Duane Reade — Local services in New York

This is a great pharmacy if you enjoy spending hours upon hours of your time each month either on the phone or standing in line, just trying to get them to refill a few simple, bog-standard prescriptions. Even the simplest refill is a hassle that takes hours to sort out, so if you love being aggravated and wasting time, this is your spot.

I initially wrote a very long review detailing all of the issues I've had with them, but I feel like it's simpler and easier to follow if I just give you a rundown of what an average experience at this pharmacy is like.

Me: "Hi, I got a text saying my Wellbutrin was ready for pickup. The name is LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX."

Useless Pharmacy Technician: "No, I'm not seeing that in the system. But if you need it, we can have it ready for you in an hour."

5 hours later

Me: "Hi, I'm here to pick up my Wellbutrin. LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX."

UPT: "Oh, that's actually out of stock. But if you need it, we can order it and have it for you in 3 days."

4 days later

Me: "Hi, I'm here to pick up my Wellbutrin. LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX."

Different But Equally Useless Pharmacy Technician: "No, I'm not seeing that in the system. But if you need it, we can have it ready for you in an hour."

This is the point where I've learned to just give up and call my doctor to have a new prescription sent to a different pharmacy. Because this Kafkaesque nightmare could go on for weeks.

At this point there's only 1 medication left that I'm still getting from this Duane Reade. I was literally spending about 15 hours a month dealing with these people, just trying to get them to do simple refills of meds I've been on for years. Literally every single refill is a project that takes hours. I thought nobody could be worse than CVS, but somehow this pharmacy has managed it.

BTW, in case you're wondering why I would keep showing up in person and waiting on line, instead of calling to check if my script was ready: it's because they usually don't answer the phone. They leave you on hold for at least 30 minutes and then half the time they just hang up on you.

If you show up in person, you'll still have to wait on line for 30 minutes, but at least they can't hang up on you.

There have been times I have raised my voice or otherwise expressed visible frustration, and gotten results. But I really don't like having to do that. Unfortunately, their attitude seems to be, "If the patient isn't visibly upset about being denied their medication, then they must not really need it, so we can continue ignoring them and playing games with them."

Sometimes it's just not feasible to call the doctor and have a new script sent to a different pharmacy. In that case you just basically have to stay in the pharmacy and nag them into doing their jobs. It's like they're goldfish or something; they can't remember anything that happened more than 2 seconds ago. As soon as you step away from the counter, they forget you exist. So you have to stand there and keep reminding them.

Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them. CVS on 93rd & Broadway is almost as bad. Don't go there either. They like to do this fun thing where they pretend your doctor never sent the script at all. That way they don't have to bother filling it....

Got there 8 minutes before closing and the door was locked. I asked security for the manager and he refused to come to the door. Another sales associate that recognized me let me in. Jay the cashier was rude the the customer in front of me and then started with me but I told her I’m not the one to play with. Sergio is a horrible manager and shouldn’t hav that position. There was another sale associate on the floor who has been there for years. It’s time to give him a promotion, he knows the community and has respect for the customers, unlike Jay and Sergio. They are both detrimental to the growth...

My doctor sent my prescription to the Duane reade pharmacy closest to my house instead of my usual pharmacy and I’ve been calling them since then to have them transfer it over. Every single day (it is now Day #4) I’ve been calling and put on hold for more than an hour to speak to their staff about the prescription transfer and every time it connects to the main line ringing and not the terrible elevator “hold” music, they hang up on me. The number listed on Google is here for absolutely no reason because you can’t make human contact with any one who works at this store. I would leave a zero rating...