Community Chat

[Moonchilde]

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video/ulta-hit-2nd-lawsuit-claiming-company-resells-returned-53053287

If Ulta can be sued for selling used items as new, QVC should re-think their “as-is” and “Waitlist” policies or someone could decide to class-action them too. It’s worse of course when you’re talking substances that people have had their fingers in, but IMO any returned products should be labeled as a “returned item” or “open box” or whatever when ordering sight unseen. That way if you want to take a chance you’re fully informed and they have covered themselves. But of course when you do that people expect a price reduction. 

Hmm.... What to do.....

Obey the law and take a price hit, or break the law and potentially be sued.

[cherry]

I've never been to Ulta. It just never seemed hygienic to me to use communal makeup

I would never buy anything from Q ,that I couldn't wash first

[Moonchilde]

@cherry There weren’t that many Ultas in SoCal when I left, though there may be more now. Sephora was where you went for cosmetics and scent sampling.

On the Central Coast, there are Ultas everywhere and almost no Sephoras, so I’ve been in a few times trying to get help. What I’ve discovered is that the employees are all over you to point you in the right direction to buy, but if you need any help, forget it. I don’t know if they hire young women who have zero cosmetics knowledge, or they’re all just lazy-a**, but I’m through with them. I think it’s the latter, honestly. When you get 50 feet past the front door you’re invisible.

[Daysdee]

I don't care much for Ulta and since Sephora is too far away, I do order from Sephora online.  Also order cosmetics from QVC and department stores (mostly online).  Got to thinking.  A lot of items like lip glosses, eye make-up, etc. could have been "gently tried" and returned and resent to another customer.  A lot of the items are not  sealed with plastic or don't have a seal inside.  Maybe if they don't look like they have been used, some companies restock them and send them out again.  Do we really know? 

[GSPgirl]

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wrote:

@cherry There weren’t that many Ultas in SoCal when I left, though there may be more now. Sephora was where you went for cosmetics and scent sampling.

On the Central Coast, there are Ultas everywhere and almost no Sephoras, so I’ve been in a few times trying to get help. What I’ve discovered is that the employees are all over you to point you in the right direction to buy, but if you need any help, forget it. I don’t know if they hire young women who have zero cosmetics knowledge, or they’re all just lazy-a**, but I’m through with them. I think it’s the latter, honestly. When you get 50 feet past the front door you’re invisible.

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I live on the east coast and I hate the Ultas here.  The employees are rude and there is never enough help at the register.  It’s also dirty with makeup dust everywhere.  I love Sephora. 

[september]

We now have both Ulta and Sephora near me.  I never try out the samples (except for fragrance).  

I'm an Ulta fan for many reasons....the bigger selection does it for me, as well as coupons, the rewards programs, and the wide range of products, from drugstore prices to department store options. 

[NYC Susan]

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wrote:

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wrote:

@cherry There weren’t that many Ultas in SoCal when I left, though there may be more now. Sephora was where you went for cosmetics and scent sampling.

On the Central Coast, there are Ultas everywhere and almost no Sephoras, so I’ve been in a few times trying to get help. What I’ve discovered is that the employees are all over you to point you in the right direction to buy, but if you need any help, forget it. I don’t know if they hire young women who have zero cosmetics knowledge, or they’re all just lazy-a**, but I’m through with them. I think it’s the latter, honestly. When you get 50 feet past the front door you’re invisible.

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I live on the east coast and I hate the Ultas here.  The employees are rude and there is never enough help at the register.  It’s also dirty with makeup dust everywhere.  I love Sephora. 

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I live on the east coast too, and I far prefer Ulta.  Sephora is crowded and the employees are reluctant to help.  Supposedly customers can get samples simply by asking, but I almost always encounter an attitude.  When I do get samples, the employees act as though they're doing me a huge favor. The lines to check out are always long and they move slowly.  There are lots of employees walking around, but most of them don't seem to be doing anything.

The Ultas I have been to are so much better.  The employees are knowledgeable and helpful, and I've never had more than one person in line in front of me when I want to check out.  If I ask a question, I'm treated respectfully and not as though I'm interrupting their day.

Just goes to show that different locations of the same store can be entirely different.

[Moonchilde]

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wrote:

I don't care much for Ulta and since Sephora is too far away, I do order from Sephora online.  Also order cosmetics from QVC and department stores (mostly online).  Got to thinking.  A lot of items like lip glosses, eye make-up, etc. could have been "gently tried" and returned and resent to another customer.  A lot of the items are not  sealed with plastic or don't have a seal inside.  Maybe if they don't look like they have been used, some companies restock them and send them out again.  Do we really know? 

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I think that with items that have a distinct gouge out it’s pretty obvious. Nail polish, I wouldn’t mind if someone took a tiny bit on the brush to test. Same with eyeshadow - slight but not super obvious. Lipsticks, creams, face makeup and other things you can usually tell. What was described in the article should never happen.

If I ever received an item like that, or did what was done here - point it out, make sure they know, and they sell it anyway - I would never shop there again, on principle.

[Roni18]

Overall, I have been happier with Ulta than Sephora and gotten better customer service.  I've never purchased anything that looked like it had been returned/used.  I returned one skin care product that I had a reaction too.  I only returned it because it was an expensive product.  

I think that they definitely need to label items as returned though.  I know some of the department stores, like Dillard's, put a small returned sticker on returned items.  That seems like a good idea for Ulta. 

[Moonchilde]

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wrote:

We now have both Ulta and Sephora near me.  I never try out the samples (except for fragrance).  

I'm an Ulta fan for many reasons....the bigger selection does it for me, as well as coupons, the rewards programs, and the wide range of products, from drugstore prices to department store options. 

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I never had an issue going in and buying something I knew I wanted where I just have to grab it off a shelf or ask someone to point me in the direction. But any time I’ve actually needed help with something (makeup demo, color check) they practically ran to get away. After three trips to two different Ultas that got very old. 

OTOH I went into the Sephora at Del Monte and they were polite and helpful, where in LA they weren’t always. 

So much is down to the individual store and manager.