CVS — Local services in Colchester

About 10-15 years ago, the Colchester CVS was stellar. Back then, I never understood the overwhelmingly negative reviews for CVS that I found on national websites like Consumer Reports. There was a personalized feel at Colchester CVS and there were certain staff members who recognized me by face, even though I was only there every few months. Nowadays, the staff turnover at Colchester CVS is so frequent, I don’t recognize anyone working there. Meanwhile, for over 15 years, I’ve taken a maintenance med that’s recently been part of a national shortage. The CVS pharmacists and support staff are fully aware of the shortage. Yet, when my dr. has sent Colchester CVS the RX request for this med each month, CVS has sent me texts stating that the med is being “special ordered” and that CVS will contact me when the drug has been sent to them and filled. (BTW, it’s not a narcotic, and I’m not a drug abuser). Meanwhile, the CVS pharmacy staff is fully aware the medication will never actually arrive. My dr. is also (FINALLY) aware of the shortage, but she still insists upon trying to use CVS to fill my RX. I’ve gone to CVS Colchester in person and spoken face-to-face with the actual PHARMACIST there about my medication back-order. He’s told me TO MY FACE that he “special-ordered” my medication and that it will be filled for me. For several months, I’d actually believed it was just a matter of my local Colchester branch being out of stock. I kept holding faith that my med had been “special-ordered” by Colchester CVS and would eventually be filled. This song-and-dance with CVS has been going on for over six months. Again, this particular med is actually back-ordered from THE MANUFACTURER. The warehouses that supply CT CVS pharmacies currently have NOTHING to send. CVS can “special-order” this med till the cows come home, but it will never be back in stock. (Smaller pharmacies with less customer volume may actually have some back-stock available, however). Of course, this manufacturer backorder is not CVS’s fault, and I’d never blame them for things that are outside of their control. It’s the LYING that I abhor! It would be so much more helpful (and less time-consuming) if only CVS would be HONEST with my doctor and me about the drug’s availability, so I could try to find another pharmacy to fill the RX. The pharmacists and staff at Colchester CVS continue to pretend they’re ordering a special supply of my medication. It’s obvious that they just want us patients to sit idly by and stop asking about the med’s availability. I’m sure “corporate” has instructed each CVS branch to keep stringing patients along just to keep them coming back. There is NO WAY the CVS pharmacists are NOT AWARE of the manufacturing backorder. It’s been all over the news; everyone in the immediate area - whether they take this medication or not - has been made aware of the shortage. The same thing happened a year ago with another medication of mine. I had to compel Colchester CVS to search for other branches that had the drug in stock (because they kept feigning that they’d be filling the RX eventually). Once they transferred my RX info to other CVS locations, it was filled (although I had to drive to faraway CVS pharmacies to obtain it). If I hadn’t forced the issue at Colchester, though, I’d STILL be waiting - 10-12 months later - for the Colchester CVS branch’s “special order”. I’d wasted many weeks waiting for my “special order” to come into Colchester; it wasn’t until I demanded answers in person that the order was placed with another CVS that had some old stock. As for today’s backordered medication…I’m still waiting to find ANY pharmacy to fill my RX. Because the CVS website kept falsely indicating that the med had been “special-ordered”, my dr. didn't know the RX was never filled. Colchester CVS has been NO HELP whatsoever. Today alone, when I tried to inquire about the status of my RX, I sat on hold for over 16 minutes straight. I called during regular (non-lunch) business hours. Nobody ever picked...

They do not care!!

My doctor called in my specific brand of birth control and when my father went to pick it up for me (I am a college student out of town) he noticed it didn’t cost as much as it normally does (we pay out of pocket for this specific kind and have paid for this for the past year). When he asked about it, they said that it was my regular birth control. When I finally received my prescription, it was a generic brand. I called CVS to explain and was told all they gave this one because of my insurance. I explained again that this was not what my doctor prescribed and that they should have notified me that they were changing my medication or looked at my file and seen that I had paid out of pocket for the past year (I called my doctors office to make sure). This will be three weeks now that I have not been able to take my medications. I was told that I would need to come home to return this birth control (which was free) before I could receive my actual prescription.

(1/12/23) Update: this continued to happen. Not only was this an issue but this time my medication was sent to a different location without me knowing. When I went to Colchester to pick it up, they told me that Waterford was the only location that had the prescription. I told them it was no problem and that I understood. The next day, I drove the 40 minutes and was told that they did not have anything prepared or in the system. I called the Colchester CVS to see what happened. I explained that I knew it was not the man on the phone’s fault alone but that this has been a constant issue I have had with this specific CVS. He cut me off half way through to ask “well what do you want me to do about it, isn’t it being filled now?”

I am over the lack of communication by Colchester CVS. For years, I have been extremely understanding of how busy they are and how they can’t always control everything. I know that these things are rarely one person’s fault but I have never had any other issues at other locations. Before that phone call I decided that I would switch to a local pharmacy for two of my medications because they can mail it to me out of state, but this was enough to...

went last week to pick up a (very expensive) prescription that I have been taking for the last 18 mos. I have two insurances so the entire cost is covered. Was told I would have to pay for it. I asked if it had been submitted to both insurances and was told no, only one. Both cards are on file so I asked CVS to submit it to my secondary provider as was done in the past and they assured me they would, and would notify me once approved. inconvenience#1. Two days later CVS called and said it had been approved. We were on our way to NH for a week and I postponed picking up the prescription until I returned. I still had enough medicine for two weeks so no worries. Today I went into CVS to pick it up and was told it had expired and I would have to have my doctor phone in a new prescription. inconvenience #2. I asked the clerk to call my doctor and have it approved (since I was there for the "second" time) and was told she could not find the doctors name in the computer. The spelling I provided was off by ONE vowel. Really?? This clerk would not even make eye contact with me so I am certain she was being insincere. When I got out to my car I called my doctors ofc and explained that the pharmacy required a new directive. When I reached home there was a message on my machine stating that my medicine had been reordered. Also when I asked the clerk in CVS why the pharmacy didn't just hold my prescription until I picked it up, I was told there was no room because so many never pick up their prescriptions.....ANOTHER really???? And mine happened to be an easy one, comes prepackaged in a box i.e. Advil....she only ever had to take it off the shelf...no pill counter required. I'm done with CVS and I understand now why they have only a...