July 25th, 2018, 8:35pm, Pharmacy:
Stood at the 'Wait Here For Patient Privacy' Line (I was the only person in line and waiting area at the time). I quietly waited as the pharmacist (Felix) and technician (Nancy) continued to work, look past me several times, and then fail to even acknowledge my presence.
I approached the counter after several minutes of being ignored to ask for assistance. My husband had an emergency prescription that had been called in by his doctor, and since we were on vacation, this was the closet pharmacy that was open at the time. The technician Nancy seemed confused and inept at how to handle an out of network insurance card, and stumbled around, asking Felix, then telling me rudely, "We don't take your insurance at Walgreens." I explained that I was aware, however they were the closest pharmacy that was open at the hour, so the doctor sent it given the circumstances. I asked her to call my insurance company to verify the Rx, and she told me I could call on my own. I told her my cell was in my car outside, so Nancy placed a call (visibly annoyed at this point) and began speaking to my insurance provider stating, 'this customer is telling us to bill you,' (when I never stated), and refused to put me on speaker or allow me to speak to my rep, even though she was providing false information to my insurance carrier.
I asked to speak with a manager at that point, and Sharon stepped in. The extra star is for Sharon, who allowed me to use the phone, speak to my insurance, and get the out of network issue resolved quickly and seamlessly. Sharon even offered to run a discount card to try and get the cost reduced, and was sweet and empathetic saying she hoped my husband felt better soon.
Kudos to Sharon, thank you for saving the night! *Store Manager, Please do some remedial customer service training with Felix, and make additional training mandatory for Nancy...she seems a bit rusty on a variety of levels!!
I was told the it would cost $112 for a 20 count pill prescription, which my insurance provider said was very high, and should only cost about $15 with an in-network provider. Given that my family is on vacation and hours away from an in network pharmacy, we bit the bullet, and I asked for only a partial fill of the prescription.
*Out of Town Tip: There is a Rite-Aid a 1/4 mile away from this Walgreens. Should you ever find yourself in a similar situation as ours, I'd recommended giving Rite-Aid a try, as these are the only two pharmacies open past 6pm in the area for both Oregon and Washington (Long Beach Peninsula Area included). read more
