CVS — Local services in Washington

An Educational, If Not Medicinal, Experience at the M Street CVS... Well, folks, I just had one of those experiences that makes you appreciate the finer things in life… like competence. I want to share my recent adventure at the CVS on M Street, which was less about getting healthcare and more about a masterclass in how to be ignored.

It all started with a phone call from the pharmacy about a medication ready for pickup. Turns out it was for some Diclofenac cream I'd already bought over the counter. But, since I was heading there anyway, I figured I'd be efficient and scheduled an appointment online for the new COVID shot. Got the confirmation and everything. So far, so good.

I arrived at the pharmacy at 4:20 pm. There was only one person ahead of me for a shot. I asked the woman at the counter if I needed to wait until my 5:15 pm slot. Her English wasn't great, but she pointed to some chairs and said, "Take a seat, he will call you." So, I did what any reasonable person would do: I sat down and prepared to wait.

Now, here’s where the show begins. Around 4:30 pm, two young women approached the counter. The pharmacist, a man probably in his 40s, helped one of them. Her insurance was out of state and wouldn't cover the shot. He was very apologetic. Her friend, however, qualified. All very standard.

Seeing that I was next, I walked up, phone in hand, and gave him my name. He couldn't find it. His first theory? "You booked at the Minute Clinic." I told him, no, the message specifically said to go to the pharmacy counter. His next guess? "You probably came to the wrong store." Nope. 2240 M Street. He then asked if my name was "Ahmed?" Again, no. I had to repeat and spell my very non-Ahmed name for him.

He then disappears into his medical booth. Meanwhile, the two young women are joined by a third friend who hadn't even checked in. Even though only one of them was getting the shot, all three of them went into the booth together at around 4:40 pm. For the next 10-12 minutes, the sound of laughter echoed from the booth. I, the patient with a confirmed appointment, am still standing there. Waiting.

He comes out, and instead of acknowledging me, he starts helping the third girl, checking if she qualifies for the shot. More apologies when she didn't. Then, the other two ladies came back to the counter to check on their appointments, and another woman came up to ask if her insurance would cover a shot.

During this entire circus, I was standing about five feet away, directly in his line of sight. I had been there for nearly 50 minutes. He looks right at me and says, to no one in particular, "Where is that guy?"

My response was, "Are you referring to me? I've been standing right here in front of you."

His brilliant reply? "Oh, well, you are next?"

You don't say.

He had seen me the entire time. I had spoken to his coworkers. He knew exactly who I was and why I was there. I'm a 44-year-old white man, and he's a black man of a similar age. I can't read minds, but I can read a room—and a timeline. The only diagnosis I can come up with is a severe case of indifference, with a possible complication of what sure felt like reverse racism.

Needless to say, I did not get my shot. I just turned around and left. I got a much stronger booster of frustration and disappointment, which, unfortunately, CVS doesn't have a remedy for. I won't be going back. If you're looking for a pharmacy that respects appointment times and basic customer service order, you might want to look elsewhere. This one's priorities seem…...

I have used this CVS for 4 years because of how close it is and while the store is always clean and the front of house staff, minuteclinic, and pharmacy staff are always pleasant in person, I have consistently had terrible experiences trying to get anyone at the pharmacy on the phone. On multiple occasions I have spent 4+ hours on hold only for the phone line to just disconnect on me, or for someone to finally pick up and then immediately hang up. Most recently I called 4 times in a row because 2 times I was put on hold for 40+ minutes, the 3rd time they picked up the phone and then would not speak to me (I could literally hear them talking to customers and ringing up things). After saying some variation of 'hello can you hear me? can I please get some help' someone picked up the phone and immediately hung up with 0 acknowledgement of me actively speaking. The last time I called I was on hold for a few minutes and then redirected to the voicemail box which was full so I literally couldn't do anything. A friend who was with me tried to call to make sure it wasn't a 'my phone' issue and had the exact same problems. Normally I am very forgiving of wait times on phones for pharmacies as I used to work at a CVS in high school and know how understaffed and busy they can get, but this is ridiculous. My medications are thankfully for more minor problems, but what if I was a type 1 diabetic calling about problems with my insulin? or a seizure patient running low on my medications???? People could be seriously hurt by...

Awful experience at this minute clinic. When I arrived, the kiosk didn't have my appointment information and when I flagged down the practitioner, Joan, to let her know (which was incredibly difficult as she just kept ignoring me when I tried to speak to her), she was extremely rude and accused me of being late for my appt (I was actually 10 minutes early). Overall she was just very confrontational and unpleasant to deal with.

Now, six months later, I've learned she only wrote me a six month prescription, even though I have always gotten a year long prescription at other minute clinics. Now I need to find time for another minute clinic appt much earlier than expected, and my annual flu shot/prescription renewal routine is totally harpooned. Don't bother with this minute clinic -- rude and...