UltaReviews 533

I had ordered something online from Ulta during a sale and it never arrived. I was first told I would get a refund to buy the products at full price then call back and get refunded the difference so they would still honor the sale price. After being put on hold I was then told that the sale price I paid can only be honored for one item (I purchased 2 Paul Mitchell hair serums for $10 each instead of $28) so they would give me $28 instead of $20. This was still not honoring the sale price as I would be given $38 since I already paid $20. She insisted this was honoring the sales price and wouldn't offer any other solutions. I was then sent a $22 egift card-not even the amount promised! When I called back I got someone equally as uninterested and insincere telling me that was "above and beyond" what they are supposed to do. They will not even refund the amount to my credit card as I am no longer interested in giving them my business, so now I am forced to purchase one of the two items I had ordered with a whopping $8 discount instead of $18. The worst part is they made it seem like it was my fault my order never arrived and they were doing me a favor for refunding my money and not honoring the price I paid or just sending me a replacement. I will be shopping exclusively at Sephora from now on

I used to shop a lot online at ulta.com and have now switched entirely to other beauty site, such as sephora. I learned the hard way that Ulta rewards point expire - yes, some will say it was my fault for not reading the fine print, however it definitely was not very visible and as a "platinum" ultamate rewards member it's pretty surprising that i didn't receive a single communication, even just an email or an alert when I logged in, that my rewards would expire soon. At the time, I was saving my ultra points up for the right purchase to really reward myself with something I wouldn't usually buy. I had saved over $125 worth of rewards point that just disappeared/expired with no forewarning! Logged back into my account and just saw my rewards balance was 0, then had to hunt around for the fine print to see that they would expire.

This was over a year ago so maybe Ulta has since made this policy more visible, but after that I just didn't bother to go back to Ulta.com anymore - not a good customer experience at all. I used to like the Ulta samples and rewards program better because you could actually get $ off purchases, but it's not worth it when your points will just expire without any clear communication. My sephora points have never expired so I just decided to take my business elsewhere.

I love shopping ulta online. They have fantastic gifts with purchases and sales. Ulta also has one of the best rewards systems around. Also their events, like 21 days of beauty, offer some great deals. Ulta definitely has a variety of brands in one place.

I gave ulta a 4 because I wish the free shipping minimum was less and in store experiences leave a bit to be desired. I try to only go in store if it's absolutely necessary, otherwise online is the way to go.

Whether you want a drugstore brand and a high end companion, you can find what you need here and use discount codes, ebates and gain free stuff. They have the biggest selection on the planet and usually at the best price going. They also have a few exclusives. I like shopping here because in store, I can test out whatever I want to, get samples and make sure I am getting what I really need. Kind of like Sephora but they do not require you to limit yourself to higher end brands only. Hair, bath and body, skin and makeup and fragrances on every degree on all price ranges plus a lot of BOGOs keep it fun and thrifty.