Empire Carpet Center, Inc.

Revdex.com:
At this time, I have not been contacted by Empire Carpet Center, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
At this time, I have not been contacted by Empire Carpet Center, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: On 4/**/2014, three men from Empire Carpet and Restoration came to clean my basement which has been flooded and was considered a health hazard by the Gas Company, which I needed to have repairs done as well. They arrived at 9am to look at the damage and to discuss the price, which we agreed would be $6,000. Since it was an emergency repair and I didn't have the full amount, the supervisor agree to a down payment of $1500 to be deducted from my debit card that day. They were supposed to clean and sanitize the basement as well as remove all items on the floor that had been damaged that day. They worked for about three hours, after which they left the items they removed on my front lawn, which created a problem since the city of [redacted] would not remove anything left on the street unless I went and paid money, and then it was only certain items. The boss of the company came in and spoke to me at that point, asking for an extra $1000, which I told him I did not have at the time, as I am [redacted] and have a very limited income. They took a total of two van loads, which the $1000 extra was supposed to cover for their inconvenience of having to return and remove the items. This was NOT discussed that there would be an extra cost for removal at the time of the estimate, as the $1500 down payment was supposed to be part of the $6000 total cost. He took the receipt for the $1500 and refused to give me another copy, so have no proof of what happened next.

The following Thursday, I checked my bank account while I was preparing to go to surgery on my knee and I discovered the $1000 was taken out of my account without my permission. I called the boss to demand the money be returned to me(in cash) and he promised to bring it back that day, but he failed to do so. He also never contacted me to resolve the matter. I went to the [redacted] Police Department to file theft charges on 4/**/2014, but they refused to take any information about the case because it was a civil matter and that I would have to file civil case in Middlesex County Court in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I was having surgery the next day and was going to be in rehab for several weeks, so this was not going to be possible.

I also contract the Bank of America branch on [redacted] that same day to find out if they could help me since I could not be without the money and the company did NOT have a receipt with my signature for the $1000, but they were only able to give me a copy of my statement and toldl me I would have to file a complaint aginst the company and it would have to be investigated.

I have made repeated calls to Empire Carpet and Restoration in an attempt to resolve this matter, but they refuse to return my phone calls. The bank is still trying to investigate the matter, but they are encouraging me to work with the merchant, but clearly Empire is not willing to do so. I have had to cancel my debit card so they cannot remove any more unauthorized payments. I will only give them the next payment when this is resolved (either way) and with money order or a certified check, as I do not feel comfortable giving them any more personal information.

I will not recommend this company to any of my friends or neighbors, as a matter of fact, I will tell them to avoid this company at ALL COSTS. In addition to the fraud that was committed against me, they also left the sewer covers off the opening, forcing me to call a plumber to have the damage repaired. The plumber stated that it was because the covers were left off that the extra damage was incurred. This was discovered the next day when I went to the cellar to check on it's condition and found further flooding. This was clearly the fault of Empire Carpet and Restoration as well. If I hadn't gone to inspect the cellar, I would've had several hundred, if not thousands, of dollars of additional damage.Desired Settlement: I expect the money to be returned to me that they did not have permission to remove. Since it was immediately taken out of my account, I expect it to be in cash or a credit to the account rather than in a check or a credit towards my remaining balance. If this is not resolved, I WILL file a case in civil case against Empire Carpet and Restoration as soon as I return to New Jersey from my rehab stay, which will be by the end of June.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Empire Carpet Center, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: Heavy rains last week caused my basement to flood and the carpeting in the finished section of it was soaked. I started researching damage cleanup companies and got through to a couple, who quoted me up to $1000.00 and said they would take up the rug and remove the padding, leave fans and dehumidifiers, and leave me with a torn up, but dry carpet. I decided to try Empire (the famous one with the cartoon guys), who I'd bought the carpet from. There were a few different Empire numbers and locations online and the first one I called, I said: "Empire installed my carpet, do you have a lot of locations or would you be the ones who did it?" The woman told me they had a lot of locations and no she didn't see me in their system so must have been a different one. I asked could they solve my problem for less than the big cos. She said she had guys in the area and they could meet me at home at 8pm. I said I didn't want to pay "emergency" rates or anything, it didn't have to be that night. She said no, they are out working, it would be just regular service. Two guys came in an unmarked SUV and took out a shop vac that was bigger than mine and a bunch of spray bottles. Told me $700 cash and they'd take care of it. Would be dry in a day or so. They would suck up the water, "inject" chemicals into the padding and spray to inhibit the mold etc. I begged, asking how on earth they came up with $700 and why cash? He ended up taking $500 cash (all I could get), $200 in check, made out to him. Ok, I was naive. The water still seeped up through my toes 2 days later. And my house stinks. I called a local co. and they are doing it the right way and installing a new pad etc. for $600. When I called "Empire" to complain, they said I should have called and had them come back. I said not a chance I would want them back inside my house! It was sleazy business, and I got ripped off. When I went to do laundry, I saw they chucked my two overflowing laundry baskets across the room, my clothes sprawled around my furnace.Desired Settlement: Two guys in an SUV with a shop vac and some chemicals delivering a service that completely failed should NOT have cost me $700. CASH! I can't even dispute through my credit card co. They were at my house for about an hour. It would be worth $200 max, maybe, if they hadn't also shoved/thrown my belongings and clothes, with some laundry literally inches from the base of my furnace.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Empire Carpet Center, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,