I wouldn't want to put up with that. I use CVS and they have great service here. I've never had a call that something wqs ready and it really wasn't. They have reconfigured coupons vs copays to get the best pricing for me. I would try snother paharmacy and expect a first time issue with billing., It should be resolved after that. Is mail order an option? Most insurances prefer that for ongoing meds anyway,

Lisa, mail order is a good thought. I'm not sure how it would work with our insurance, but I think mine uses Costco's mail service. I'll check into that. Thanks!

We do mail order through our insurance~~love it.

My experiences aren't terribly different.

The retail counter staff at pharmacies aren't honestly any more educated or professional than other retail workers, they just wear white coats. In my direct dealings with pharmacists, it's as if most of them would really rather just count pills than speak with customers.

It's a monthly routine for which I have low expectations. If something goes wrong, I don't get upset, it's what I figured would happen. If the month's pharmacy's interaction rolls out smoothly, I enjoy the unexpected outcome. Either way, I'm pleasant and smiling with them, I think most usually try not to screw up a job that's important yet fraught with complexities.

Mail order? No thanks. The mail order service is a way for the prescription service company to earn the retail profit instead of the stores. Just calling my carrier on the odd thing here or there (like when they once tried to refuse my doctor's specific instruction to not substitute a generic) tells me that I do better in such an error-prone environment to be able to deal with someone face to face. With my plan, using mail order would be cheaper for me, but it's a savings I don't want to have.

I have been going to a locally owned pharmacy since it opened here in the 1970's.
It changed hands about two years ago....the service got horrible.
I am not one to suffer in silence. I made a scene.......quietly.
Soon after, it changed hands again and the women who worked for the original owners got rehired and a new pharmacist came in.
I get excellent service now...they all go the extra mile.
They even met the price for some Rx's available at Walmart.
I usually use mail order with our insurance but use them for new prescriptions.
The thing I really like is the local hospitals can check their records via computer if necessary.
And their prices for incidentals and some medical supplies are cheaper, too.

We had a great pharmacist at our local Ralphs. Now they are closing the store, so we have to go further to another Ralphs grocery with pharmacy, but this guy is so good, we will take on the drive. These automatic computer refill situations are nice, but the machines do suffer from glitches sometimes.

My older son is a diabetic. When he was younger and living at home, for years his insulin and all his supplies were delivered via mail-order and the process saved both money and time.

I use Wegman's pharmacy. Because my meds are always changing, I just order refills on-line.
They are darn good.

I would change pharmacies if I were treated badly. Then again, I'm spoiled. I fill my many transplant prescriptions through a mail pharmacy and I also have 2 big chains in my town-both Rite Aid and CVS. So I get all the coupons, specials, discounts and deals for both.

This post was edited by jannie on Tue, Jul 1, 14 at 8:49

I guess one solution would be NOT to go pick up your prescriptions the day they call....wait a day or two.

Snidely, I've never had a problem with mail order service...saves so much time, they auto refill, call the dr. if a refill is needed, etc.. Not sure what the difference is as to who profits....in fact, if the mail order store is independent, I'd rather my $ go to them than a chain drugstore. My mail order service is through CVS...so they are getting my $ whether I do mail or go to the store.

I wouldn't put up with bad service. The pharmacy I used when I first moved here shorted me on pills twice. The first time they did, the tech denied it happened. The second time, they admitted their error. I didn't give them a third chance. I get most of my meds by mail order, which is what my insurance requires in order to get a 90 day supply for the same copay as a 30 day. The pharmacy in the clinic where I go is only a couple of blocks from my house. They are fast and accurate. If I see my doctor, she emails the pharmacy with an rx and by the time I get downstairs it is ready.

I agree with Joanie. I would either call ahead to make sure it is ready or wait a day or two.
I have two per script ions through the mail and so far so good. It cost me much less out of pocket and it comes right to my door.

My question is this.....what does this statement mean? I've never heard of a pharmacy "pulling a prescription to put back".

"Turned out, they pulled my prescriptions that morning to put back but hadn't yet. So, I was able to get them, but only after I asked questions about being called. "

No, you're not overly irritated. You're being treated poorly.

MAIL ORDER! and the insurance gives 3 months at a time that way.

I would call and have the tech go through a check-list with you over the phone. Get the name of the employee to whom you are speaking. Make sure they are billing your insurance correctly. Make sure they are billing you correctly.

"Do you have all my prescriptions ready for pickup? Do you have X medication, at X strength, for X days? What is the retail cost? What have you billed X insurance company? What is my cost?"

Only travel to the pharmacy after you have the name of the employee who has verified that ALL your scrips are ready NOW and the cost of each one to you.

I use mail order for one expensive maintenance scrip because it never changes, and because I get a 90-day supply for the cost of a 60-day supply. (It's still a huge retail pricing rip-off over the cost of the medication to people outside the USA.)

When I was having to pick up prescriptions monthly, I found one drugstore location always to require a wait because they were so busy. I tried another location of the same chain and received excellent service without a wait. Sometimes, you have to shop around a bit to find the best place. I would have loved to use mail order, but my insurance company would only approve one month at a time, so there wasn't much advantage for me to use mail order.

We have been using Wal-Mart pharmacy for ever and never been treated with anything but the utmost courtesy..I have great respect for the Wal-Mart Pharmacists ..The few others that we have used were CVS..not complaints but long wait and I did get a shot there and I was getting very nervous from the way the Pharmacist acted...almost like he didn't know what he was doing...I was afraid it was going to be painful anyway because it was a flu shot nad that was the easiest shot ever...The Pharmacy techs are always courteous and helpful even when we have called from hundreds of miles away...I have complained a million times about Wally World for many things but never about the Pharmacy...

I take a LOT of medication so the pharmacy I use is making a lot of money off of me. I have been fairly lucky. When I lived in the Dallas area I used the walmart market (not the big walmart just the grocery one) they were excellent.

When we moved here I started with Kroger since it was where I shopped but they do not have a drive thru and for me that is important, they were also good but I eventually moved everything to the CVS right down the road a couple miles from my house.
Well that has been an up and down situation. At first it was ok and I attributed some to then just getting used to all of my meds and the transfers etc.

Then the place just went to horrible, the people working there were slow, unfriendly, and often got my prescriptions wrong. They would short me entire bottles on my 90 day scripts and it would be an argument every time I went. They would lose my actual prescription that my doctors faxed in and insist the doctor never sent it even though I had a screen capture of the actual order the nurse emailed to me.

There was one older foreign man there that was about the rudest man I have ever run into working with people. We went to pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy counter and had about 5 other items in the basket. I put them all up on the counter and he went to get my prescriptions. He absolutely NEVER could find them so another person had to follow him around and do his job. There was not any other people in line just us. He rang up my prescriptions and ignored my other items. I said these are mine also as I pushed them closer. He said well now I have already done your prescriptions you need to take that stuff to the front register I am entirely too busy to deal with it. I looked around said are you kidding me? (I thought maybe this was his idea of a joke) NO HE was serious. He turned away and walked off to the back of the store.
I took the stuff to the front and asked for the manager. I told him what had just happened and how it was a repeat performance each time we had to deal with that man.
He asked me to please call the CVS headquarters listed on their website. He also told me they were trying to get that store "cleaned up".

I did just that in fact each time I had these problems I called that 800 number and reported it. They were so nice and thanked me for letting them know.

Fast forward a few months and guess what there is an entire new staff at the pharmacy!! And they are like night and day. Wonderful nice helpful people that actually call me by my name and call me at home to speak to me if they have a question rather than just waiting till I get there and they don't have my meds ready.
It does pay to let the head office know what is happening in their stores.

About the putting a prescription back. If you call in an order or they have filled an order for you and you have not been in to pick it up in their set number of days they will put the pills back and then you will have to order it again. AT CVS it is I think 5 days.
I do not use the auto fill, or at least try not to, they keep doing it automatically on some meds with out asking. I don't like the auto fill, I prefer to keep track on my own since I have so many.
And some of my meds I don't have to take daily so it can affect the normal refill time line.

I use a local privately owned pharmacy. As far as I know, they are competitive in their pricing. It's a Rexall drug, and the pharmacist there has filled any prescription I've taken in the last 40+ years, he knows my health better than my doctors, always has time and willing to help.
About a year ago he semi retired, sold the business to another pharmacist, but is still there 2 or three days a week. I'm not finding anything different in service, most of the faces are the same, patient friendly is the same.

They are not open Sundays or evenings like some of the chains but I've been able to work around that. When my husband injured his knee 2 years ago and I needed prescriptions filled after hours I went to Rite Aid and that worked out fine for one time purchases.

My druggist has a delivery service, to your door at home or at work if you can't get in to pick things up. I've never had to use it, but they always make sure we know its an option.

Editing to add: the delivery service is free. They also offer monthly charge accounts which I haven't used either. My insurance pays up front, and I write a check for any amount not covered on day of pickup - I haven't had any surprises big enough to need to charge.

This post was edited by morz8 on Tue, Jul 1, 14 at 14:24

Well I'll try to make a long story short...had scripts at Walgreen's in Colorado, told them I would be in California for a few weeks, they "temoporarily" transferred them there..when I came back, each time I went to get them they said they were filled and waiting...in California. I explained that the trip was over and I needed them here...after the 3rd time I switched to Safeway, so far so good...(My husband has the mail order type but is concerned when they don't come much ahead of when he will run out, my mother had trouble with not getting her meds in time.)

For me, it works like this, go to doctors appointment for my renewal of prescriptions and then I drop it off at drugstore and tell them I will pick them up such and such day which usually is friday and so I know they will be ready, some days they are packed full and tons waiting so I learn to do it that way so I come in and they are ready for me.