Walgreens

I am a prescribing doctor new to Carlsbad, NM 88220. I called in a prescription after hours for my own son and wife went to pick it up midday the next day. They claimed they received no message or prescription. So when she called me and told me, the assistant slipped back to the pharmacist and she yelled out "I just received that script". Well whatever. I've come in by now to re-write the script and the pharmacist verbally attacks me for questioning her. I tell her "sorry, I am the doctor and called it in last night, you must have a problem with your voice mail". But she goes on a verbal rampage and claims she has "never been treated this way by a doctor", and just goes on and on like having a breakdown. I simply ask for the manager and she claims "I am the manager and you can call in somewhere else." Her name is Lacy and I will NEVER prescribe to Walgreens under this lunatic. I will actively advise patients to go elsewhere even though Walgreens is in the neighborhood and I will tell all of my referring doctors the same.

We will not have this arrogant tyrant treat us in the medical/dental community or our patients like this again. This Pharmacist either is fired or we all will transition to a local pharmacist.

By the way went back to get this drug that was already ordered and she was still trashing my wife by name. I may file a HIPPA complaint as well. You need to get a leash on your managers.

Dr. James Waters
Diplomate American Board of Orthodontics
[protected]

I am completely fed up with Walgreens. We have been going to Walgreens since we moved to Carlsbad 16 years ago. Our small town has had the store move to a new location. When the store was at the end of a small strip mall it was great. You could go in, drop off and get your prescription when they told you it would be ready. 10 15 minutes meant exactly that. It moved a number of years ago to a new stand alone store. Once it moved all bets were off. The customer service in the pharmacy has dropped off the face of the earth. It is non existent. We require perhaps two or three prescriptions filled each month. Since the store moved I have yet to get what they have promised. Their customer base has not increased. Their pharmacy is new and state of the art. They have twice as many employees working in the pharmacy now. The service is worse. Typically I am told my Rx will be ready for pick-up in 45 minutes to an hour. At the old location 10 20 minutes was typical. We use Walgreens because the store is close to home. I can go home and come back when I have been instructed. When I return for my Rx it is never ready when I get there. I mean never. I have heard every excuse they have. The most overused one will revolve around insurance. Why is walgreens concerned about putting pills in a bottle prior to an approval from an insurance company? I need it anyway. Why lie to me that my Rx is ready for pick-up? I started going by the e-mail messages. I would receive an e-mail indicating my order was ready. I get to the store only to find there is an issue and my Rx is not ready. After a few of those experiences I would call before going down there. I was always told my order is ready for pick-up only to find they lied again and they are not ready. If I had the time to run to the store to check on my order I would not bother calling first. They have my phone number. They ask for it when I drop off my script. Why dont they call me when the insurance is not cooperative? If what I or my family needs is pain meds we need them now not once the insurance authorizes it. Call me and tell me I will have to pay full price. Why does the pharmacy presume I wont pay full price? Today was the last straw. I dropped off a script at 2:45 after leaving the hospital. I was told that my order would be ready at 3:45. Fine, I took my wife home to start her recovery with the intention to return later for the medicine. The soonest I could return was 6:00. I was told one of the two scripts was not ready because of the lack of an insurance authorization. Again why assume I will not pay full price? My wife needs the pain medicine now not once the insurance says she can have it. I am so frustrated and fed up. I have repeatedly expressed my concerns to the store management but nothing changes. The store does not care at all. I do not want to hear from the store, I want to hear from someone who can make a change. I appreciate and have taken advantage of walgreens nationwide database. If we need a refill while away from home walgreens can fill it anywhere. This is a real bonus in my opinion. I have always found that any other walgreens tells me what they can do and do what they tell me. Twenty minutes means twenty minutes. Insurance issues are remedied before I return to the store. If there was an issue I am told what the issue is and what was done to get things done. If they anticipate an issue they tell me when I drop off the script. If another store can deliver there is no reason why ours can not. Is there any excuse for not doing what the other stores can do? We have used other stores in Albuquerque, Lubbock, Durham, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Dallas. The only store that can not deliver is Carlsbad New Mexico.

Please tell me what will be done to remedy these issues.