Ulta Beauty — Local services in Pasadena

UPDATE: No surprise, but I did not receive a return call from Ulta. I had to contact y'all. I had to prove AGAIN (by sending you my bank statement) that the funds had truly been taken from my account and not refunded.

I received an email thanking me for my patience (not sure why...patience was not a choice in this matter). The email let me know that the refunds team verified the charge and thanking me for the opportunity to make this right for me. "Making it right" by sending back MY money, which YOU held for almost 3 weeks, and on which you received interest.

I can not explain how disappointed, upset, and angry I am about this entire situation. After all of the opportunities you had...all of the times I have spoken to someone at your offices... you reply to this message and ask me to reach out to you via another platform?

Wow...just wow

ORIGINAL POST:

My frustration is with Ulta Beauty as a corporation and not necessarily the store I shopped.

Ulta Beauty...your practices are completely unacceptable.

I completely hate to be making this post, and I am sure I am going to sound like a "Karen", but I don't know what else to do. This post is to Ulta Beauty Corporate.

So here goes...on Thursday, October 17, 2024, I went to the Ulta Beauty in Pasadena (Store #536). I tried to purchase $181.84 worth of product. I tapped my debit card for the purchase and it cleared my bank. Let me reiterate this...The transaction cleared my account. However, the register "froze" before the store registered the payment on the store's side. The lady helping me called a manager over who told us since the payment didn't show up on their end, didn't show in their journal, not only would I not get what I paid for, (because the money came out of my account...not just a pending transaction, but a CLEARED transaction) but I would have to wait 3 - 5 business days for my money to be placed back into my account. (This is after she called corporate office and was told the registers were freezing at several locations and it had happened several times.) I just needed to trust that Ulta Beauty was going to return my money.

So wait, I did. I continued to monitor my account, trusting that the refund would be applied to my account. I waited until today, Oct. 24, 2024. Still no refund.

I called the store and was told that they have no record of the transaction and I would need to call the Ulta Beauty Customer Care Line. So I did. I spoke to a lady named Ash....then Brenda when I called back because I was "disconnected" from Ash...then Lane, who is Brenda's supervisor.

Ulta Beauty your answer is: "Yes, we have the email you sent proving the funds came out of your account (and not just as a pending transaction as you tried to state when I originally made the purchase). Yes, you understand that I am upset. Yes, you have waited 7 days to receive the promised reimbursement. Yes, you have nothing to show for the $181.84 we have held from your account, but that is okay. Yes, we know and understand that you are out of the product you tried to purchase, and the money you would have used to purchase more is unavailable to you because it is lost somewhere in LaLa Land. It is not a problem."

Lane will follow my account and reach back out to me to take care of it in 7 MORE days. You will contact me on October 30th because you need time to process this situation. How much more time do you need? I was on the phone for almost 2 hours, Ulta Beauty, waiting for Lane to find a manager. Oh, wait...you do not have a manager that can get on the phone with me. I have to trust that one is really going to call me back.

I am so very angry, upset and...

On August 28, 2021, I went to this specific Ulta and I noticed a large display of the Two Faced collection. I went to the display (note there was no one there to elaborate on what it was) and I noticed there was a small compact mirror and I thought it was very cute that I would buy it. I then kept shopping around the store and the Customer Service Lady walks up to me and grabs the compact mirror out of my hands and states “This is only if you’re going to spend $50 or more, this is free for our customers who spend that much in the two faced section”. I, in utter shock, just reply with “okay” and gave her the little mascara I grabbed as well. This particular situation made me feel embarrassed and targeted. She did not have to come in my personal space, especially because of covid. She could have directed me with an “Excuse me sweety, unfortunately this is free for…” or even lead me to the two faced section to meet the purchase requirements. However, instead she grabbed something from my hands as if I was going to purposely steal it. This leads me to wonder was she watching me the whole time? All employees were glancing at me and helping other people but not one person decided to ask if I needed assistance. This was just unacceptable and inappropriate. I called the store to speak to the general manager and they said they were going to leave my number for the GM to call me back. It’s been three days. Some customer service. The Customer Service Rep needs redirecting on how to approach situations like this and not assume. I would give this a 0 rating as this just made me feel worthless and embarrassed. I love ulta and their products but this just made me want to not go here anymore. I am truly at a loss for words for this situation, I am in no way a vicious person and I was even going to just keep this to myself, but my significant other also witnessed this inappropriate interaction and encouraged me to stand up for myself. So I did by calling but no one has gotten back to me. So here I am writing a review to let it be known of this horrendous experience I went through at this...

Beware of Missing Items at Ulta - Check Your Bags!

I recently had a disappointing experience at Ulta that I feel compelled to share to help others avoid a similar situation. After purchasing six items during my shopping trip, I discovered that one of my items was not bagged. I immediately called the store the same day to report the issue, and while the staff took down my information and promised to call me back, I never received that follow-up.

When I called again, I spoke with a representative (either Maria or Miryam), who insisted that all my items were bagged. I requested to see the video footage to verify my claim, but they outright refused. In a frustrating twist, when I asked the representative to describe me, she initially described someone completely different. After correcting her, she claimed that she would have someone review the footage again.

When she called me back, she finally managed to describe me accurately but insisted that all my items had been bagged. She said “all 4 items were bagged” I reminded her that I had purchased MORE than 4 items, and she quickly corrected herself to say, "Oh right, five items." At that point, I was driving and couldn't pull out my receipt, but when I got home, I confirmed that I had indeed been charged for all SIX items! So if you only counted 4-5 items bagged then I was clearly still MISSING one!

While the missing item was only worth $10 out of a $120 purchase, it's not about the money—it's about the principle. I felt treated like a thief rather than a valued customer. The lack of accountability and the rude attitude I encountered left a sour taste in my mouth.

I urge anyone shopping at Ulta to double-check their bags before leaving the store. Mistakes happen, but the way they handled this situation was unacceptable. I definitely won't be returning anytime soon, and I hope others can avoid the same...