Empire Today Sucks! #EmpireTodaySucks

The linoleum  at the family room, hallway, and kitchen of the new house that we bought  have seen better days so my husband and I planned on  tiling it .  At first, we  planned on doing it ourselves but then we wanted  for it to get done quicker so we  said that we  would hire a company to do it.  We contacted  Empire Today because they sound  promising.  Some of my husband's co-worker said that they know  some people who had their floors done by Empire Today and they were fast.  

 So in June 2, we had  a sales representative from them came to our house to give us an estimate. After she measure everything, she came up with $9,210 which made me cringe!  I wasn't planning on spending that much for it.  So when we told her that  we  will shop around, she   told us that she can  work worth the price so she applied some discounts and the price came down to $7 thousand and some.  It was still high for us so we said, we will shop around.  She told us that she is required to   talk to her boss before leaving so they talked about the pricing and the boss said that they can do $5,000.  We did not buy yet, we want to make sure that we are getting a good deal.  

 After thinking about it overnight, my husband said that we should offer $4,500 and to our surprised, they agreed.  Sp we were excited as the  agent said that the job could be done  in two days.  We thought it is great as we want to move in as soon as the floors are done.  On June 4th, the lady came down  at our home again so we could sign the contract.  We decided to get the grout so we ended up with $5,100.  We  paid the 10% ($510), signed the contract and wait for the  scheduled date to work on it.  She scheduled us for June 8-9.  She told us that  the contractors are supped to call us on the 7th to confirm.  The day came, I couldn't leave the house because I was waiting for the call.  Noontime  came, I texted my husband and said that I never received the call.  He followed up with with the lady and he found out that our order got misplaced that's why I never got the call.   So the lady straightened it out for us, she confirmed that  our schedule will be June 9 and 10th, I thought great, they  are ruining my birthday!   

 Came June 9th, we went to the house early because they said they will show up as early as 8 am.  A couple of hours of waiting have passed and nobody came, I texted my husband to  follow up again.  I also texted the lady and she told me that the contractors are on its way.  I waited patiently, they came around 11 am.  Upon introducing themselves, he presented me with a bill of $90 and I told him that everything is settled and that we don't owe them anything.  He had to call his boss because they were instructed to collect it first before starting. Again, I told him we don't awe   them anything.  He called his boss and found out I was right.  

So after  all that, it is 12  noon already and they started unloading the materials.  They thought that they were ju0st laying the tiles without  stripping off the old floors so I showed them the contract that stated that they have to removed the old floors.  So they started to removed the flooring at  the family room, when they  reach to the kitchen, the linoleum there is  a little harder to strip so they  suggested to just lay the tiles on top of it.  I told them that I have to ask my husband.  I asked him to talk to to my husband which he did but by the time all that is going on, it is already 1 pm and they were ready to leave.  The guy told me that he is a single parent that he had to take his daughter to an orthodontist.  There's nothing I can do but to say okay.  They said that they are coming back early the next day.  I asked them to  put some of the materials inside because I was  concern that it might get stolen outside.  They brought the tiles and adhesive  inside and left the  grout and wall board outside.   My husband had a hunch that they are not planning to come back and he was right.

  On June 10th,   we went early to the house  to wait for them.  It was my birthday and we  cancelled our plans for that day since we wanted ou0r floors to get done.  As we waited, the contractor called and said that they  won't be able to come back because his partner's had a family emergency.  So we called the Installation manager and he told us that he will call back but he never did.  My husband then called the customer service but nobody answered.  We waited until 12 hoping that the manager sent someone but nothing.  By this time, we are  so frustrated already.  I texted the  sales agent and let her know how disappointed I was of the situation and she couldn't believe what I was saying because she said that  mostly, she get praises for  the installation.  She then  communicated  with the installation manager who never got back to us and she was informed that it would be re-scheduled  the next week.  

Normally, before we make a big purchase, my husband would  read reviews first before making a decision.  I think, he was  so beat  with the project that we did (refinishing wood floors) that he  jumped on the wagon to just  let Empire Today do the job without  reading any reviews.  June 12, Sunday, my husband decided to investigate.  That's when we  discovered that a lot of customers have the same problems as us.  I was already feeling so dismayed at this time but  my husband said that we will give them another chance to redeem  themselves.

@empiretoday sent another set of guys to work on our tiles, they left after ten minutes or so. They said that they were told that everything is ready and they will just lay the tiles in so they did not bring any tools for removing the existing floor. It's really frustrating, it's delaying our #move and ruining our plans . Hopefully they come back tomorrow as promised . To save the day, I painted the hallway. #frustration #HomeReno #homeImprovement #empireTodayContractorSucks

A photo posted by Chubskulit Rose (@chubskulitrose) on Jun 15, 2016 at 10:38am PDT

By Monday, the installation manager finally  called us and said that we are re-scheduled on June 15-16.  We went to the house  yesterday and was glad that at 9 am, they arrived and there's 4 of them. I thought, great, they might be able to  knock this out today.  To my disappointment once again, they walked around the house and  told me that they were told that the floor is already ready that  the only thing they need to do is lay the tiles on the floor so they did not bring their tools.  That excuse did not make sense to me because  what contractor goes on the job with them?  Right off the bat, I knew they didn't want to do the job.  They left after ten minutes and told me that they are  coming back the next morning bright and early, again  I gave them the benefit of the doubt.  

#Painting the railings while waiting for the @empiretoday workers to arrive. If they don't show up today, we are just canceling the whole thing. Two weeks is too much delay, we can just do this project ourselves , I am tired of waiting. #homeImprovement #HomeReno #unreliablecontractor #frustration

A photo posted by Chubskulit Rose (@chubskulitrose) on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:07am PDT

We went to the house this morning, waited till 10 am and I was already  aggravated that no one showed up.  So I let my husband know, he called the installation manager but he did not answer.  He then called the customer service and he was told that they thought that the contractor  got done working at our home yesterday.  My husband  stopped being  Mr. Nice Guy and  let them  know how  disappointed we are that we just want to cancel the whole thing.  I also texted  the sales agent and let her know that  I am done dealing with this crappy transaction.  She  then communicated with the installation manager and was told that  the contractor is on its way.  I waited till noon and nobody showed up so I texted her that  I don't think somebody is coming.  I told her that I wish the installation manager would call us back and communicate with us.  By this time, I was livid already.  I said we  will just cancel.  She called me and apologize an  said that she is still waiting  for the manager to call her back and let her know what  they plan to do.  

The manager  finally called my husband and asked for another  chance.  He told my husband that  he is going to send  a team to  finish it tomorrow.  We will see, if not, cancellation is the best option for us.  We  can just do it ourselves.  Maybe save us  some money in doing so.  Empire Today sucks big time!  I don't recommend this company.  They have poor communication, poor customer service, and caused us major delay on our schedule!