At the corner of Really? and Are you kidding me?

Our insurance changed this summer and we have far fewer choices for prescription coverage. We used to go to Farmer's, our neighborhood independent drug store, where I worked in high school and college, and they were great. They are kind, they are close, they are knowledgeable, but most importantly they FILL my PRESCRIPTIONS when they say they will.  Walgreens is the worst. Everyone has an off day, and that is not what I mean. I'm so tired of our consistently bad experience that I was going to write them about it. People at the top may want to know what it's like for the rest of us, right? So I figured it couldn't hurt to send in my experience. Except guess what? When I went to their page and filled out the Contact Us form IT DIDN'T WORK. Evil geniuses: they're so terrible that you can't even tell them how terrible they are. Luckily, I have this blog. If I can't share with them, I'll share with you.

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I recently began using the Hawthorne Avenue, Athens, Walgreens when our insurance changed, and we were offered Walgreens as one of a very few options for prescriptions. Our experience has consistently been bad enough that I'm taking the time out of my day to write about it, something that I don't normally do. I called at 9:30am to see how long the wait would be to pick up my son's antibiotic. I was told "uh, I don't really know. That's not something I could say off the top of my head." When I asked again if I could have a guess of when I might be able to pick it up, the response was "uh, there are 30 prescriptions ahead of you. This is flu season. I'd guess an hour." I called back at 11:30 (two hours later) to see if it was ready, and they told me they had not yet begun working on it. At 4pm I got a voicemail that it was ready. That's 5.5 hours AFTER the projected pickup estimate. 

Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. We have to wait longer than we're told every single time we refill a prescription. This month when I refilled one of my prescriptions, it took two weeks for me to get it filled. This, despite me being told twice that it would be ordered and ready within two days, and despite receiving a text that said it was ready, and leaving work to go and pick it up. It still was not ready, and I was told it had not even been ordered yet. Thankfully this was a maintenance medication and not something I needed to survive. Once when I called to check on it, I was placed on hold for 13 minutes for a 1 minute conversation. I dread getting this monthly medication refilled if this will be my experience every month. 

I do not mind waiting for prescriptions. I used to work in a pharmacy, and understand that waiting is necessary. I understand insurance and ordering, and drugs being out of stock or needing prior authorization. What's worse than waiting is the lack of communication and the poor customer service I receive every time I go to this Walgreen's. I am generally kind and patient and compassionate with people in retail. I would like to think I am not a hateful or high maintenance customer. But the staff is consistently unapologetic and indifferent toward my waiting, or my taking off work and showing up when a prescription that was supposed to be ready is not. When I told the staff that I had received a text saying my prescription was ready, and that I'd come from work, their response was "I don't know what to tell you, it hasn't been ordered." No apologies, no compassion, no here's what we'll do to make it better. They're under the impression that I'm lucky to have them, not the other way around. Not only are they not fighting to keep me, I have not once felt like anyone at that store cares if I continue to be a customer there or not. Walgreens, Chick-fil-A is doing better at customer service, and they're only in charge of my chicken. I'm trusting you with my medication, and I take that seriously. I hope you do too. 

I'm an optimist. I can only assume, Walgreens, that the staff at your store on Hawthorne Ave are wonderful and kind people, but that they are overworked and understaffed. I can only assume that their consistent indifference to my experience as a customer is more about their level of stress as an employee than it is about their insensitivity as humans. Surely they want to do better and be kinder. My only thought, then, is that you haven't provided them with a way to do that.  I don't know if the answer is more staff or a better system, but I imagine the folks on Hawthorne Ave would have ideas. So, Walgreens, consider this a Dear John letter. As soon as I can find the short list of other approved pharmacies, I'm breaking up with you. I hope I'll be moving on to another pharmacy that treats me better. Based on my experience with your Hawthorne Avenue store, you won't miss me anyway. 

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The irony, friends, is that the bag containing my prescription says this: 

I wonder if they meant that the 5.5 hours after the anticipated pickup time is technically fast-er than the 2 weeks after intended pickup time? And to their credit, they do not claim to be friendly. Please, dear readers, feel free to share this. Share this a million times over until someone with enough influence to be on Undercover Boss sees it and hires some help for the tired Hawthorne Avenue staff. 

Dear Farmers, 

I miss you. I'm sorry I left you. I didn't know how good I had it, but baby, I see the error in my ways. Let's get back together? Call me.