Sometimes, companies come up with ridiculous slogans or tag lines such as this one - "With us it is personal." This is the tag line of Rite aid Pharmacy. I wonder who comes up with these slogans and what they really expect out of it! If one does not follow through on slogans such as these, the customer starts to lose respect for such corporations. After all, if you cannot carry your motto through, consistently and efficiently all the time, then why even have it? Read the letter below that I wrote to the customer service department of Rite aid, it is self explanatory.
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As a former Walgreen's Customer for the past 12 years and a transfer due to the Express Scripts fiasco, I am a little disappointed by your practice of your motto - "With us it is personal". That motto rings loud and shallow and I will explain why.
Last night on Friday, May/25, I stopped by this Pharmacy in Brookfield, CT and there were only two people working at the Pharmacy - the Pharmacist and the Technician. I find two problems with the transaction that would have been handled very differently by George or his associates at Walgreen's.
(1) I had a prescription for which there was available a manufacturers rebate for COPAY reimbursement up to $100. However, there was a problem since the doctor had written a 90 day prescription and the voucher would only cover $100 so the resulting COPAY was higher than the actual supposed $10. The pharmacist told me that "it is what it is." Thinking quickly and remembering what George at Walgreen's would have done, I asked the pharmacist to try putting in for only one month supply and VIOLA, it worked - you see, it is up to $100 per FILL, so it is in the customer's best interest to FILL EVERY MONTH rather than every 90 days where the COPAY is higher. George used to tell me that it was not the customer's job to think for himself - it was Walgreen's responsibility - a duty fostered by deep caring for the customer. I wish the pharmacist had done some thinking about it for herself and said to herself - "This is my customer. How can I help him out?" Instead this "it is what it is" stuff is way wrong!
(2) There was another prescription that needed to be filled and the pharmacist asked me to come back 20 minutes later to pick it up. I did. When I came back, she asked for my date of birth, address and other identifying information. All of this just 20 MINUTES LATER. Remember, I had just had a lengthy conversation with her in an EMPTY STORE!!!! I mean, come on, I will give her some slack and I will explain why, but asking to fully identify oneself some 20 minutes later? The slack that I will give her is that she wanted to verify that I was being given the right medication and protect herself from a mistake by not giving me somebody else's medication. That is all good. But I saw her looking at the medication packet and I wanted to support her with my premise but was dismayed when I saw that none of what I told her could be cross referenced and verified by just looking at the cover she was handing over to me. There was my name and nothing else - ZIP, NADA! So, instead of my premise that she was trying to make sure she was not making a mistake when dispensing the medication to me - all she was doing was verifying my name! That is all. The purpose of asking all those questions was to verify my identity, something that appears ridiculous after only 20 minutes.
George at Walgreen's would never do that and none of his staff would. They would ask for my address and that is all - a good question every time because that is on the prescription cover and they are making sure that the right patient gets the right medication. They knew me well enough to know that asking me to fully identify myself every time would have been a joke.
I have to be reasonable and admit that the Pharmacist was OK, not rude or impersonal and at least decent - I will give her that much although I wish she smiled. If it is "Personal with you" as your motto claims, you must smile and I must be made to feel that I must come back every time (although every patient hopes not to have to ever go back to either a doctor or a pharmacy). The pharmacy technician did recognize me when I dropped off the prescription and smiled at me and even said - "I know I have filled a prescription for you before." So, I know that there is hope for you!
This RITE AID was a DESERTED, LOSS MAKING store before Express Scripts came along and messed everything up for Walgreen's and its customers. Ranked against Walgreen's on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest, last night's experience gives you a ZERO "0"
I wish I could go back to Walgreen's. GOD help me!
Last night on Friday, May/25, I stopped by this Pharmacy in Brookfield, CT and there were only two people working at the Pharmacy - the Pharmacist and the Technician. I find two problems with the transaction that would have been handled very differently by George or his associates at Walgreen's.
(1) I had a prescription for which there was available a manufacturers rebate for COPAY reimbursement up to $100. However, there was a problem since the doctor had written a 90 day prescription and the voucher would only cover $100 so the resulting COPAY was higher than the actual supposed $10. The pharmacist told me that "it is what it is." Thinking quickly and remembering what George at Walgreen's would have done, I asked the pharmacist to try putting in for only one month supply and VIOLA, it worked - you see, it is up to $100 per FILL, so it is in the customer's best interest to FILL EVERY MONTH rather than every 90 days where the COPAY is higher. George used to tell me that it was not the customer's job to think for himself - it was Walgreen's responsibility - a duty fostered by deep caring for the customer. I wish the pharmacist had done some thinking about it for herself and said to herself - "This is my customer. How can I help him out?" Instead this "it is what it is" stuff is way wrong!
(2) There was another prescription that needed to be filled and the pharmacist asked me to come back 20 minutes later to pick it up. I did. When I came back, she asked for my date of birth, address and other identifying information. All of this just 20 MINUTES LATER. Remember, I had just had a lengthy conversation with her in an EMPTY STORE!!!! I mean, come on, I will give her some slack and I will explain why, but asking to fully identify oneself some 20 minutes later? The slack that I will give her is that she wanted to verify that I was being given the right medication and protect herself from a mistake by not giving me somebody else's medication. That is all good. But I saw her looking at the medication packet and I wanted to support her with my premise but was dismayed when I saw that none of what I told her could be cross referenced and verified by just looking at the cover she was handing over to me. There was my name and nothing else - ZIP, NADA! So, instead of my premise that she was trying to make sure she was not making a mistake when dispensing the medication to me - all she was doing was verifying my name! That is all. The purpose of asking all those questions was to verify my identity, something that appears ridiculous after only 20 minutes.
George at Walgreen's would never do that and none of his staff would. They would ask for my address and that is all - a good question every time because that is on the prescription cover and they are making sure that the right patient gets the right medication. They knew me well enough to know that asking me to fully identify myself every time would have been a joke.
I have to be reasonable and admit that the Pharmacist was OK, not rude or impersonal and at least decent - I will give her that much although I wish she smiled. If it is "Personal with you" as your motto claims, you must smile and I must be made to feel that I must come back every time (although every patient hopes not to have to ever go back to either a doctor or a pharmacy). The pharmacy technician did recognize me when I dropped off the prescription and smiled at me and even said - "I know I have filled a prescription for you before." So, I know that there is hope for you!
This RITE AID was a DESERTED, LOSS MAKING store before Express Scripts came along and messed everything up for Walgreen's and its customers. Ranked against Walgreen's on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest, last night's experience gives you a ZERO "0"
I wish I could go back to Walgreen's. GOD help me!
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