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Ulta faces a proposed class action lawsuit over claims that the largest beauty retailer in the nation consistently “shortchanges” customers during store returns.
Plaintiff Cassandra R. Hearn says she purchased an eyebrow pencil through Ulta’s website for $20.52 in February 2016. A few weeks later, Hearn decided to return the product to a California retail store allegedly within the 60 day return policy.
According to Hearn, the Ulta store gave her a refund of $19 for the eyebrow pencil which was $1.52 less than the full amount she paid online.
The Ulta lawsuit claims that the beauty retailer’s return policy clearly states that online customers may return items to a local Ulta store for the full price they paid.
The class action lawsuit alleges that Ulta is in breach of contract by not refunding customers the full amount paid for products. Hearn claims that Ulta has the capability of calculating and refunding the correct amount, like other retailers do, but instead the store keeps the difference for itself.
The plaintiff claims that she possessed her original email order confirmation, packing slip, all the original packaging materials and returned the product within 60 days of purchase which fulfilled her end of the contract. However, she was still not given the full amount she was allegedly owed.
“Ulta systematically shortchanges customers who return products by refusing to refund to customers a sum equal to the tax reimbursement paid by customers, rather than the full amount actually paid,” the lawsuit states.
The Ulta class action lawsuit alleges that with more than 850 retail stores across the U.S., potential Class Members should be in the thousands.
“Even if just one customer per store per year over a four year period returned a product and was given less than the full amount paid in return, there would be nearly 3,500 plaintiffs for the class, rendering joinder impossible, not merely impractical,” the plaintiff claims.
According to the complaint, all putative Class Members have experienced modest financial loss from the alleged Ulta reimbursement procedure making a class action lawsuit the superior way for resolving this dispute.
“Ulta’s computerized sales system provides an efficient means to obtain information on transactions en masse, meaning class treatment would significantly reduce the discovery costs to all parties,” the lawsuit states.
If approved, the Ulta class action lawsuit will be open to all U.S. residents who returned an item to Ulta but were given a refund that was less than the full amount paid.
Hearn is represented by Kyle Van Dyke, Debra L. Hurst and Julie Corbo Ridley of Hurst & Hurst.
The Ulta Short-Changed Class Action Lawsuit is Hearn v. Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc., Case No. 3:16-cv-00868, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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20 thoughts onUlta Class Action Alleges Customers Short-Changed on Returns
I am curious about the purchase side. I placed an order for mulltiple items and used a coupon $15 off my entire purchase. I authorized the purchase at that amount making my decision for the purchase on the price shown. Ulta was unable to fulfill my order, they were unable to send all of my items and therefore voided the coupon. Instead of being charged $38 for the item I was charged $46. The error was on their side not mine. I would have added a different product to use the coupon but they never gave me that option.
add me
And if you don’t have a paper receipt they offer you pennies on the dollar for returns even if the price you paid is clearly on record in your Ulta Rewards Program. Very frustrating!!!
Your “free gift” most of the time comes out to a penny also. Not much to us, but a penny for that many people is a huge profit for the company.
If your free gift is costing you a penny it is usually because it is not a current gift with purchase. Gifts with purchase always cost a penny but your qualifying purchase deducts that penny. If you didn’t spend the required amount of money for that brand or were given a gift for a brand you did not purchase (sometimes due to employee error or because the actual gift you wanted was already sold out) the penny does not come off. They technically should not be giving out a gift that is not on promotion or is for a different brand. I used to work for ulta at the registers and this was true during that time.
Ulta is a crooked company. They rob customers and wont pay their employees worked overtime. Ive been trying to get ahold of the managers for weeks and nothing. BAD ULTA….. i wont stop until i get justice!
Happen to me as well.
Just as an FYI-if you have a coupon you will lose the value of it. How this happens: it is divided by how many items you buy. I work retail and most people get upset that they don’t get back the full price, well if you don’t pay full price then you will not because then the company loses money. Also if they are not modifying the tax, that is against the law. There are a few reasons but after working retail for many years and seeing how everyone wants everything for nothing, the customer is not always right in 2016. If you truly do not get back what your total is on the bottom of the receipt, be sure to let the cashier know they need to modify or over ride the tax. Every system has the option to do this because of online ordering and taking back from areas where the tax amount is different.
Its so very frustrating. I have had the same problem.