Ulta Beauty
Reviews and Complaints

Very frustrating dealing with ULTA .com. Credit card charged 5 times with no order ever going through and no error message received. Told by ULTA would take 3 days to come off my credit card. It is 3 days now and it is still there. Customer Service rep very rude and no responses to my emails sent Sunday night and Tuesday morning. It is now Wednesday night!

I ordered a few products from ULTA .com as Christmas gifts for my friends. I got completely different items shipped to me. Called customer service, they read from a script, was of no help. Took all of the items to an ULTA store, they could not help me either. There's some discrepancy between their online ordering and shipping systems. I compared the sales and packing slips. The SKUs are the same on both, but the items/item descriptions do not match up. Unless this is fixed, there will be lots of unhappy customers.

Ulta has a slick way of upping profits by knowingly not accepting exchanges in their store that without question have been purchased there. The question isnt if you purchased it there, because their name is on it. Or they dont even care if its in the original packaging. Its important for anyone entering the door, to know that once you pay and leave, they gottcha. Not their worry if you live in houston and send the wrong scent to a friend in dallas. No sir, they arrogantly say, we cant exchange this without a receipt. Ideally, we all wish that that receipt was attached to our forehead, but in the case where they are positive it came from there and is returned in perfect condition, they refuse to even please the customer by letting them select another fragrance and make us all happy. Its no different than any other scam. And ulta is as dishonest as any other disgusting company scam, and you are busted!

The intelligent reply is, you need a customer receipt. Why if you know it came from ulta? Because, you know over the holidays most people have a hard time keeping up with regular receipts let alone customer receipts. This is one of the most transparent ways of ripping the customer off to keep your bottom line up.
I'm all for making a profit and not being taken advantage of by customers. It works both ways pal.in this case its a true set up at the customers expense and a blatant attempt to take advantage of the unsuspecting customer. Pass the word. Customer service is not their forte. But smiling (Sometimes) as they take your money with a gottcha attitude is.

There are a lot of stores out there who's prices are even better and they would love to have your business! So warning! Ulta will not even exchange a fragrance without a customer receipt!. I'll send some names of other great places to purchase fragrances without putting the screws to you. If you work hard for your money and expect to be treated fairly, then stay away from ulta friends. They couldn't care less about making the customer happy, but rather sticking it to you and attempting to rationalize it.

Three days ago, I tried to place a simple online order that consisted of a hair straightener and a free sample bag that was a special one-day deal. After going to the check-out, and hitting "submit, " an error popped up saying my transaction could not be completed. I checked and found out that not only had my sale NOT gone through, but my debit card had a "pending" charge. I called Ulta and the man on the phone told me that the pending charge would be wiped off my card within 72 hours, and to try again later. OK, that was fine. I tried one more time later that day, and got another error, and another pending charge to my account. Frustrated, I called back. A different sales rep logged in to my account to see if she could fix the problem. When she hit submit, she said the error popped up again. She said she would try again but I told her not to, as I did not want any more pending charges on my account because I wouldn't be able to touch that money until they were wiped off. And three days is a long time to not have access to over $100. I hung up, checked my account, and saw that the sales rep must have hit "submit" 4 more times, making my pending charges total $651! I was furious. I called back and through the course of the next couple days, was transferred to probably a dozen people, several of which told me different things. Some claimed they were taking care of it, some claimed I had to wait the 72 hours or talk to my bank (which I did and my ban said I needed Ulta to fax them the info), and one sales rep even told me their IT department would void the sales immediately. They did not. I had to wait the full 72 hour before the funds were restored and I have bills to pay! Not only did they inconvenience me greatly, but NOT A SINGLE SALE actually went through so I missed out on the special deals that were one-day-only. And the sales reps told me they were not authorized to give me a free voucher for the sales I missed out on. I am beyond furious with how untrustworthy their customer service is, and the fact that their web site did not allow me to make any purchases. I will never shop with Ulta again.

Guess what happens when a manager wrongfully accuses a customer of stealing? Nothing! They keep their job. The customer for the horrible experience...oops sorry!

Hey Ulta, do you really give bonuses to employees that catch shoplifters? Maybe a few lawsuits will change the way you look at your customers.

I purchased a starter kit for liquid keratin. It didn't work so I took it back. It cost $69.00 plus tax. the clerk at ULTA (I live in Austin, TX) would not give me a refund because I had used more than 3/4 of the small bottle of product. I told him, that because of my hair type and length, I had to use as much as possible but that the larger bottles were almost full. He wouldn't hear of it and told me to go online to customer service which I did. ULTA emailed me a day later telling me to contact the manufacturer. I emailed ULTA telling them the manufacturer did not make the refund policy, which is unfair. I have not heard from either one of them. I'm filing a complaint with the Texas Attorney General for unfair practices and the Austin Better Business Bureau.

I recently purchased some Dermalogica products on Ulta.com. that I was so excited about. I spent over $140 on the products. One of the reasons why I ordered them on Ulta was because their Advertised Specials showed that I would receive a free Dermalogica Microfoliant with any order over $40 thru April 3 (two weeks away). I didn't purchase the product, specifically b/c I knew it would be coming with my order.

Well, I received my products in the mail, but no free gift. So I called them and inquired about what happened and if I could still get my free gift sent to me. The woman on the phone was nice, but pretty clueless. She didn't know how to navigate the website and asked me SIX times what product I was supposed to receive! After thirty minutes on the phone, she told me that she had all my info. and that customer service would call me back tomorrow about my order. What! Isn't the point of calling customer service to talk to someone in customer service?!? But whatever, I said "Are you sure someone is going to call me tomorrow?" She said "Yes, absolutely." So imagine my surprise when I didn't receive a call the next day. So I tried to send an e-mail instead. A couple days later they e-mailed me back with a blunt response. "Sorry for the inconvenience. The advertisement states while supplies last and we ran out. Sincerely, Ulta.com"

The page I was looking at (which was the virtual advertisement), DID NOT SAY "while supplies last". Why should I be held responsible for their mistake? So, I called customer service again and the customer service person tried to give me the same spiel as the e-mail response I received. Her response: "If I give this to customer service, they are just going to come back and say that we are out of the product."

I kindly asked to speak with a manager. I told him that one of the reasons why I purchased the products was so that I could receive the free gift. The manager said, "Well, I am looking up the product right now and it says we are out. You can return the product online or at the store for no charge if you would like. There isn't anything I can do." I was so pissed! I responded, "That seems like a lot of trouble for something that wasn't my fault. Can you send me a free full size product of something else?" He said "No". Finally, after a lot of trouble he agreed to send a $10 gift card. In the future, if I ever need to order body, skincare, or makeup supplies (which I do quite often) I will NOT choose Ulta.com. They only caused me frustration and totally wasted my time.

I was at you Mesquite Texas store yesterday July 8 2009 and had a Master Card gift card for $50.00 I had two "Clean" brand products to purchase for 62.12 I told the boy at the front counter that I wanted to pay the difference in cash. He did not know how to do the transaction and I asked him to get someone that knew how to handle the gift card and cash. He said that he knew how to do it and there was no money on the gift card. I told him that I had just called the card company and they verified that there was indeed $50.00 on the card. There was a coustomer behind me that was trying to tell him how to use the card but he just wasn't interested. I left the store without the clean products that I really wanted. I had driven 15 miles to the Ulta location to get them. I was able to go today and spend my gift card with NO problem at Sephora. I think the boy at the check out counter needs a little more training and a to learn to be less rude to your customers.

I decided to go with Ulta for my wedding needs. First, I wanted my hair colored and highlighted. My only explicit request was medium brown hair-- NOT BLACK. Well. Black is what the idiot dyed it. She was later scrubbing my hair raw with this product they call a Malibu trying to fix her ### up. The main stylist/colorist said she was "unable to" color my hair a light to medium brown without red in it. My hair is naturally dark, but not black, so I don't know what her problem was--I've had it dyed that color many times. My hair was later colored by another salon and was in very poor condition due to that idiot's handy work.
Next, I kept asking for a professional make up artist, which they claimed they had. I did a "practice" run with a girl that appeared 16 and seemed to know nothing about makeup and then they tried to charge me for it. I ended up getting my makeup done by the stylist (who isn't a makeup artist, just a general beautician) although I'd been promised a professional--I could have done it myself for that kind of money. Finally the coup de gras. I had wanted both my veils on top of my head--next thing I know, the idiot has placed the 2nd Cathedral veil at the nape of my neck where it doesn't open up after having done my hair already and I was running late.
No time to change it up. I was livid. Now every time I look back on my wedding pictures I cringe at how much I hate how she placed my 2nd veil. I HATE my pictures.I look like some parrot with a towel draped at my neck. It looked like ###. I was so busy and stressed that day and running late I had no time to change it around. I would never ever recommend Ulta and their group of ###s to anyone.

Jennifer.
Married in June 0f 2009

I hope I am speaking about the right person. This person is a heavy set japanese looking woman about 40. She states she is the gm of the store in Tucson, Az at the Park Place Mall. This person should NOT be in customer service nor in any line of service. She is one of the most arrogant, rude, women I have ever met. She treats her customers as if they owe her something, doesn't have the time of day for them, and feels that she can do no wrong. My experience in the store was absolutely horrible. No one paid any attention to me and the only time I asked for help, I was treated as if I were an imposition to the store. I asked for help on selecting a shampoo and I was made to feel as though I interrupted the daily chat session at the cash registers. Disdain and rude behavior is not what I came for, assistance was. I will never step foot into an ULTA again, nor will anybody I can warn about this vile store. It is nothing more than a poorly run Walgreens, and who would get their hair cut at Walgreen's? This dirty, disfunctional place should be banned from the Park Place Mall and go back to residing next to Pets Mart. But then, who would take their pet to an ULTA? I hope that you discipline your employees or at least let them know they are not meant for servicing customers. Unfortunate shopper in AZ.

I was in not too long ago at the Upland, CA location. The sales associate (Jessica) who had rung me up had been extremely helpful not to mention very sweet and kind. I had been in to return a few items so we waited for a manager to assist with the return (from what I understand the sales girls can't do returns without a manager code or key or something). After about 5 minutes of waiting the manager finally came and he seemed very annoyed like he didn't want to be there or help in any sort of way. He was an older man, Caucasian.Now that I remember, he is the salon manager because he did my daughter's hair once (never again!). So, the return/exchange is processed but I also had a few merchandise vouchers I wanted to use and this is where it got ugly. Jessica told me she was going to call the manager again because he needed to sign the vouchers or something so when she rang for him he seemed like he was going to hit something or someone like he just didnt want to do his job. After she had asked him about the voucher and issuing me a new one he said in a very rude and harsh condescending tone, "I dont know! Why don't you ask another manager because I cant help you ok? I'm not supposed to be at the cash wrap!" I felt really bad for her because she was really sweet and just doing her job. Sure, he should not have had me waiting so long to process my return and issue me a voucher but I felt he was very unprofessional both toward me and his employee. He needs to get whatever is stuck up his a** and find another place to manage or not manage at all. I really hope something is done about this because I love that store and I love nice employees, I wouldnt want her or any other nice employee to quit just because their manager was a total jerk to them. thank you for your time.

For the 2nd time in less than one month, i've had a bad experience with ulta. Both of my complaints involve the lack of stock of advertised items. The first disappointment came when I went in on a tuesday evening after the sunday sales ad came out. Several advertised items were already out of stock. I was told a truck should be in on friday, I should return then to see if any of the items came in... Well guess what? It happened to me again this week. I went in on monday morning 8am (Holiday hrs) to purchase a few things that were advertised. I was successful with one item, the other 2 item's were completely sold out. When I asked the associate if the 2 item's were sold out, she said "i'm sorry, yes they are, but we will be getting a truck in on wednesday. You can check back then."

No thanks, I will not waste anymore of my time!

On July 22 I received a hair relaxer from one of the hair care specialist in the Ulta salon. The initial consultation went well so I assumed that I would be able to trust this stylist. This assumption proved to be a huge mistake. I received numerous chemical burns to my scalp due to the stylist stepping away and answering a phone call in the middle of my service (For those who are not familiar with hair relaxers, there is a small window of time that a relaxer can process; if it stays on ur hair too long, it can result in irritation and scalp burns) Since chemical burns are not fully visible until after 24 hours, I was not aware of the severity; however when I fully examined the extent of my burns I called the salon promptly to speak with the manager Michelle. To add insult to injury, Michelle was not willing to give me a full reimbursement and when I showed her my scalp and pictures she seemed less than concerned. The only way that I received all of my money back, was to call ulta headquarters (four times) and speak with christian who then had to call the store manager to force them to give me a refund. I am truly shocked and disgusted at the fact that I, the customer, am burned from a neglectful stylist and then refused reimbursement. CRAZY!

I ordered merchandise from Ulta and it was damaged by UPS. UPS returned the items to the company. I never was notified of what happened and had to track the package to learn of the damage and the return. I then contacted "Ulta customer service" via e-mail 3 times with no response. Next, I called and was told they didn't reship items. Mind you, this was not an item I returned. I was also told I would receive a credit in 24 hours 36 hours later, no credit. I called back and was informed that I would receive a credit 30 days after the date they had received the shipment. I could possibly understand the delay if I returned items myself, but this is poor customer service. I don't receive my items, I didn't receive notice of what happened, and it has been over a month, and I am still waiting on my refund.

I'm very disappointed in Ulta after my experiences with them. I went there and had my eyebrows done, I had an allergic reaction, which ok that's fine because I have sensitive skin. I bought some products from them, three of the products were on sale, upon review of my receipt when I got home they over charged me on each of the sale items.

But the icing on the cake was tonight. I went on their online store. I needed to get some presents and couldn't get to the store because we're snowed in. Tonight is the deadline for holiday shipping, if my order doesn't go out tonight I will have to pay extra for shipping.

Problems with my experience with them tonight, several products that are suppose to come with a free gift with purchase. The free gift isn't registering. Annoying but not what really mad me fed up with them.

I go to checkout and wouldn't you know I get a message saying their site is undergoing scheduled upgrades. Why would you schedule upgrades that prevent someone from placing an order on the night of a big deadline. All orders have to be placed tonight to make it there for christmas and their site won't let you order.

So now I can't place my order for it to get there for Christmas unless I pay extra for shipping. Is this a coincidence or a planned way to get more money out of people. I've been trying for four hours to place my order and only have an hour until free shipping that will make it on time ends.

Honestly if I get this order sent out it will be my last time shopping with them. I'm thoroughly pissed off.