I am beyond annoyed. Maybe my pharmacy has been this way for years. Maybe I just noticed how INCOMPETENT they are since I started frequenting them twice a week. Wow!

I have had trouble with their customer service for months now.

Well, it is not like they are not nice or cordial. They are just dumb as rocks.

You would think they would have more people on register during peak hours (after work, before dinner time, lunch time, morning rush) but no, they only have two. People do not have one hour to wait in line for medications. I have walked away multiple times.

Now, waiting in line is not the biggest deal in the world.

 

This is my TRUE issue.

Not getting my medications.

 

A couple of months ago I re-newed my prescription for Ambien. I called it in, I was told it would be ready by 9:00 pm, I stopped by after work.

“Oh, I’m sorry, we called to let you know we did not have it in stock and would not have it in stock until tomorrow afternoon.”

I had received a call – from an unknown number, who did not leave a voice message. Was that what they referred to?

I was in the throws of insomnia, I needed my medication. I asked them to call it in to another pharmacy.

“Well, all the pharmacies are closed right now, you would need to call it in tomorrow yourself.” 

Excuse me? You did not let me know you did not have this medication, you are not the only 24-hour pharmacy. It is your responsibility to call it in somewhere else if you cannot fill it at your facility.

“Okay, we will call it in tomorrow.”

Guess who did not? 

 

Fast forward two months later — I call in my methotrexate prescription. I need this injection once a week to function, to walk, to move.

I receive a call the following day (the day I take the injection) informing me the medication was backordered and they did not know when it would be available.

The proper good customer service thing to do is call it into a different pharmacy. However, apparently it makes sense to sit back and twiddle their thumbs until the medication becomes available.

Maybe I am crazy for needing my medications. Maybe these people do not realize medications are actually important and people are not just on them for sh*ts and giggles.

I called them.  “Are you going to call it into a different pharmacy?”

“Well, we usually do not carry this medication so we are not sure when we will have it. You can call it into a different pharmacy but they probably won’t have it either.”

FYI: I have been on this medication for 3 YEARS and never had trouble before.

“I will call it into a different CVS then”

“Well, you probably won’t get it, but I will take it out of our queue”

Guess what? I had NO trouble getting it from another pharmacy. 

And, when I went to this other pharmacy, I did not wait in line, they answered my questions, they were quick, friendly AND cordial. AMAZING.

And then, yesterday, I picked up two more prescriptions at a generally non-busy time, and I waited in line for 45 minutes. I overheard people in line talking about how difficult it was to fill their prescriptions, how long they made them wait to get them filled.

At this pharmacy, they guarantee prescriptions in 30 minutes if you wait for them in-store. Most of these people waited over an hour.

Now, there is a discrepancy between the staff here. Sometimes, when people sit and wait for their medications they get to cut the line and get them as the staff prepares the prescriptions. Okay, that sort of makes sense but it is really annoying when people are waiting in line for AN HOUR.

What really gets me is when I am there waiting for my prescriptions, they make me and everyone else waiting go to the end of the line and wait in line. SERIOUSLY? Get your policies straight!

I have had it. After decades of using this pharmacy I switched, and I am so happy I did.

Oh, did I mention? Six months ago the pharmacy started passing out customer service surveys. What does that tell you?

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.