We hired Empire Kitchen (Sammi) to replace all the kitchen cabinets and counter top in the 3rd wk of Jan 08. They arrived on Jan 26 the 5th wk and installed cabinets that were marked and scratched and the doors were stained 3 different colors.
UPDATE: Feb 15 - Empire Kitchen has replaced the doors and they are now stained the correct color, all that remains is the 2 large fridge panels which Sammi assures me will be completed early next week.
UPDATE: Feb 21 Another week has past and still the kitchen is not complete but I see other people have had their kitchens installed and are happy. Installers were supposed to complete job last Saturday but amazingly another truck problem, this time an accident/breaking to hard caused damage to our panels, which I highly doubt are even made never mind on a truck. According to Sammi they will be installed tomorrow. UPDATE: March 6 - Empire arrived to replace the 2 fridge panels which are ok they also had to replace the white silicone they used to install the glass in the doors, amazingly they broke the glass while doing this. UPDATE: Mar 13 I picked up the glass doors today from Empire and my husband installed them. If you don't look to closely you won't notice the scratches on them.
CONCLUSION: It took 7 weeks to complete a 2 day installation job. While they did correct the obvious error of the wrong color, there is no pride in workmanship and quality is non-existant. I have had to do touch ups with the stain they left me and any place that didn't line up exactly, we were told to get wood caulking and fix it ourselves by the installers. As a pacifier, Sammi promised us a free bathroom vanity for all our troubles, we'll never see that. I wouldn't recommend Empire to anyone unless you like major aggravation and stress.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $14,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Hire skilled workers and don't put the big expensive jobs ahead of the smaller ones.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Do lots of research, and don't believe everything you read on a website. I reseached 5 kitchen cabinet makers and Empire did have a good reputation, obviously something happened.
- Company Response
ALL CUSTOMER CAN SEE LINDA'S KITCHEN PICTURE IN OUR GALLARY AND WE DON'T BRIBE OUR CUTOMER.
Empire kitchen do know that we were having problem with door colour and we replaced all doors, crown moulding, flutes and column and you did signed on paper that job is completed and we took all the photographs of complete job and i am not going to give you bribe to write me a good review on homestars. you told me if you give me free vanity then you will write good review for me i will never give bribe to my customer for good review we finished the job you should write the review for my quality and workmenship. JOB WAS DELAY BECAUSE OF YOUR NSF CHEQUE AND WE DO HAVE THAT CHEQUE IN OUR RECORD AFTER THAT NSF CHQ YOU REPLACED IT. I RESPECT MY CUSTOMER AND I DO REPECT YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS I DID COMPLETE MY JOB.