My original review was more important, so it is first, then update:
PharmaPlus has been an institution for years but finally has some competition, and just in time too. They were so bad at filling prescriptions, making mistakes, that they actually caused physical harm (painful but thankfully not permanent) to my mother; I actually had to report them to their district supervisor.
At the time, I found out that they were fielding reports of problems from other and under a private internal investigation. I checked with the College of Pharmacists and nothing had been reported to them. I urged my mother to make her report more official but she refused, and i was unable to make a report on her behalf (all reports must come from the patient involved, as their medical information is needed for the investigation).
What aghast me most was their callous attitude: I kept hearing excused that it was not their fault that they misread her prescription and was giving her 1/3 her dosage. The manager didn't care that she was in pain, crying and sick, because she had been going for weeks unaware that her spray was reduced. I had had mistakes in my prescriptions before but I could see my pills were different before I took them, thank goodness. Even with my repeatedly bringing them back with errors and finally this, you cannot have any understanding that you are making mistakes and no compassion that you hurt another human being with your lack of care in your profession?
Amidst the complaint, we left for another pharmacy and were shocked at the care we get somewhere else. We actually even said once "you mean you give real advice?" And the pharmacist said "this is standard and what I was educated for. You should have been getting this all along." Many thanks to the District Pharmacist for his suggestion of where to move to! After growing up at Carlingwood, we had no idea what it was like to be cared for, to have pharmacists warn us of interactions, etc.
I still hear stories of bad service from this pharmacy, and know some neighbours who are making the switch now that viable competition exists. Of course, it has been several years: I only know the manager certainly was not taken away within the first year of my complaint and I have barely so much as bought a Bandaid there in two years, though a former employee told me was she was let go it was just as bad (consider the source). I am unaware if the investigation ultimately led to a change in management, but it hadn't for years and other staff pick up management's bad habits.
UPDATE: I have been back to the pharmacy and am saddened to see that the people who caused the original problems are still there. I came in to ask for a product that is typically kept behind a pharmacy counter. As I waited in line, I witnessed horrible disorganization and complete disregard for patient confidentiality.
When I finally had my turn, and asked for my product, they didn't have it and the woman behind the counter gave me advice... She was not a pharmacist, at best she could have been a pharmacy technician but she may have just been a cashier. Whoever she was, she did not have a grasp of chemistry or microbiology (bacteria and yeast), and the advice she gave on sterilization was just wrong. I told her so and walked away. Honestly, if you are not trained, you should not give advice! I work in health care, so I know the limits of HCPs training but most people just know it is someone behind a counter and trust it.
I would have complained, but if the same incompetents who didn't care about causing my mother pain are running the shop, who never actually screened for interaction when I was a patient there, are still working, I didn't think they would care about someone giving bad advice on sterilizing medical devices. read more