London Drugs — Attraction in Vancouver

I want to write this review as a serious PSA to the establishment concerning the training at the pharmacy department. Firstly I will say that all of the staff there are very kind and helpful, my one star here is for my frustrations with very clear lack of training for them on their systems.

I moved to Van and started out with this pharmacy because their close to my home. The issues were that I was continuously getting charged different amounts of money for the EXACT same prescriptions over and over. Every time I would pick up, especially at the beginning, they first had issues entering my health care providers information. At one point I had to pay FULL price because they told me I'm not on my partners card/plan. Which is absolutely not the case. They told me to contact my health insurance, which I did and my insurer even said "You are absolutely on this plan and 100% covered so whoever is entering your information does not know how to use the system/know what they're doing."

Ultimately after failed attempts to properly enter my info into their system, the Pharma (i think manager) stepped in and got it to work. So fine, finally fixed and I'm now covered. Wrong.

I had to pick up meds for multiple surgeries, the exact same antibiotics every time and left looking and comparing my receipts with different amounts again. I paid whatever because I needed those meds ASAP and had no strength to argue it.

I wanted to write this in hopes your establishment will have a real look at how your pharma employees are trained on these computer systems. I can only wonder if I'm the only customer who is getting overcharged or incorrectly charged 'by lack of knowledge on how to use the system', for their prescriptions. This is serious, you're messing with peoples income and money.

I switched to a different pharmacy and I get charged ZERO dollars for my regular scripts now, hmmm makes you wonder. My insurance provider told me to switch to a place where they knew what they're doing because my meds should have been 100% covered all along.

Please train your pharma staff better, they are all friendly and try to be as helpful as they can so nothing personal, but if you're messing with peoples money it's incredibly serious.

I will not be using this pharmacy ever again.

UPDATE: response for the owner: You can provide me with an email if you wish to know anything further from me. I may contact you when I have time, and provide you more details if you wish to...

Good morning! Today I went to the pharmacist for help. My problem is herpes on my lips after an illness (I have three children and I often get viruses from them). This problem started at night and I heard that you can come with herpes directly to the pharmacy. The pharmacist looked at me for a long time (almost my entire upper lip is affected), asking why I don’t go to the doctor. I said that I need to wait around a month to see a family doctor, as always ( a real thing in my life, I just waited around 1 moths) . But I would like to take help with my herpes right now. It’s painful and looks very terrible . The pharmacist asked several times if I have a family doctor. When I answered affirmatively, she continued to be surprised why it takes so long to wait for an appointment. She was sincerely perplexed, and I felt as if I was saying something untrue. And the pharmacist told stories about her good doctor. It was very humiliating to tell the pharmacist that in Vancouver we really have to wait to see a doctor. She also said that I should contact pharmasy immediately when herpes starts - I felt herpes at 3 am and could not go to the pharmacy at night. In the end, she offered beaver cream, which is sold without a prescription. I used it before and tonight, and it does not help me at all. I asked her to prescribe me an cream with acyclovir. I always used it before, but recently it ran out. The pharmacist said that she can only prescribe me tablets - for use next time, not now. I asked if she could still prescribe me a cream with acyclovir today. But what I received was the answer - in your case, I can not help you. I did not ask or cry, I felt broken after the illness, herpes on the lips hurt a lot. I endured all this humiliation. 15 minutes later, another pharmacist in another pharmacy, having examined me, prescribed me tablets and cream with all the recommendations and without humiliation. I think it's incredibly bad when a professional who is supposed to help people pesters a sick mother of three with questions about family doctors, appointments .., asking for every detail, and then denies her help ( it was only herpes on my lips) . ..I won't call it bullying or gaslighting (but I can imagine if someone else had walked into that place, they would have perceived it like that and reacted to it). I think...

I always go there for printing services. Today, I had an issue with one of the staff who was super rude. I believe his name is Ali or something.

I print out an amazon return label from at another LD location, and because it was full page barcode, ups staff told me that I need to print again smaller. So, I explained him what I need and immediately he said “it’s because your picture is too big” and I told him there is an option to click to print it on a half page (smaller) and he said they can not do that. I told him that they did it many times at the same location, because it’s not a modification, just a simple click. Then he asked me to send it to their email and wait minimum 10 min. I told him that receiving my email shouldn’t take that long, it took only a few seconds at the other LD location. Well, he was so negative since the beginning and not willing to help at all… So, I didn’t insist, just waited. When went there, he printed it out on a half page. And I said “So, it was doable, right?” And he said “what’s the matter?” very angry and rude.. Then his manager came, and she also said they can not do it next time again, with very rude attitude… I said they have been doing it almost every time I go there, even, they usually ask me if I want it on a half page or full page.. She said that’s not possible(like I’m lying)

I was very surprised how customer service representatives can be so rude and lazy -from manager to staff- very unprofessional, and not willing to help. Instead, they are just trying to make you feel bad about requesting even a simple thing. I felt like a teenager and she was telling me off or something. Clearly he doesn’t like his job, and she is something else, not sure what is her problem.

But I know I will never go...