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Or should I call it Bait and Switch? I have been a loyal customer, having achieved platinum over the last few years by mid-year. I have switched from purchasing beauty products at various other outlets (Sephora and Nordstrom's primarily, both of which offer transparency in their rewards) in order to capitalize on Ulta's rewards. I have encouraged family and friends to consolidate their purchases at Ulta feeling that their reward program was one of the best. And I've been duped. It is actually one of the worst because the rules and redemption value constantly change. I have spoken to employees at a retail location whose only explanation is that 'it's complicated.' I have also contacted the company via their website asking for clarification as to why my point value to dollar rewards ratio fluctuates and on two occasions have received canned answers with no further clarity. The most recent fiasco (insult) involves my usage of 300 points that corresponded to an $8 value/credit of $128 available, yet when I checked my balance I was down to $83! How did I lose $37 in the process?! Only Ulta can answer, but I'll just get another canned response and it will be referred to their 'marketing' department and they will continue to bait and switch customers. I am disgusted with this company's tactics and I will go back to Nordstrom's, a company I can trust. And I will ensure that I use my social network to inform and educate the public about this company's shoddy practices.
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Hey there! - As an Ulta employee, I'll try to explain it the best I can. I will agree with you that the Rewards program can be very confusing, and I first off want to thank you for your years as a valued platinum member.
To start off, the value of the points is a little strange. Every $100 spent is about $3 in rewards you can use back ($1=1 point in rewards). However, as your points increase, the amount of money you get back in rewards increases exponentially. So, if you have 100 points, you have $3 to use as a credit from the rewards program. However, if you have 1000 points (spent $1000), that's $50 in rewards. For 2000 points, its $125.
Speaking for my store only, we suggest that shoppers save their points as much as possible to maximize their rewards when they shop. So, when you spent the $8 in 300 points (I think it should be $11, but I'm not entirely sure. The system does it automatically, but you can try contacting customer service and see if they have any explanation). Once you spent your "points", they went down, making the amount of rewards you could receive go down as well. You're not technically losing money; the upward curve of rewards also curves downward as you spend those points. So if you went from $50 in rewards from 1000 points, and used 100 points ($3), you're down to 900 points. To the best of my knowledge, that's somewhere around $36. Obviously you didn't use the $14, but it bases your available rewards on how many points you have left.
Like I said, its a super strange way to go about the program. It wants to increase the rewards you get as you get more points, but it works kinda funky as you go backwards.
I hope that helped clear it up a little, and I hope you continue to shop at Ulta!