I have worked at ULTA for almost 3 years now. I quickly worked my way up from just a stock girl to Operations/Assistant Manager. I deal with customers complaints everyday and each one is different.
I would like to share with you some of our most common complaints and give explanations, and hopefully help you find some resolution.

1.) $3.50 of $10 or more purchase coupon
This coupon excludes "prestige cosmetics" which includes the entire Prestige dpartment in our store. This department includes Bare Minerals(Bare Escentuals), Smashbox, Lorac, Urban Decay, Bourjois, Elizabth Arden, Too Faced, Studio Gear, etc. This department also includes skincare lines such as Dermalogica, MD Formulations, Murad, DDF, Exuviance, etc. The coupon Does NOT work on fragrances or "Hair Artistry brands" Hair artistry includes, Ojon, Nick Chavez, Frederick Fekai, Jonathan, Oscar Blandi, etc. These brands are normally grouped together in one aisle to make it easier to determine which are excluded.
You DO have to spend $10 BEFORE taxes. Usually it is up to the mananger/cashier to determine how the coupon is used.
If You buy a $45 fragrance and a $6 eyeshadow I consider that a TOTAL purchase over $10 and I will allow the coupon to be used even though part of your purchase is excluded on the coupon. Be advised this is not something ALL locations will do. It varies company wide. You can explain to your cashier why you SHOULD get your $3.50 but ultimately it is up to the store manager. Only because ULTA Corporate has not made any clear rules.
Although, it seems like a lot of brands are excluded it is actually a very small part of our entire inventory. It mainly consists of two derpatments. There is a 20% off entire purchase coupon that is sent out only twice a year to CLUB CARD MEMBERS. This comes in the mail as a postcard and can be used on ANY products in the store besides clearance.

2.) Advertised Items Out Of Stock.
ULTA many times will have great deals on some of your favorite products, however, the actual store location does not determine how much they will get in stock. Corporate somehow determines how much they think the individual location will need. If it is a lower traffic store with fewer customers, they get less stock. If it is a high traffic store with a higher customer average, they receive more stock. Unfortunately sometimes they are very wrong. Each store is required to do a bi-weekly out of stock count to better replenish the store, however if the item is not something we carry regularly it is harder to restock.You are able o get a rain check on ANY item that we regularly carry but not promotional items because we may never be replenished on these items. Contact ULTA corporate and LET THEM KNOW. This willl help your local ULTA store stay stocked, because ULTA Corporate takes customer complaints very seriously in this matter.

3.) Items ringing up different price that what was displayed
This is very simple. If the item tag has a different price that what rang up at the register the associate MUST change the price. However if the item was in the wrong location under a different product tag, we do not change prices. The product sku must match the tag. If there is an OUTDATED sales tag still displayed near the product we MUST make a price adjustment. This is part of Weights and Measures and is something ULTA takes very seriously.

4.) Bad Customer Service Experience
There is absolutely no excuse for this. At my location we have very few complaints concerning poor customer service, but we do hear about other locations all the time. ULTA employees are trained to focus on their customers. Every training video, every handbook, every meeting revolves around customers. Clearly customers are the most valuable part of our company. However I can say that you will get better customer service at slower stores, these locations have more down time and less traffic so they are more able to give you a lot more attention. If you can not find such a location near you. Trying calling ahead of time to ask for an associate with expertise in the products or services you are intersted in. They can designate a time for you to come in and speak with them one on one, this also gives them a chance to do more research on the product/service.
If all else fails you should definitely take the Survey that is at the bottom of your purchase receipt. This survey mainly focuses on your Checkout experience but you are able to leave a comment. Stores are scored on these surveys and are required to reach a certain percentage every week. If a store falls below there percentage more action is taken by the General Manager and District Manager to ensure quality customer service is always maintained. Try to leave an associate name to help pinpoint the issue and a time and date as well. Our employees mainly consist of adolescent girls, that sometimes have a mind and attitude if their own. I started with Ulta when I was 19 and I am now 21. I do not plan on staying with ULTA forever, I am working to pay my way through college but even so I take my job very seriously. Some of these girls have no adult responsibilities or obligations and are mostly fresh out of high school. They do not care about their job or their customers at all, and it was our mistake to hire them on in the first place. On behalf of ULTA Salon, Cosmetics, and Fragrance I apologize for any inconvenience and hope that you will continue to shop with us either in our stores or online. I would like you to know that your opinion and comments do matter and I highly suggest sharing your concerns with us. Thank You.