Keep Taking The Tablets...
Having worked with the public and in retail for some years. I'm reluctant to criticise shops. I know having worked in the profession that most problems are from the Management up over and most of the workers on the shop floor are approachable and hard working.
As those on the shop floor are the one's that the public have contact with, any problems are taken out on the worker as they are the public face and contact between shopper and company.
Luckily, 99% of the time I have a good relationship with assistants and we manage to have a chat and pleasantries pass between us.
Unfortunately, when something goes wrong this makes it difficult to complain. Especially, if you dislike complaining in the first place. Also, if you complain and you have to continue using the shop and it's service, you have to face up to the fact that they'll know it's you who complained.
One of the(if not the largest)pharmacists in the UK is suffering in my town through a lack of trade. Think of a kind of footwear. Another pharmacist has opened in the new supermarket which must mean it's taking customers from this drug store. The older part of town has lost customers because of the new supermarket stocking more non food lines so "Everything" is under one roof and the supermarket is located the other side of town so people are staying away.
However, for all this as the drugstore is 5 minutes walking distance from a big Dr's surgery it makes sense(especially if you do not have access to a car or public transport)to continue to use this branch of this large retailer.
Except, in recent weeks they have let me down big time.
I know it's difficult to gauge what drugs to stock and re-order in case certain items are not needed(and just remain on the shelves)or some items may suddenly become so popular you run out of stock.
However, more than ever I am finding prescriptions that are pre-ordered and meant to be ready for collection having been sent over from the Dr's surgery are not ready. Or if 4 items are required, you'll find 3 items prepared but maybe only 7 tablets of the last item is in stock and the remaining 21 tablets will have to collected later. And as the prescription has been processed, it's not as if you can ask for it back and go to another pharmacist.
The latest hiccup resulted in an incomplete prescription last Thursday(I was owed 21 tablets)I waited until Tuesday to go in and get the rest of my order(new stock is supposed to come in twice each day)it wasn't there. I explained that I have to come in specially by taxi and it's costing approx £5 every time. And but for that prescription as I've done my shopping I have no reason to keep coming out.
For the first time ever they offered to deliver it to my home(I live only streets from the store)So they said they'd deliver it that afternoon. Nothing!
I happened to have to go out on Wednesday(another mix up at the Dr's surgery over an appointment and prescription for Mum which I decided to deal with)so I popped in again to see if it was ready for collection at the drug store. Guess what...not available again. But a promise that it will be delivered once again.
So Wednesday goes by and again...nothing!
Today, I had to go out and help Mum see her Dr and get her prescription(She's a bit unsteady on her feet and a few weeks ago fell whilst getting out of the taxi at the Dr's surgery)so I thought, let's try again(We're up to almost £20 in taxi fares now)and as I am supposed to get my prescriptions for free(this is like paying for them)
Hurrah! the remaining tablets were there at last, so at least I have them. But it's taken 8 days. Not the best service in the world. The assistants are not the problem but there is something seriously wrong with their stock control. The assistants I have to deal with in general are rushed off their feet.
And I've seen and heard many customers complaining that there are too few staff which means long delays waiting to be served and I have heard other customers being told that prescriptions are not ready for collection or not completed(all anecdotal but I have been in the store for up to an hour at a time)and witnessed examples over a period of months so it seems a regular problem. It was only last month the same thing happened over completion of my steroids and I was cutting things very fine.
The worse thing is when some of these drugs are running out and some you cannot just stop immediately but have to reduce gradually or are unable to until the Consultant or Dr says stop.
What should be the simplest of transactions...order drugs at the surgery and then collect at the drugstore is becoming so much more complicated.
Oh, and whilst I complain, have I mentioned the fiasco we now have if you wish to make an appointment to see a Dr?
Not so long ago you phoned the surgery on a morning. You probably had difficulty getting through at 8am but you knew that if the line was engaged you were not being charged and you could dial again and/or press redial. It was not costing a fortune.
Now, you get music and a variety of messages telling you that you are being connected to the surgery(so you are being patched through a computerised central switchboard)and then you'll be told if your call is not urgent as this a busy time why not phone back later as there will be a high volume of calls, that calls will probably be recorded and you are in a queue. But also, if you get through often you are told that the surgery is still closed even though you've phoned after 8am and been put through.
And yet you can phone back and find you'll hear the same messages or worse find that 20, 30, 40 people have managed in the time you redial to get ahead of you.
This morning even worse we were getting through and then being cut off with a dead tone so you couldn't even make contact. So it took approx 30 minutes to succeed in making an appointment and approx 25-30 attempts so I wonder what that will cost? Frustratingly, it doesn't help when your Dr is only on duty for approx 2 hours on the morning you want to see him and is then not available until next week. The worry being that all the appointments will be taken. Also, that there are only a few pre-bookable appointments that never ever seem to be available.
If you have to use a taxi to go to the surgery, you cannot be sure that you can get one practically straight away so you need a later time if possible so to be asked can you get in for 9am when you've taken 30 minutes trying to book an appointment until 8.30am(I don't think so)
Also not helped by the fact a new computer system has been installed so it had teething problems today as well.
What a day!
As those on the shop floor are the one's that the public have contact with, any problems are taken out on the worker as they are the public face and contact between shopper and company.
Luckily, 99% of the time I have a good relationship with assistants and we manage to have a chat and pleasantries pass between us.
Unfortunately, when something goes wrong this makes it difficult to complain. Especially, if you dislike complaining in the first place. Also, if you complain and you have to continue using the shop and it's service, you have to face up to the fact that they'll know it's you who complained.
One of the(if not the largest)pharmacists in the UK is suffering in my town through a lack of trade. Think of a kind of footwear. Another pharmacist has opened in the new supermarket which must mean it's taking customers from this drug store. The older part of town has lost customers because of the new supermarket stocking more non food lines so "Everything" is under one roof and the supermarket is located the other side of town so people are staying away.
However, for all this as the drugstore is 5 minutes walking distance from a big Dr's surgery it makes sense(especially if you do not have access to a car or public transport)to continue to use this branch of this large retailer.
Except, in recent weeks they have let me down big time.
I know it's difficult to gauge what drugs to stock and re-order in case certain items are not needed(and just remain on the shelves)or some items may suddenly become so popular you run out of stock.
However, more than ever I am finding prescriptions that are pre-ordered and meant to be ready for collection having been sent over from the Dr's surgery are not ready. Or if 4 items are required, you'll find 3 items prepared but maybe only 7 tablets of the last item is in stock and the remaining 21 tablets will have to collected later. And as the prescription has been processed, it's not as if you can ask for it back and go to another pharmacist.
The latest hiccup resulted in an incomplete prescription last Thursday(I was owed 21 tablets)I waited until Tuesday to go in and get the rest of my order(new stock is supposed to come in twice each day)it wasn't there. I explained that I have to come in specially by taxi and it's costing approx £5 every time. And but for that prescription as I've done my shopping I have no reason to keep coming out.
For the first time ever they offered to deliver it to my home(I live only streets from the store)So they said they'd deliver it that afternoon. Nothing!
I happened to have to go out on Wednesday(another mix up at the Dr's surgery over an appointment and prescription for Mum which I decided to deal with)so I popped in again to see if it was ready for collection at the drug store. Guess what...not available again. But a promise that it will be delivered once again.
So Wednesday goes by and again...nothing!
Today, I had to go out and help Mum see her Dr and get her prescription(She's a bit unsteady on her feet and a few weeks ago fell whilst getting out of the taxi at the Dr's surgery)so I thought, let's try again(We're up to almost £20 in taxi fares now)and as I am supposed to get my prescriptions for free(this is like paying for them)
Hurrah! the remaining tablets were there at last, so at least I have them. But it's taken 8 days. Not the best service in the world. The assistants are not the problem but there is something seriously wrong with their stock control. The assistants I have to deal with in general are rushed off their feet.
And I've seen and heard many customers complaining that there are too few staff which means long delays waiting to be served and I have heard other customers being told that prescriptions are not ready for collection or not completed(all anecdotal but I have been in the store for up to an hour at a time)and witnessed examples over a period of months so it seems a regular problem. It was only last month the same thing happened over completion of my steroids and I was cutting things very fine.
The worse thing is when some of these drugs are running out and some you cannot just stop immediately but have to reduce gradually or are unable to until the Consultant or Dr says stop.
What should be the simplest of transactions...order drugs at the surgery and then collect at the drugstore is becoming so much more complicated.
Oh, and whilst I complain, have I mentioned the fiasco we now have if you wish to make an appointment to see a Dr?
Not so long ago you phoned the surgery on a morning. You probably had difficulty getting through at 8am but you knew that if the line was engaged you were not being charged and you could dial again and/or press redial. It was not costing a fortune.
Now, you get music and a variety of messages telling you that you are being connected to the surgery(so you are being patched through a computerised central switchboard)and then you'll be told if your call is not urgent as this a busy time why not phone back later as there will be a high volume of calls, that calls will probably be recorded and you are in a queue. But also, if you get through often you are told that the surgery is still closed even though you've phoned after 8am and been put through.
And yet you can phone back and find you'll hear the same messages or worse find that 20, 30, 40 people have managed in the time you redial to get ahead of you.
This morning even worse we were getting through and then being cut off with a dead tone so you couldn't even make contact. So it took approx 30 minutes to succeed in making an appointment and approx 25-30 attempts so I wonder what that will cost? Frustratingly, it doesn't help when your Dr is only on duty for approx 2 hours on the morning you want to see him and is then not available until next week. The worry being that all the appointments will be taken. Also, that there are only a few pre-bookable appointments that never ever seem to be available.
If you have to use a taxi to go to the surgery, you cannot be sure that you can get one practically straight away so you need a later time if possible so to be asked can you get in for 9am when you've taken 30 minutes trying to book an appointment until 8.30am(I don't think so)
Also not helped by the fact a new computer system has been installed so it had teething problems today as well.
What a day!
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 2:36 pm
2 Comments:
Gildy, how frustrating for you.
Boots have taken over one of the chemists in our town, the service has gone down hill !
I'm sorry you're having trouble at the doctors, have you complained that the phone calls are costing you a fortune ?
This idea of phoning a computerised system that puts you through to the surgery seems to be happening at all surgeries or will.
Most of the staff at the surgery are lovely and use my first name.
Only one seems to be a bit of dragon(receptionist wise)you know the kind that even when she's not answering the phone and is sitting doing nothing, is unhelpful.
Thankfully, I can manage to avoid her most of the time. I think she's like it with just about everyone. So it's not a personal thing.
It's anecdotal but the carry on over the phones has been mentioned in the local freesheet in the past and I have heard someone complain how much it had cost them when using a mobile.
I must have a look at the phone bill an see if I can work out what it actually costs. I'd be happier to find the line is engaged rather than connect and be told to try again as the surgery is closed or have the line drop out after listening to a recorded message for 30 seconds or more as I am being charged and if unsuccessful the time I have thought I'm doing so is allowing someone else to jump ahead of me.
Luckily, I have no scheduled Dr's appointment planned and my Blood test was booked whilst I was at the surgery with Mum last week(that happens this Tuesday)and I now have all my prescription medicines so I can forget about Boots for two or three weeks.
The service has deteriorated in recent months it has to be said.
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