Today was one of those days that just did everything in it's power to be annoying!
I will take my part of the blame where it is due which basically is the fact that I didn't realise that the rules and regulations surrounding prescriptions and medication dispensing had changed. Nobody has mentioned it since I last had to get my prescription filled which was a year ago granted.
This morning I phoned the local sudivision of the pharmacy that I have been using for years - not a new pharmacy, not a small pharmacy : a massive pharmacy chain, probably the largest in South Africa. Explain that I have a script from my doctor that I need filled, can I email it to them instead of having it printed? Yes, sure no problem email it to this address. Say thank you hang up. Email it through.
No questions were asked.
Two hours later arrive at said pharmacy and stand in the queue for 25 minutes. Get to the dispensing counter, hand over my ID card and I'm told "oh sorry, if your medication is schedule 5 then we can't accept an email version from you, it has to come directly from your doctor".
Nowhere is this on a poster anywhere at the dispensary. I've never been told this before in my life.
Did the lady on the phone kindly say "Can you please tell me what schedule your medication is? Oh, it's schedule 5? No, sorry we need your script directly from your doctor" No, nothing like that.
So a phone call, a trip and time wasted. Of mine.
I stuff down my rising annoyance in the store and decide the best thing to do for all involved is to make a bee-line for the car and leave. I don't feel this kind of irritation often, but when I do...well perhaps having a Hulk tantrum would have helped.
Being a lady, I simply chose to phone the care line and give them the suggestion that perhaps they should train their staff members better. You know, ask the right questions and you'll have happy customers.
Oh gosh was that the wrong thing to do. I don't know why these conglomerates employ people at a careline. I also don't know who in their right mind would work at a customer service careline of a big corporate like this. They either get paid really well or they enjoy hearing people pissed off with the ineptitude and inefficiency of staff members who really should know better.
The complacency and mind numbingly monotone scripted answers of this Peter oke was even more annoying than the original issue.
He did not give two flying fucks about my level of annoyance. "I'll elevate it to management with your suggestion of better training". No sunny boy that ain't going to cut it. I'm out of pocket now and it is your company's fault. Are you going to rectify this? ...
Crickets.
Clearly he wasn't taking this very seriously at all.
"Peter let me paint you a picture. My medication is not life threatening if I don't have it and I can make a plan to go another day without it (he hadn't even bothered to ask me this), but say for example this medication was life threatening if I hadn't received it today. What would your company have done then?"
"Oh I'll take that up with management and ask them to get back to you."
I thought "Yeah buddy, whatever. I don't like your nonchalance or your inability to see the bigger picture". I assured this guy that my annoyance was not directed at him personally although by this time my patience with him was also starting to wear thin. I decided to end the call and wash my hands of it. Nothing will change and nothing will be done.
Until someone dies.
Maybe then someone will say something. Maybe then management will decide to train their moronic staff better.
All I can say is that this whole scenario has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I'll be taking my business elsewhere. Sure, it's not a lot of money that they will lose, but it's the principle of the matter to me. Shitty service breeds shitty sales and I won't be part of their shitty business practice.
