A letter to CVS Caremark*, on the occasion of my prescription’s increasing 1009% in one month, because I had exhausted my “one trial month” and now need to switch to either mail order or a CVS store:
DEAR CVS:
Thank you for your second reply to my question that was almost identical to your first. I do understand how form replies work, but if you could please try not to just use it again this time I would appreciate it.
I actually asked if you would please REFUND me the $100 difference you fined me this month, because you fined me for filling the prescription at my regular pharmacy WITHOUT WARNING ME.
I would also like to address three issues with this policy, which I will also send to my employer, because yes thank you I do understand that the policy is an agreement between CVS and my employer (although you cannot convince me it was my employer’s idea, since it wholly benefits CVS).
1. My local CVS was my first choice as my pharmacy when we moved. I STOPPED using it for two reasons. One, it is almost impossible to enter or exit that particular CVS without being asked for money, sometimes threateningly, by persons loitering outside. Two, of much greater concern, the pharmacist screwed up my order a BUNCH of times — wrong doses, wrong brand, once even giving me someone else’s drugs entirely. It was really a scattershot operation several years ago and made me very nervous.
2. At the time that I was considering switching pharmacies, I tried to contact CVS and let them know about some of my concerns about that particular location. CVS did not, at that time, offer a SINGLE way of offering feedback to the corporate entity. No email, no phone number, no twitter presence, absolutely nothing. I had no way to ask for help. That sends a pretty strong message to customers.
3. The mail-order option sounds great, doesn’t it? But I live in what we politely call a “developing neighborhood” and those envelopes are easily identifiable. My drugs don’t interest my local thief, apparently, so I kept coming home to drug shipments that had been opened, searched, and then politely repacked and left for me. This is a violation of my privacy at the very least, not to mention that I have no idea what’s been done to the drugs, and it happened OFTEN.
Essentially, you’re not giving me an option here, despite the fact that the service at my local CVS is subpar and even possibly dangerous. Kroger has always been respectful, never screwed up my order, the pharmacist has gotten to know me personally, and they have MORE than earned my business. Being told that you will levy a financial embargo against me if I don’t give you my business exclusively feels very close to monopoly manipulation.
Thanks in advance for your consideration,
Moi
*I should mention that this is not the EXACT text I ended up sending CVS, because it turns out that they have a 2,000 character limit on messages. Which, I might add, they don’t actually mention anywhere. They just let you write and then tell you you can’t submit what you wrote. Which feels about par for the course!
