Empire Carpet
I haven't used them, and don't know anyone who has, but I'm sure they suck.
Read some really bad reviews on a related MOL thread about carpeting. Haven't tried them myself, so can't speak from personal experience. That thread gave good reviews for HD.
Had them come over once for an estimate. Long story short-- very hard sell, and we did not use them.
They do low end carpet and laminate flooring. With "financing plans". Yuck. Run.
We had a good experience with them for carpet. The hard sell part is not my favorite but you can't beat the convenience of the salesperson coming to your house. They installed quickly and the price was reasonable. Also we had an issue with installation several months later (it looked like the pad was separating) and they replaced the entire thing. No complaints at all!
But, haven't used them for hardwood or tile so I can't speak to that.
But, haven't used them for hardwood or tile so I can't speak to that.
Overall stay away. Have been asked to "fix" their mistakes. Google them for additional reviews
Ah, thank you for starting this thread, Mum. If we manage to buy the house we are making a bid on this week, I'm going to want to replace the raspberry carpet from hell in the master bedroom (seriously, when was that popular enough to be available in any store???). I'm debating whether to do an oak hardwood to match the ground floor, maple (because we happen to have about 24 boxes of the stuff) or a neutral carpet. But I'm glad to know we should eliminate Empire from our thinking right off the bat.
You're welcome, @PeggyC!
All of the comments here confirmed my suspicions. They were suggested by a friend (who has never been right with anything she has recommended)! LOL!
All of the comments here confirmed my suspicions. They were suggested by a friend (who has never been right with anything she has recommended)! LOL!
A client of mine had a good experience with a woman named Dianne Grossman, the carpet girl. I believe she may advertise on MOL. I was told her pricing was a little higher than HD but the quality was much nicer. She brings samples to you, as far as I know.
Interesting. That sounds like an entrepreneurial version of Empire, only better. Huh.
Cove Carpet in Summit is not known for being a bargain as far as price goes, but you cannot beat the selection, the customer service and the fact that it's a small local business. I would recommend meeting with Donna, one of the owners. Really nice to deal with. Because you need floors both to look good and last, I think it's usually worth spending the money to do them right.
we had a pretty good experience with empire
if you need it now, they work.
oots
if you need it now, they work.
oots
PeggyC said:
Interesting. That sounds like an entrepreneurial version of Empire, only better. Huh.
It's nothing new. Many years ago (at least 30, maybe more) my parents used a similar service for their home—an entrepreneur who brought samples to clients. They liked him so much I tried to get him to my first home in maplewood.
Thanks for the additional suggestions. It wouldn't be for a house anywhere in this area, so when the time comes, I'll look for other options.
We just used them. Beware the "99 dollar/room" as we did - we knew that the price would be higher, but we had no idea it would be that much higher. After a great deal of haggling, we got them down a great deal. I have to say, the finished product was great, and they installed the next day.
I recommend them, but please proceed with lots of questions.
I recommend them, but please proceed with lots of questions.
ks said:
We just used them. Beware the "99 dollar/room" as we did - we knew that the price would be higher, but we had no idea it would be that much higher. After a great deal of haggling, we got them down a great deal. I have to say, the finished product was great, and they installed the next day.
I recommend them, but please proceed with lots of questions.
I'm sure this is what my friend was referring to when she said I should call them. I read the disclaimers on the website and immediately smelled a very expensive rat! Thanks for the info.
With our haggling, it helped that we had already shopped elsewhere so we had a baseline price we wanted them to beat.
They installed our rugs a few years back. The install and finished product seemed pretty good. However, with 2 kids adding to wear and tear, the quality of the carpet seems to be lees than good.
We had a horrible experience with empire. They would only send one installer at time and we were having almost our entire house done. Took forever. It was done during the winter and the installer was rolling the new carpet out on our driveway which was covered with snow. I ended up with a large discount but totally not worth the money and aggravation. I still have to change the channel when I hear that jingle.
So, you ended up with damp carpet going down in the house? Yuck! For that matter, if there hadn't been snow on the ground, you probably would have ended up with dirty carpet going down.
'Nuff said. No Empire for me.
'Nuff said. No Empire for me.
Off topic, but, Empire started in Chicago and the currently animated carpet guy uses to be a real actor back in the day. The cheeky commercials are relatively new out here but have been in the Chicago market for at least 40 years.
When I meet someone who claims to be from Chicago I ask them the phone number for Empire. If they sing 588-2300, I consider them legit.
Sorry, this does 't help you gauge their quality but I enjoyed my trip down memory lane at tour Thread's expense. 
. Thanks.
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