Ulta Beauty
Reviews and Complaints

Ulta's customer service is the WORST I have ever experienced from an online retailer. I called 2 different times & got hung up on. I called today & was on hold for 45 min before talking to Jennifer. She was very unhelpful and rude. They lost my return of $44 and she didn't make any attempts to try and recover it or track it or offer any help. She became worst when I asked for her supervisor and her full name. I got the name Ron Brown but she wouldn't give me her full name or his ext # or email, it's against co policy?!I will never buy anything from Ulta store or online again. Too bad because I shop Sephora & Dermstore and spend at least $100+ every single month. I love Sephora & Dermstore, will stick to shopping where they treat customers with more care. Ulta is a very poorly run company.

Ulta for me has been by far the worst place to shop at. I have neither heard nor experience this kind of extreme un-professionalism from any company and its employees. I had a similar kind of situation where I had used my points on a purchase and paid for that purchase through my credit card. Well when I went to return it, the manager on duty (her name was Myra) told me that because I used points, she will not return my money back on my credit card. Instead she issued me a merchandise credit for the entire amount. When I called their customer service toll-free number, they told me that the policy is to return a customer their money in the form of their original payment and the points back to their account. So I went back to the store and the same manager was there who had an extremely unprofessional attitude towards me. There was no apology let alone any courtesy. She did not even talk to me. When I tried to explain her, she cut me off by saying she knows what to do...how rude? She was constantly rolling eyes on me and looking at other co-workers with a sarcastic smile as if telling them that she is dealing with an idiot. In the midst of the situation, she accused me of stealing a 0.99 cents hand cream that was my very own purchase and I even had a receipt to prove that. Then she finally told me that she wont do my return and I'll have to come back to talk to the store manager. At that point, I left my hand cream at the counter because I did not want to create a fuss about a 0.99 cents item and decided to just talk to the store manager in hopes of getting it resolved. I indicated to Myra that I'd need to talk to corporate regarding this. The answer I got, "Oh they already know, what else can you do about it, huh?"

Next morning I called the General Manager (Jennifer Richards) who completely ignored my concerns and started defending her employee almost immediately. Jennifer was not in the store when Myra portrayed such an act of un-professionalism and was completely oblivious to the actual situation but she decided to defend Myra and didn't even bother to listen let alone trying to resolve. At the end, Jennifer the general manager told me to contact whoever I want and hung up on me. I am sensing a great deal of boldness in attitudes of these women who represent themselves as managers of Ulta. There is clearly no consideration or regard about the company's reputation on their part. It seems that they have been completely convinced that no matter how they behave with a customer, nothing is going to happen to them and there won't be any corrective action taken. And they don't even hesitate from accusing customers or challenging them for going to the next level up the chain. The store manager doesn't even bother to listen to a customer and when I asked Jennifer for a number to the District manager, I was denied. As of now, I am extremely disappointed in Ulta, its representatives and its managers. I plan never to shop at this store. I might as well start shopping at a close alternative, Sephora.

Ulta for me has been by far the worst place to shop at. I have neither heard nor experience this kind of extreme un-professionalism from any company and its employees. I had a similar kind of situation where I had used my points on a purchase and paid for that purchase through my credit card. Well when I went to return it, the manager on duty (her name was Myra) told me that because I used points, she will not return my money back on my credit card. Instead she issued me a merchandise credit for the entire amount. When I called their customer service toll-free number, they told me that the policy is to return a customer their money in the form of their original payment and the points back to their account. So I went back to the store and the same manager was there who had an extremely unprofessional attitude towards me. There was no apology let alone any courtesy. She did not even talk to me. When I tried to explain her, she cut me off by saying she knows what to do...how rude? She was constantly rolling eyes on me and looking at other co-workers with a sarcastic smile as if telling them that she is dealing with an idiot. In the midst of the situation, she accused me of stealing a 0.99 cents hand cream that was my very own purchase and I even had a receipt to prove that. Then she finally told me that she wont do my return and I'll have to come back to talk to the store manager. At that point, I left my hand cream at the counter because I did not want to create a fuss about a 0.99 cents item and decided to just talk to the store manager in hopes of getting it resolved. I indicated to Myra that I'd need to talk to corporate regarding this. The answer I got, "Oh they already know, what else can you do about it, huh?"

Next morning I called the General Manager (Jennifer Richards) who completely ignored my concerns and started defending her employee almost immediately. Jennifer was not in the store when Myra portrayed such an act of un-professionalism and was completely oblivious to the actual situation but she decided to defend Myra and didn't even bother to listen let alone trying to resolve. At the end, Jennifer the general manager told me to contact whoever I want and hung up on me. I am sensing a great deal of boldness in attitudes of these women who represent themselves as managers of Ulta. There is clearly no consideration or regard about the company's reputation on their part. It seems that they have been completely convinced that no matter how they behave with a customer, nothing is going to happen to them and there won't be any corrective action taken. And they don't even hesitate from accusing customers or challenging them for going to the next level up the chain. The store manager doesn't even bother to listen to a customer and when I asked Jennifer for a number to the District manager, I was denied. As of now, I am extremely disappointed in Ulta, its representatives and its managers. I plan never to shop at this store. I might as well start shopping at a close alternative, Sephora.

After dying my hair brown instead of the blonde I requested, they refused to correct their mistake and insisted on charging the full amount for the work performed. They threatened to call security and have me detained as a shoplifter if I didn't pay the full amount.

Now I've got brown hair and no idea how to get my own blonde back.

I don't understand why they wouldn't try to make the situation better. I would think they'd want to keep my business. Even if that weren't their goal, on a human level I would have thought the workers would have been kinder to me.

I suppose Ulta doesn't guarantee its services. Obviously, I won't go back and I truly hope others profit from my unhappy example.

The company web site had problems. I placed an order and it billed me for shipping when it was suppose to be free. Also it did not take the coupon code which they billed me in full for. Then to make things worse they shipped to my billing address not my actual address. That's not all folks. When they went into the order 6 times they billed me for separate orders. They still have not taken them off my card. I am fighting the billing through Bank of America but they are very slow to take anyone's side. So the products are shipped and going to an address they can not be received and I am being billed around 400.00 dollars for 52.00 dollars of product I will never see.

A couple of months ago I purchased beauty products at Ulta using my debit card. The clerk offered me a free issue of Instyle magazine. I was not told that i would receive subsequent issues nor was i asked if i would be interested. Upon checking my bank account, there was a deduction for a subscription for Instyle magazine. The only way that they would have received my bank account information was by my debit card transaction. Isn't this against the law? I am beyond angry and am hoping that Instyle is familiar enough with this that they will refund my money. I see posts online about the same exact scam from 2008. Looks like they are back at it.
This is the same thing that happened to me on 10/12/10. I did not request this magazine. How did they get my debit pin number? I am furious about this! How can they authorize a debit purchase on my accoount without my permission.

I went to Ulta Friday to get my hair colored. On Sunday, when I washed my hair, the color came pouring out of my hair like it had never been rinsed. The color is completely out of my hair now, and my hair is like straw. Right after washing my hair I went to the salon, and they told me to come back Mon morning, when the stylist and manager were there. When I went in on Mon... the manager told me my only option was to pay and get it done again! I told her I just paid $180 to get this done... I'm certainly not going to again! She said that's you're only choice. I have called the companies 1800 number, and they spoke to the manager and she is suppose to call me to 'work something out'. That hasn't happened yet. When I spoke to the customer service woman, she asked if I signed a waiver... which I never did. So why aren't they fixing this problem? I will NEVER go to this Salon again! Or shop in there store... not after my expierence or reading the stuff about them online! I can't believe after spending almost $200 they actually expect me to pay to have them do it again! Less than a week later! What kind of company does that?!? If they actually cared about their patrons they would fix this without question. Either fix it free of charge, or refund the money I spent!

ULTA had a promotion that if your purchased a certain amount, you got a cute cosmetic bag filled with samples of ULTA cosmetics. I bought more than planned in order to get the "free gift" and an opportunity to try the ULTA brand cosmetics. When I opened the bag, I discovered every single product was made in China. I will not use any lipstick or eye product made in China, or any other product that is applied to the rest of my face. I would urge everyone to avoid facial products made in China as you cannot be certain of the ingredients, even for well-known brands.

This is my second E-mail relating to the same undesirable Ulta experience that still remains unresolved at this time as I stated I my first email which as I’m told was deleted since I called about the same incident I brought my daughter into your store in Tucson AZ #199 to purchase a FHI flat Iron we went to your store because she had seen your ad 8/8-8/28 to showed a CHI on sale and that’s the she wanted She also note that in the same ad you had an “Ulta Deal” purchase $17.25 of product and receive a gift cosmetic bag with product included with a $88 value …
Well as we checked out and my daughter inquired about the bag the clerk told her “ oh we ran out this morning” and continued on collecting the money (the signs were still on the floor) as I stated in the first email I don’t think that type of customer service is how your company will survive selling $100 flat irons that I could have bought online For $67 (and knew that before driving to town)http://www.amazon.com/s/177-2831741-8764853?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=fhi&sourceid=Mozilla-search
This fact is life and we will all deal with our decisions and to purchase from your company was a decision we made that day …
The biggest challenge through all this is the lack of concern from your company over this to date still no contact I am told to “give it a couple days “ that’s a BS line from a very poor call screener Debra, Absolutely useless, Then there is the district manager Tara still no communication same class as Debra …
As I told Debra you claim to have 356 stores in 36 states so it is hard for me to believe that in the middle of an ad 8/8-8/28 (we were there on the 18th ) Your out of product in every store and no way to full fill the terms of the special, Either somebody grossly misjudged the effectiveness of your advertising or this is common practice for your company but since no company representative has taken the time to email back it is very challenging … simply ignoring your problems won’t make them go away
I am again requesting contact from your company or another level person I may contact

Mike Maness

Over two months ago I went to Ulta to purchase an item. While I was at the register's the store clerk offered me two free instyle magazines since I had enough reward points. I VERBALLY agreed and I recieved two free in style magazines but then the third one came by the mail and I was suspicious because they only told me they were giving me two free magazines. Turns out that when I looked on my credit card account they were charging me 24.95$ for the supscription that I did not agree to pay for. I did not give ANY authorization for my credit card to be billed and Ulta gave out my credit card information to another party without my permission. I feel very angry and dissapointed in Ulta for NOT even informing me that they were going to give out my personal information to a third party.

I ordered items from there online site a week ago and my items haven't even been shipped yet, my credit card has been charged and as far as the items I ordered go, they all appear to be in stock, and if they weren't in stock I would appreciate an e-mail telling me that they weren't. I even paid for 2-3 day shipping and they haven't responded to my e-mail as of why nothing is being done about my order. I personally will never use this online store ever again.

ULTA has the worst customer service.. I purchased and item and changed my mind because I found the same set at another store for much cheaper. The item was never used never opened. It was a brush set. I took the merchandise back to the store with my receipt approximately 1 week and a half later. Told them that I wanted to return the product. They asked why. I told them the truth that I found the product elsewhere. I didn't think this would have been a problem. The store employee asked for my credit card that I used to purchase the product. I gave them the card. He took my credit card and my brush set that I wanted to return and took it to the back of the store. About 5 minutes later he came back out and said that I probably stole the item. I told him how could I have stolen the item when there are cameras everywhere and I had my receipt. He said "you could have just put it in your pocket like this" and showed me how someone steals and item. I told them that is impossible and I asked him why he would think this. He said that it was because they were missing that exact same item. He told me that he would not give me my merchandise back and I told him I would report him.

I did not steal any merchandise and to be treated as such in front of all those customers I was absolutely horrified. Never will I go back to ULTA again.

I received the worst hair cut from Maggie at Ulta (Union Gap, Washington Branch). I went back 3 weeks later, only because I needed to get my hair fixed. I went back so Maggie could correct the chopped job she previously left me with, she made matters worst and chanrged me $45 more. When I complained about paying $45 for the bad hair cut all she would say is she has 10 yrs experience so thats how much she charges. Well I think times have changed and she needs to go back to beauty school. I will never go to Ulta again because I feel they are not honest and all they care about is the profit line and not the customer.

Not only does the sales staff ignore you if theyre busy having a conversation, or complaining about another customer, but then being of minority you get followed like you're going to steal. I used to shop at the u-hills location often, I regularly purchase fragrance and dermalogica, as well as studio gear and smashbox make up. So when I shop, I spend. Yet lately Ive been followed around like Im going to steal, I even hear associates telling other employees to follow me ( ARE YOU KIDDING ME! ) My last visit I was blown off by who I was later told is the store's general manager, and then again was treated rudely by Ashley (next time youre going to be rude don't give your name). The employees at this location are a disgrace to sales. I dont plan on returning, I would rather pay extra for shipping online, or deal with the malls for Sephora.

I received ulta reward certificate that entitled me to a salon service up to $35.00 because I earned a level 8 that quarter. I had spent $200.00 at the salon and when I handed them the coupon for the $35.00 off they said I couldn't use it that day being it was the Sat. before Easter. I did not see any blackout dates on the certificate and that was the last to use the certificate. I could of used the certificate for items in the store but b y then i was very upset because of the poorly written certificate. I also discovered the point expire after each quarter, so I wasted what could of been a salon service I could of used on a different day.