More Bad Customer Service (Today: Walgreens)
So, last weekend I use the Internet to renew two Walgreens prescriptions. This should be easy. Normally I use the phone auto-dial system out of privacy concerns, but I decided to be daring. I really don't care if you all know I take AcipHex. Yes, good ole' acid-reflux. So much for privacy, eh? :)
Anyway, so I show up to pick it up last Tuesday. The second prescription was ready, but the AcipHex wasn't despite the fact they had three days to prepare it. I ask why it wasn't ready and they said the insurance company wouldn't release it early. I explained that this was a 'vacation refill' (something where you get your prescription early if you will be out of town when it normally comes due). She said that their records didn't indicate that. Now, I don't have a problem with Walgreens on that aspect at all.
What pissed me off? Well they didn't call me to tell me there was a problem. They wait until I show up after 5pm to let me know there's a problem -- when the insurance company is, obviously, closed. I ask what can be done and they said "Well you can pay for it." I asked how much and I was told $196! I said "no" and let them know I'd pick up BOTH of them on the 11th (today) and asked her to note that on the already filled first prescription. I let them know how irritated I was they didn't call me. "Well we don't have your phone number" I was told. I asked for the manager of the pharmacy and pointed at the label of the first prescription, which, of course, had my phone number on it (required by law in Florida).
I show up today to pick up both prescriptions. Guess what? They had cancelled my first prescription because I didn't collect it on time. I must say the pharmacist on duty was apologetic and filled it just under 5 minutes. But can you believe the idiocy?
Then the cashier rang it up at the FULL price. She had to get the store manager to void the transaction and have the pharmacist re-issue the AcipHex at the insurance co-pay rate. Why? The first pharmacist issued the AcipHex before the 11th despite our conversation. Moron.
posted by Rev. CMOT TMPV @ 10/11/2005 08:42:00 PM (permalink)
Stumble It!
5 Comments:
i work in the pharmacy at a walgreens and it is a pleasure to be able to respond to this "bad customer service" because I cannot talk back to customers in person. Why didn't you take responsibility for your own prescriptions? You obviously knew it would be early so why didn't you call the pharmacy to tell them? Did you think they would psychically know you were going on vacation? You have NO idea how many insurance problems we deal with every day--there is no way we can call and update each and every customer on the status of their insurance!
You missed the point. After three DAYS they didn't figure out there was a problem. They call me incessantly if I don't pick up a prescription on time but they can't call me if there's a problem?
And you missed the "WE DON'T HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER" which was a LIE because it's printed on the label for the prescription.
It's okay to disagree, but you can't ignore half the situation in posting a reply. Anonymous replies get far less credence than signed replies.
1. I have to fight to get 90 day original prescriptions a/o refills, even though my plan approves of this method. They do have to call in when I get an original prescription, and they object to doing that. Whatever happened to CUSTOMER SERVICE????????? I know they're busy, but I had busy jobs, but I didn't let the customer pay for my busy job. ALSO, why can't they just put a permanent notation on my file that 90 day fills and refills are allowed. Why must I (and them) go through this dance every time I get a new prescription or have to refill a prescription.
ALSO. Their newspaper ad indicates they new inkjet refill & recycle service, and just click on a logo that they show in the paper at walgreens.com store locater to find the location nearest you to go to and that logo DOESN'T EXIST!!!!!!!!
Since you are such an expert in customer service, you might consider actually working in customer service, or better yet a pharmacy. If you think it's that easy, come and show the pharmacy staff at walgreens how it's done. Pharmacies fill several hundred prescriptions a day. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to call customers for every problem that occurs. An insurance problem is the customer's problem. Not the pharmacy's problem. Take some responsibility for knowing how YOUR insurance works. Call YOUR insurance ahead of time and let them know when you are going on vacation. YOUR trip to the pharmacy will be 'problem' free the next time you need a prescription filled 10 days before YOUR insurance pays for it. Then again, you are an expert on customer service - come and show us how it's done - obviously we're missing something.
That's why you shouldn't go to Walgreens. Go to a slower pharmacy like Safeway or Target where you can get more customer service because these place actually staff their pharmacies well oppossed to Walgreens which is just a big sweat shop
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home