Have a Heart

I’m not one to complain, okay, that’s not entirely true, but a recent round of customer disservice has me perplexed. (I wanted to say p*ssed but that’s not nice.) For the life of me, and it was kinda that serious, I cannot understand how people who are in customer service can be totally inept and disinterested, and still keep their job. I mean, really, I would fire myself if I was that incompetent.

Case in point. I recently contacted my prescription benefits company and ordered a 90-day supply of my heart medication. As advertised, using their online service is intended to “save money and be more convenient.” The “convenient” online option enabled me to order the heart medication, push Send, and wait 5-7 days for the meds to arrive on my doorstep. Eleven days later, I checked the “convenient” website and learned the order was not processed because my “credit card was inactive.” Mind you, at that point, I had the website pulled up, and my credit card number was, in fact, noted correctly, and active. Unfortunately for me, they were using a credit card number that was not mine. To add insult to injury, I did not receive a call, text, or email to explain the delay, despite the fact they send copious weekly emails advertising the exceptional benefits of their “convenient” program. I call b.s.

Needless to say, an actual conversation with a human was now in order. After 3 calls and a total of 47 minutes on the phone, the error was resolved. However, I was advised it would be another 5-7 days before the meds would arrive. By this time, I needed high blood pressure medication, too! My request to have the heart medication sent overnight was politely declined. It took me asking them what other resolution could be provided. The customer rep replied, “Well, I guess we could ask your doctor to send an emergency prescription to a local pharmacy.” Lord help me.

Thankfully, that transaction occurred. However, I then received a call from the local pharmacy advising they were out of that particular heart medication. I asked the young lad on the other end of the line if he had checked with other pharmacies (since there’s one on every corner). “No, but I can if you want me to.” Who knew Einstein worked at Walgreens?!

I finally took matters into my own hands and called a different local pharmacy that rhymes with CVS to determine if they had the prescribed heart medication. When availability was confirmed, I asked if they would call their neighbors across the street, have the prescription transferred to them, and advise me when the order was ready for pickup. Much to their credit, their customer service was impeccable and extremely efficient.

I’ll admit I’m pretty good at advocating for myself. I worry for the poor soul who doesn’t have a computer, or can’t hear well enough to ‘follow the prompts,’ or doesn’t have the mental capacity to navigate the system. Good luck and Godspeed!

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