINGTON -- So let me start off by saying every sale they have is a bait and switch, their mark up is astronomical 3 to 4 times retail on comparable products. This review isn't about the product or bad installation, it's about the deceptive business practices, fakes sales and pressure to obtain financing on severely overpriced products. I will also point out the EMPIRE TODAY is not a Manufacturer like they lead you to believe, they may have their own brand, but 40 oz carpet and VPL is only made by a select few companies and the companies manufacture private labels for people to sell.

Though the sales person was nice, they did not show us every option. They showed us their option the EMPIRE brand options. Their sales pitch isn't high pressure until after the estimator leaves then your information gets turn over to a 3rd party call center that has been literally calling 4 times a day even now. I already gave what my exact timeline was.. Let's go over price... Your "average" 40 oz carpet runs retail between $2.50 to $5.00 a SQFT. Empire showed me theirs and I compared it to a competitor's sample. The only difference was color.. and it was $2.50 SQFT, I needed about 780 sqft. and pad.

Competitor
$1950 for carpet
$772 for pad
$2722 total materials cost

Empire
$7798 before discounts off
$3552 after discounts

They were very pushy with financing even though I stated several times this would be a cash deal. Remember same carpet weight, same warranty. Apples to apples... It gets better though, I wanted Vinyl Plank flooring, of which I picked out one at the competitor. Empire stated I needed 1300 SQFT. My picked I actually felt was better quality than what they were trying to sell me because I had spent a lot of time comparing flooring and warranties. I was explicit when I said I did not want laminate with any type of wood product core. This floor needed to the WATERPROOF. The Vinyl Plank I picked out from a competitor was $2.70 SQFT.

Competitor
$3510 for Vinyl Plank
$1300 for pad, some VPL has pad attached its price comparable
$4810 total materials cost
$2587 install fee @ 1.99 SQFT
$7397 Grand total

Empire Vinyl Plank
$33,705.26 before discounts
$17,214.75 After discounts

I bet now you're thinking I didn't compare apples to apples but you'd be wrong. This was the same quality, plank size, and warranty. I literally said to the salesperson, "That's insane." She then tried to sell me the exact thing I said I didn't want at the beginning of the sale, not even attempting to offer me any products but their own brand.

Empire Laminate
$25,908.14 Before discount
$13,662.50 After

And I'm not kidding when I said the like every 4th sentence is we have financing available. I'm not saying the Sales person didn't do her job, I was just an educated buyer knew roughly how much to expect for labor and materials... For those people who don't PLEASE get educated. This just isn't overpaying a little, it's asinine to pay this. 18k could have bought real hardwood floors not Vinyl. Don't get suckered, find a local guy. Empire Marks their materials up 50% before they mark it up 100% to give you a fake discount. Side note my house is only 1910 SQFT. The numbers I can you were from empire 1300 and 780 = 2080 SQFT. I know they need extra that seems like a lot.

ODENTON, MARYLAND -- BUYER BEWARE. MUST READ IT ALL. On 1/22 we purchased floors to be installed on 1/27/2020 in our Delaware rental property. We drove up from Maryland (where we live) the night before. Salesman sold us floors was pleasant. We sign contract on his handheld device. He quickly asked for a deposit. He scanned our check with that device, which almost "IMMEDIATELY" withdraw $1018 from our checking account. My wife asked for receipt and copy of signed contract. He said would receive (within 24 hours) by cod 1/23. Call salesmen at end of day on 1/23, because we did not receive the contract or deposit receipt.

Called again early on 1/24, at end of day about no receipt. Call corporate 2 times late on 1/25 and 1/26 and still nothing. This is not good business and misconduct. Cannot believe with technology a receipt is not automatically provided after (writing check) deposit. More surprise no contract after 48 hours, which states how many days you can rescind.

On 1/27 the installers showed up on time. The 1st thing they asked for was FULL PAYMENT, over $4000 before starting. We needed floors installed, so we could drive 2 hours back to Maryland, for work the next day. After that… the installer said 1) They can install floors because house was too cold. WHAT (it was 68 degrees in house). Told them I can turn temp up and it will be warmer by time they ready to install 4 hours later, after deinstall.

2) They said Pergo wood in bedroom was glued to concrete and contained asbestos. Took a picture and sent to his supervisor. He agreed and said it is not asbestos which is white, just "black" glue. 3) Then they said floors were not level (HUH). 4) Next they said salesmen mismeasured floor by 65 sq ft, and they did not bring enough floor. So they completed the deinstall on 1/27 and said they had to go to dump. Will return tomorrow 1/28 for install (YOU KIDDING RIGHT). We had to take another day leave from work to wait for install on 1/28.

Called corporate again to complain about their business practices (no contract, no receipt of deposit, cod before installing and not delivering the product because of installer concerns on 1/27). Asked that someone in management call me to discuss compensation. They NEVER called. NOTE: Please do not run into an issue. Customer services it the worst. They are the most MONEY HUNGRY and I mean MONEY HUNGRY company I have ever dealt with. I am 60 years old. Later that day on 1/27 I finally received my deposit receipt and contract in email, FIVE DAYS later...smh.

Installers arrived on 1/28 and on time. Only issue is that they did not have a miter saw. They went to purchase one in Delaware. They installed the boxes they left the prior day. Did not see them bring any extra flooring boxes...SMH. Ask them if floors were level enough for install. They said the floors are level, no issue (SCRATCHING MY HEAD). The install went well after that. Thank the Lord. P.S. NEVERRRRRR AGAIN.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- I hired Empire Today to install laminate flooring in my entire house (1854 sqft), and carpet on the stairs.
***published here https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/empire-today.html?page=4***

The salesman, Greg Charles, was extremely nice and accommodating. He gave me his personal number and told me to call or text him if there were any problems with the installation. He responded to a couple of my texts prior to installation. He specifically told me that I should go through him for any issues, and gave me no other number or person to contact. Once demolition started, he never responded to my texts again. He told me the flooring was waterproof, which I found out later wasn't true. He also told me that I had the best installation team they had coming out, only to find out the installation teams aren't chosen until the day of the job.

Scheduling with Empire was a nightmare. They were unable to tell me a timeframe the installers would arrive. I was told they could arrive anywhere between 8:00am and 5:00pm. When I told them that I couldn't sit around all day and miss work, so I needed to cancel my order, I was told that I could go to work, and someone would call me 45 minutes before arrival, that way I wouldn't miss more work than I was able to miss. I wasn't called until the installation team with 20 minutes from my house, so they ended up having to wait for me – something else I dislike doing. The carpet installation was scheduled for Wednesday, a different day than the laminate installation. This time, they told me he would arrive between 1:00 and 5:00. I left work early, and the installer was a no-show. I was offered $100 compensation for my wasted time, which I accepted.

Empire is a middle man. They hire out the installation to contractors who have no real investment in you getting your project complete or done properly. The installation team they hired for my job was Metro Flooring (Las Vegas, NV). One guy came in and walked through my house with me to ensure they had the correct rooms for installation. He did not discuss with me the process, nor did I see him on site ever again. Greg, the salesman, had told me that they would push furniture to one side of the room, remove the old flooring, install the new flooring, move the furniture to the completed side, and repeat the process. This is not what happened. Metro Flooring moved all my furniture into 3 rooms, stacking items in haphazard ways, scratching wooden furniture and putting dents in my walls in the process. I have freshly painted cabinets in my kitchen and every one of the lower cabinets was scratched from the removal of the tile. They took no actions to prevent this from happening. When I addressed these damages with Empire Today, they claimed that the installation team did not cause the damage, but offered me $200 in compensation. I figured there was no way I could prove they caused the damage (even though they did), so I accepted this compensation. If you're keeping track, they now owe me $300 in compensation. Metro Flooring also used their Miter Saw in one of my upstairs bedrooms, leaving a thick layer of sawdust on all my wall hangings. They did a poor job of cleaning up the job site, probably because it was 9:30pm and they were rushing to leave. The time that was scheduled for the job was definitely not appropriate for the time needed to complete the job.
The installation team was also installing baseboards. I was told the incorrect amount of baseboards to purchase for my second story, so they ran out (Greg, the salesman, told me how many linear feet to purchase). Another problem right off the bat was the color of the transitions. They had sent a color that was too dark. I noticed this as soon as I came home the day the transitions were installed. To my relief, the installer had realized these weren't the correct transitions, and hadn't glued/nailed them down. He promised he would come back on Thursday (two days later) to finish the baseboards and install the correct transition. He didn't return for 3 weeks, and came back with the exact same color transitions that he had before. He was angry about this, and refused to do anything until he could complete everything on the same day. When I told him that was unacceptable since two of my bedrooms were unusable since he left all the furniture stacked in one of them, he agreed to move the furniture back. I should have insisted he finish the baseboards, because I still couldn't use the rooms since everything that needed to go back in the closets was stacked on the beds.

Between the original days the installation was supposed to be completed, and the day he came back 3 weeks later, I noticed 3 pieces of flooring that had chips on the ends or sides, and 1 piece with a saw mark on it from the miter saw. I also noticed that they left labels on two pieces of quarter round under the cabinets, and there were large gaps between many pieces of the flooring. The Metro flooring installer wouldn't fix any of these problems that day. Again he promised he would come back on Thursday (5 days later) to install the correct transitions, finish the baseboards, and fix the flooring problems.

One week later (installation + 4 weeks), a customer service representative came out to my house so I could pick the transition I wanted. She told me that Metro Flooring refused to come out again until I did this. She brought some very small samples, none of which matched the flooring. I chose one that was a better match than what Empire had sent, but expressed my displeasure that Empire didn't provide an option that matched the flooring they sold me. The customer service representative told me that she would have the new transitions by Monday (3 days away) and that the install team could come back and install them on Thursday. I told her that I couldn't miss any more work, so she said they would come on Saturday. On Saturday, I hadn't heard from anyone by noon, so I called the office. A man named Hugo picked up the phone, and said there was no appointment for me to get my flooring installed. Turns out that they hadn't received the transitions in time, and switched my appointment to the following Saturday, without telling me or checking if that date worked for me (it didn't because I was going to be out of town for work). We rescheduled for the following Thursday.

Thursday (installation + 6.5 weeks), an installer from a different company showed up to install the transitions. He was unaware of any of the other items that needed to be finished (baseboards and flooring issues fixed). He called his supervisor who came over and was very helpful. Her team was unable to work on my floors because they hadn't been scheduled properly time-wise, but she told me how to maintain my floors (something Metro Flooring was supposed to do) and talked to me about my options if my flooring didn't get finished soon. She also told the customer service representative to order 4 more boxes of flooring to fix the hallway where most the chipped pieces were. She left the transitions (correct color) and two boxes of flooring at my house so it could get acclimatized.

The following Tuesday (installation + 7 weeks), the original company came out to fix the problems and finish the baseboards and transitions. They did not bring the 4 extra boxes of flooring, but were able to fix the issues with the two that had been left the previous week. I ended up having to take another half day off work to accommodate their schedule, because I was concerned I wouldn't get the job completed otherwise.

Now, the customer service representative who promised to compensate me $300 isn't answering my texts or returning my calls. I have yet to receive my compensation 8 weeks later. It is clear to me that Empire Today only cares about the profit and does not care about the customer. Save yourself the headache and frustration. Call a company directly, because then you won't be up-charged and the installation company will have their own reputation on the line if they don't do the job well.

I filled out a review on Empire Today's website. At the end of the review, I checked a box that indicated I wanted to be contacted my Empire Today about my review. I have not heard from them.

NORTHLAKE, ILLINOIS -- So, today (8/6/19) I had hoped that this nightmare wood laminate installation would find some resolution, but it hasn't. After 3 months of promises, a top management person called me to discuss a technical difference in product name, which no one else had been able to explain, but ultimately he offered no real solution. In short, this company duped me into paying for a wood laminate product that does not live up to its promise of being pet friendly.

My beagle was on the floor once after installation and it resulted in several scratches. About a month ago, a so-called inspector was sent out to review the problem and he used acetone to scrub away the top layer of coating on the floor... Of course, the acetone removed the scratches and the finishing from the floor. After his visit, I was told that the company was going to close my case and it was up to me to hire an inspector if I wanted to pursue the issue any further.

Based on my experience I have to advise against using Empire for installation of wood-based products. The wood laminate installers left a mess of sawdust and packaging strewn across the floor and the company, which does not provide itemized costs of labor vs. product or even price differences between products, did a switcharoo on the laminate that I picked out.

As a result, I have had to install a pet gate to keep my dog from getting onto the wood laminate flooring. He is stressed out and the entire tone of my home has been turned upside down, not to mention, that I fell crossing the gate and has had to incur doctor bills and downtime from my usual activities. Empire's practices of promising one product but delivering another has cost me and my home much more than we could ever have imagined when deciding to update our flooring. Beware.

NEWTON, NEW JERSEY -- In March (less than 7 months ago) I had a $10,000 job done to install laminate flooring on my entire first floor. I replaced 15-20 year old laminate flooring, some carpet and some linoleum and went with a seamless full 1st floor of the main gate ebony oak. Because the flooring in the various rooms had differed the installers recommended a full replacement of the subfloor in order to ensure everything was level. Despite the unexpected cost of $1000 we decided if we were going to do the job we should do it correctly and decided to pay the extra money.

Less than 6 months later I started to notice that around where the floor transitions from the eat in portion of the kitchen to the living room was bending when walked on. At times it seemed so off that you could almost trip over the lil. After a MONTH of arguing with customer service I finally got someone out here to look at it but it was the original installer. First thing he says is 'oh well, with laminate, sometimes it does this, maybe you have moisture'. I pointed out that HE is the one that test the moisture when he did the installation and had confirmed it was fine. I reminded him of this and he said 'oh yeah, there was no issue'.

Although he said he would fix the 3 or 4 planks at the room divider but pointed out 3 other places that it is starting to happen said "this looks like maybe it's the flooring". He also said they cut and measured everything fine but the space could have contracted? What does that even mean? My house is SHRINKING? I mean give me a break. I can't decide if Empire is a complete Fraud or they truly are that inept at the service and product they provide! $11,000!!! This was not a small job. This was an INVESTMENT. I have called endless times. I have done everything I can think of.

I also got an automated call at 9:11 AM today. It stated that my inspector was on his way and that he would definitely be there within 1 or 2 hours. At 1:30 I received a call saying he would be there between 2:30 and 3:45. When I asked the woman who called why the huge difference in timing she said 'well you didn't talk to a real person, you can't expect the time to be accurate". So the calls with the timing are just for fun? I sat here ALL day waiting, he finally came at 4:30. He said he told Empire he would be here late afternoon so that implies they were lying to me.

I was told today by the installer that came (who did the original job) that he would submit his report and that I would be contacted about installation but I couldn't get any sort of timeline or indication of how long that would take and he refused to give me any way that I could contact him to confirm. So now what? I wait around again until someone decides they want to set up the fix? This has been an absolute disaster. Using Empire was the biggest mistake I have ever made.