I called Empire Today because of the TV commercials and the fast service. The company might be great but the contractors they hire... well that's another story. They came out on time and as usual I had pictures on my computer of my windows before the job was done, because one picture speaks a thousand words. My old windows were 3 across in a straight line at the front of my house. Also there were no slate tiles missing on my roof around my old windows in the pictures I took of the job before it was done.

The new windows were installed crooked. Each one in 1 to 2 inches higher than the one next to it. I could not believe my eyes so I took a picture of the 3 new windows. Sure enough they appear to be going up hill. They even put the window trim (capping) on crooked. Everything was done from the inside even though the salesman told me that the windows would be put in from the outside. How can you possibly cap a window from the inside leaning out with your head down. It should have been done from the outside so they could make sure the windows and trim were straight. The explanation the installers gave me made no sense at all because I had pictures of my old windows and they were perfectly straight. It seems to me that if the old windows were straight then the new windows should be straight. Some of the trim between the new windows was cut too short and huge globs of caulk was put in the space.

My contract says that all debris would be cleaned up but I have pictures of wood chips and debris all over the roof on top of my eaves. They had a shop vac but no attempt was made to use it to clean up the debris on the 3 side windows. They did vacuum up the debris on the front roof over top of the porch where the 3 front windows were installed crooked.

When they hammered out my old wood windows in the front everything was thrown out the front window and a lot of wood chips and debris was left right at my front door. For $4049.00 cash I got 3 crooked windows and 5 other okay ones. I would not recommend Empire to anyone as far as windows are concerned.

We contacted Empire for an estimate for some hardwood flooring during their 50% off Christmas sale. The sales rep came out, measured, showed us some samples, and said the laminate would be our best choice in a high traffic area, and he had the same stuff in his house. He quoted us 320 square foot for a price of $3900.00, or $12.19 a sq.ft. which included removing and hauling the carpet and some tile. Since the holidays were a couple weeks away, we went ahead with Empire. When I asked the rep about the 50% off deal, he pointed to the more expensive hardwood sample and said "It's 50% of that stuff" and walked out the door!

After several calls to which there was no response, I finally spoke with a Mr. John Tyra who was the sales manager for the So. Cal region. He informed me that the 50% off was for material only, not labor, to which I agreed. However, when he said that the price of the laminate (which in my opinion, is of average to inferior quality) was $260.00 a box and that my price WAS the 50% off, I couldn't believe what I was being told!

I will tell everyone I know NOT TO DO BUSINESS with these ripoffs.

Empire Today just started doing business in NC, and have started a huge t.v. ad campaign. My wife saw the commercials and we figured we'd give them a try. I called and set up an appointment and they sent someone at my earliest convenience. So far so good.

The estimator shows up and immediately put us off by assuming that my wife and I weren't southerners because we didn't have drawls and proceeded to make fun of southern accents.

He immediately started his salesman schmooze by complimenting my wife, playing with the baby, asking to pet our dog, etc etc. He measured the rooms we wanted carpeted and went back to his van to get samples. He immediately started trying to steer us towards the most expensive carpet he had, and told us to not "make the mistake of buying carpet based on price." Um... yeah. Price is not an object to a salesman, is it?

After measuring he gave me an estimate that was about $2000 over what anyone else gave us. He kept going on about how it included EVERYTHING from padding to moving the furniture, to removing the old carpet and padding, etc etc. I was able to talk him down a measly $200 which he immediately tacked back on with sales tax. We really needed the carpet and in a hurry, so I signed on the dotted line. I asked him for an itemized bill so I could see how it all broke down, and he said, "We don't do things that way. We figure it by the job." Red flags then went off...

After he left, I started thinking about how completely wrong I felt about the transaction. I reviewed the paper work and saw where he failed to mention all of my options as far as padding, moving my own furniture, etc etc.

I called and canceled within 30 minutes of him leaving my house. They asked why I wanted to cancel and I told them the salesman wouldn't give me an itemized bill. The customer service rep asked, "Well if we knock something more off the price, would that help?" I told him it might if he could promise me an itemized bill, but he would NOT do that. He gave me my cancellation notice and said that my $25 deposit would be refunded in 10-14 business days. I told him the salesman required $100 from me and he said, "Um... really?"

So then I called to cancel the credit line that was opened with GE and got a call center in India and they refused to help me cancel the account. Why wasn't I smart enough to trust my gut instinct? I'm still in this mess and I will warn EVERYONE to steer clear of Empire Today. Take your money to a reputable local dealer or a national chain of home improvement stores.