Complain about a product or service

RiteAid Pharmacy Errors, Problems

laura of wilmington, NC July 3, 2009

I have been going to this pharmacy for almost a year. It is the closest one to my home, literally walking distance. The only meds I take are for thyroid and birth control with the occassional antibotic for my daughter and/or myself. This pharmacy and store in general are always slow, so when I go in I know that I will have to spend some time. It is a pain at times but I go thru it because it is close to my house. The pharmacy staff also are always rude, if not rude then very unhappy, you get the since that they are overworked and unhappy at their job. Today however that rudeness was taken to a whole new level.

I was made to feel like a criminal and was talked to in a way that is totally unacceptable. My thyroid medicine was changed and an additional thyroid medicine was added. I asked for the name brand of both, not the generic, that was the 1st issue. A nameless lady on the phone said 'we have always filled generic for you, why change' I simply said, I want the name brand. The doctor had also written the prescription for 188 mcq of synthroid and it does not come this way, it only comes in 88, 100, 175 or 200. So they demanded on calling the doctor, no problem, I said do what you need to do.

I called my doctor and he said he had spoken to them and that he didn't understand why they were making a big deal of this, but he did want to change my script to 175 to avoid any confusion and keep the cytomel at 2 5mg per day. I called rite aid to let them know I had talked to the doctor and the lady (who would not give me her name) was very hateful, saying we have to talke to the doctor, who had already called but no one took the call. It was a huge mess and bottome line is that I was yelled at and hung up on after 2 calls and 1 visit to this store. The woman was argumentative and refused to listen. She kept saying that my doctor had called in a prescription the day before, I'm like no, they didn't. I saw my doctor today.

What a mess. When I went back to the store for the 2nd time to pick up my meds after 5 hours it still was not ready for me and I asked to fill out a formal complaint and was again attacked by this pharmacy staff. The one lady literally yelled at me from across the pharmacy in front of the pharmacist. who done nothing. The manager was totally unhelpful too. Unbelieveable treatment. Crazy making stuff. Stores no longer care about the people they serve who keep them in business. Where is all the customer service gone? Needless to say, I will no longer ever go to a rite aid again. By the way, this store never told me the 1st name only of this crazy woman. The whole store is absolutely crazy.

Rita of Bronx, NY July 1, 2009

On March 15, 2009 I had a small red area down from under my arm. I put a rite aid LATEX FREE bandaid on it with neosporin ointment. A few minutes later I started to feel itchy and heated. Within another 5 minutes I looked in the mirror the area was swollen and red. I went to take off the bandaid and it FELL OFF with my skin on it. My skin blistered and was raw. I covered it with gauze and put Rite aid cloth tape LATEX FREE and again blistered and redness occured. I called my physician and saw her a few day later.

The area continued to swell to the point that I couldn't put my arm down to my side. She prescribed bactroban and keep it covered with gauze Nothing else. I called Jim several times on his cell he hadn't gotten back to me. A person from Pinnacle did and said she would call back with the results of what was on the bandaid. But nothing since March. Claudio tookd the complaint from me when i went into the store but he is no longer working there and the new person has no idea where the report is. It was on loose leaf paper. She gave me an New person who was very nasty and abrupt.Taneil at 718-886-6645 never took a statement from me. I need to know what was on that bandaid that caused such a reaction.

I had to go into the hospital for a catherization and had told them of the incident and the saw the scars under my arm . The doctor agrees that I should find out what type of glue is use on a LATEX FREE BANDAID that I could be so allergic to . This could be a life and death situation for me in an emergency. I have not gotten any help from anyone. PLease intervene this is a serious situation not just for me but others who think that latex free mean no latex.

john of fresno, CA June 10, 2009

each time i pick up rx she (SANDRA) is rude to begin with and each time i give them at least 4 days since i have diabetes and take several meds. they are never all there. i understand if dr. must be called but when it is out of stock and i have waited 4 days at the least someone should call us! then i went to pu and ask 3 times is it all there? sandra said yes 3 times. i get home and find 2 missing, one dr call and 1 ordered.

i live in mexico part time and this is very inconvient! i have though about changing stores but this is the closest one and i have been getting my meds. there for years. however unless service improves i will change. wasted trips after giving px 4 days to fill.

Eileen of Sussex, NJ June 8, 2009

Recently Rite Aid took over our local pharmacy, since then bill collectors this one in peticular we know this because they have us down as a bad client. This is not our debt! Have been calling our home and saying we should call them asap. from the number this message was recieved on.. This is not Rite Aid!!so This leads me to believe that Rite Aid either sold them or gave them my private infomation!! When I tired to contact Someone about this I Hit a brick wall? Is nothing scared anymore when does our privacy count? I am deeply dissapointed over this. What if anything can be done over this?

Pat of Lanc., NY May 31, 2009

This isn't the first time the store gave me the wrong perscription. They gave me the wrong script last time and then they called me to pick up a script with the recording and I went to pick it up and it was the same script they had given me 2 weeks before that was wrong now I have paid for the wrong script again.

kathy of east meadow, NY May 21, 2009

Mark W. is the pharmicist at Rite Aid and took our prescription for fentanyl patches, the prescription was for 30 patches. When we went back to pick up the patches there was only 10 patches, we were told that we would get the rest within a few days. When I went back a few days later there was only 10 more patches that I picked up. When I called the pharmacy to pick up the rest of the patches I was told they were all picked up.

So I went down to the pharmacy and was given the run around as to where my patches were. Now they already billed the insurance company and received their payment but I still never received my last 10 patches. This all occurred within the last 2 weeks and todays date is 05/21/2009. These patches were for my husband. My husband is disabled and needs these patches for the pain he is in from his injury to his back which he has had several surguries on. Therefore he ran out of patches and is in agony from not having these patches which help to reduce his pain.

Silvana of Union, NJ May 27, 2009

On May 20, 2009 I filled a prescription for my son who is 2 years old and weighs 24 lbs. The prescription was for Augmentin ES600, I received the generic Amox TR-K CLV 600-42.9/5 susp. The label indicated that I should administer 6ML teaspoonful by mouth twice a day for 10 days. On the sixth day I noticed I was running out of the medicine so I called the pharmacy and spoke to pharmacist Kathleen.

She informed me that I was only supposed to be giving my son 3ML twice a day for 10 days. I immediately asked the pharmacist to investigate how this error could have been made and asked her to provide me with any information regarding a possible overdose. I also contacted my son's pediatrician and discussed my concerns. I was asked if my son had experienced any diarrhea, vomiting or if his behavior was different that usual. Fortunately my son did not display any of the above symptoms.

However, I am still very concerned of what could have happened and if there are any possibilities of future problems related to this overdose. The pharmacist explained that studies showed possible complications related to his kidneys and that I should discuss this with his pediatrician. I plan to follow up with his pediatrician and hope that there are no long term effects. I have been getting my son's prescriptions filled at this pharmacy since he was born. I can not imagine what could have happened had this medication been another type or if this error could have been deadly. I trusted my son's health to a professional and feel that someone at Rite Aid was not doing their job correctly. I realize that human error exist however when you are dealing with someone's life there should be numerous precautions and check points to prevent something like this from happening.

Needless to say I will no longer have my son's and my family's prescriptions filled with Rite Aid. This experience was very scary and traumatic for our family. This is our first and only child and to think that something could have happened to him because someone was negligent. I just hope that this does not happen to other families and I am thankful that so far my son seems fine; however I do plan to continue to monitor him and follow up with his pediatrician.

Marjorie of Saginaw, MI May 22, 2009

I have had this happen more than once. I am finding out that I am being overcharged for prescriptions. I have no idea where Rite Aid is coming up with the amount they are charging me because they are not billing my Blue Care Network Advantage or Medicare. They flat outright lie to me when I confront them about it. What can be done about this?? I am on SS and instead of paying 5 - 6 for a batch of medicines I am being charged in the %-30 range. I cannot afford this. When I call them about it they get downright nasty.

Joanna of South Lake Tahoe, CA May 11, 2009

I had a prescription transfered from the South Lake Tahoe, CA Pharmacy to the Mammoth Lakes, CA Pharmacy. I went to go pick it up 05.09.09. I walked up to the pharmacy, told the lady behind the counter my name and that I had a prescription transferred there. Without even picking her elbows up off the counter she told me my card expired. I asked her what she meant because I double checked with Rite Aid in South Lake before I left town and the lady there said everything was okay. She told me I couldn't pick up the prescription or had to pay for it in full. She made absolutely NO effort to move, check it through the computer or anything.

Today, 05.11.09 I called the Rite Aid back in Mammoth asking to speak to the Pharmacy Manager. After waiting on hold for a second, a guy picked up the phone "Hello" ... No "Hello, this is the manager" or "Hello my name is ____" or anything. Just "hello"... I asked him if he had a name. He said "John" This guy also made NO effort to be friendly or helpful right from the start. I proceeded to explain my situation and he told me he tried to bill it before I arrived and it came back and they wouldn't pay it.

When I checked with the program I get my prescription through, they said there shouldn't have been any problems just like the lady who I talked to at Rite-Aid in South Lake Tahoe told me when I transfered it as well as today (She checked it again in the computer) to see if I could pick the prescription back up. No apology, sympathy, or any effort was made from (Was this guy even really a manager?) "John the Manager." I am VERY unhappy with my experience at the Rite-Aid in Mammoth Lakes and will not be returning to the store.

Ana of Dayton, OH April 29, 2009

My husband and I both use rite-aid because we travel a lot, and it's in so many places. Our local Wilmington Pike Rite-Aid has pretty good customer service (a nice older lady, and a not-so-nice, grumpy old man). recently we were traveling to Detroit for a few days, then into Canada, and in Detroit I realized I had forgotten ALL my medication. there are three things I take daily for my fibromyalgia, and neuropathy, and there are several others I sometimes need. I went to sleep without them, woke up without them, and then we stopped at a Detroit Rite-Aid, on Van Dyke because I knew I HAD to get them before I went on into Canada, by this time I was already in a lot of pain, to the point that I was having trouble walking, talking and the pain was making me nauseous and grouchy. First none of the four people acknowledged me as I waited at the drop-off counter. I stood there for five minutes, and not until I started complaining to my husband in Spanish, did one lady turn around. First she told me there was nothing she could do. Then after me telling her this is why we use Rite-Aids, she took my name. I had to spell it for her and then got frustrated and just pulled out my driver's lisence. Another woman said, why don't you just look at her insurance card. She was very rude, and was not happy about me not wanting to come back for my prescription. I left the store to sit in the car because I was in so much pain. My husband waited for the prescriptions, then brought them out to me. First, she charged us 90 for a 3-day supply of pills when I only pay 70 for a full month's worth of pills. I know that my husband has been without his medication in strange cities many times and this has never happened to him. The pharmacist said that our insurance would not cover it and that we had to pay full price. Could 9 50mg lyrica, 3 100mg amitryptiline, and 3 20 mg cymbalta really cost 90???? Then, on top of that as we are crossing into Canada and I'm opening the bag 2 of the 3 prescriptions are completely the wrong pill! 2 out of 3! A teenager working at a fast food joint could have done better.

How do 4 people at a pharmacy not realize that they are handing out the wrong pills. The amitryptiline looked familiar because it was a lower dose I used to take. The cymbalta was completely wrong--instead of a green-Lilly-3235 pill they gave me a blue and white-Lilly -3240 which is a higher dose than what I take. I had no idea what it was at the time, and would not take it. I also would not take the wrong amitryptiline because at the time with no internet access, I was not sure what it was at all. I spent the weekend in extreme pain, going through withdrawl from my cymbalta and amitryptiline. I couldn't sleep without my medicine, and I was very grouchy from withdrawl from cymbalta.