Dec
I have never been treated so horribly in my life
Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Engrish, Rude, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks
An Indian guy came up to the drop-off tonite. He wanted a refill for his wife. It was for amlodipine. The bottle 6 tablets left in it. It had zero refills left. I, very nicely, told the man that it had no refills, but I printed a note to call the doctor the following morning. He asked me why I couldn’t call immediately. I told him it was 7pm, and the office was closed. He looked very discouraged and would have to call her. He grabbed his cell phone and I immediately knew where this was going. He spoke in an Indian dialect to her for a few minutes (I heard my name uttered as well). Then he tried to hand me his nasty, grubby ass phone. Side note: I refuse to talk on people’s cell phones. I hate them. They are nasty, covered with ear wax, and who knows where they have been. I quickly handed him a business card and told him she would have to call me.
She called 7 seconds later and began immediately dressing me down. I got a word or two in and told her it had no refills. I explained that her bottle had 6 tabs left. I told her if it were empty I would have no problem giving her as many tablets as she needed. I explained how we have to call doctors every day for refills and there would be no problems filling the prescription tomorrow.
Then the berating began. I heard a swear-filled mix of Hindi, English, Sailor, Bihari, Tamil, and Irish. I didn’t comprehend much of it because it was so fucking fast. I could make out the following phrases in this general order:
“I have a lifetime prescription”
“Dut dut dut”
“This is blood pressure medicine”
“Dut dut dut”
“I could die”
“Dut dut dut”
“I will sue you”
“Dut dut dut”
“You are not a pharmacist”
“Dut dut dut”
“I want to talk to the store manager”
“Dut dut dut”
“They fill this all the time without refills”
“Dut dut dut”
“Just put the pills in the bottle and shut up”
I’m sure there was more mixed in there. I don’t remember it. Much like Unwritten Law, I was “Seein’ Red” — I told her (while she was still screaming in the phone at the top of her lungs) that I didn’t deserve to be talked to like this and that I was hanging up. After a while, I did just hang up. She was no longer giving me a chance to speak. We were getting nowhere.
I went down to her husband. I told him that his wife was screaming at me at the the top of her lungs and was very rude. I told him I did not deserve to get spoken to like that. His reply? He acted like he was not shocked. “I figured she was going to do that.”
I, once again, explained the situation to him. No refills. Six tabs remaining. Filled within 18 hours. Would front tablets if needed. He just got back on the phone with her, began speaking another language, and walked off. I wanted to tell him he needed to go home and give her a good beating. People that treat others like that need a good slappin’.
She called back again. My tech got the call this time and pretty much said the exact same fucking thing. Then got off the phone.
Next time this bitch brings in a prescription to me…I am not filling it. Conincedently, I see some ordering troubles with amlodipine. I’m pawning this bullshit off on Walgreens.
Update 12-11-07: I never wrote this up, but the next time this bitch came in, I asked her why she yelled at me. [She was handing me her bottle to refill] She halfway apologized and said she was having a bad day…dut dut dut. I told her that because of her, I had a horrible day because I didn’t deserve that or enjoy having such words screamed in my ear. She then began to try and convince me I was wrong because I should have filled it – she tried to get loud. Then I said, “Hold on just one second. I’m going to talk now, and all I want you to do is listen. Don’t speak. Don’t yell. Don’t interrupt. Just listen to me. Your prescription was out of refills. Regardless of how long you have been on or will be on a medicine, when your bottle has zero refills, we have to call your doctor for more. Your bottle had 6 tablets in it that would have lasted you SIX days. It was Sunday night at 7pm so your doctor’s office was closed. I called for you the next morning and got the call back from their office that afternoon, less than 24 hours later. You never expressed a need for those tablets prior to that, and you had no reason to believe that I wouldn’t fill the prescription. You just began screaming because you refused to listen to me. That is a horrible way to act and you should never ever do that again to anyone especially someone you entrust your health care with. Now, do you have anything to say?” [Hence, say you're sorry cuntbag]
“Yes…dut dut dut…I have lifetime prescription…dut dut dut…you should have just filled it…dut dut dut…” [At this point I put up both hands as if to stop her.] “Whoa. No. No more. Here’s your bottle back. I’m no longer filling prescriptions for you at this store. You can take this bottle to any pharmacy in the country, of this chain or not, and they will fill it for you, but you are no longer welcome to get your prescriptions filled here. Goodbye.” And just like that, I walked away. I could have handled it differently. Of course, she could have just as easily apologized. I love that I have the power and free reign to tell that bitch to go fly a kite…it’s empowering and a good backup. It allows me to effectively manage. But, know this, I don’t just run people off because I can. She’s the 4th person I’ve told to never come in the last 4 or 5 years (and one of those people tried to steal a bottle of Beer by cramming it up her va-jay-jay) — The others were doctor shoppers, users, and/or abusers.
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Hmm,
So you had a tough time with an Indian family…The Pharmacy scene here (I’m from India too) and over there is entirely different.. Being a Doc myself, for a moment I felt, what the fuss all about.. Why cant he just give a refill and complete the story…
But regulations…..
Well, Nice blog pal… though I was browsing through many Pharma blogs regularly, I had never come across this particular group of Pharmacist bloggers…
Angriest,
I stood in your shoes for 13 years. I sense that you are a lot better pharmacist than you say you are, but I very much admire your honestly and your determination to do well. You are also an excellent writer; you express yourself with sensitivity and precision.
Your latest post reminds me of an old business adage you have probably heard: “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your original objective was to drain the swamp.” I, too, have struggled to find the grace to deal with patients who come out of hell and then proceed to prove they represent Lucifer.
What I have done,more than once, with
“f-bomb” phone calls is, not to hang up, but to place the receiver on the counter and let it vibrate until the viper’s venom is spent. I think that is the best adult response I can use to field their childish tantrum. It has worked well, as I was never accused of hanging up on the turd, which I didn’t do.
Excellent… I wish I had the grace and the courage. Has Corporate called you yet? Or are you independent? I’ve been doing this for 33 years and I’m tired of being held responsible for someone else (including inept RPh’s). If you have a real emergency… I’m there, but in the immortal words of an MD here in Tucson… POOR PLANNING ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART. Sure wish Corporate would adapt this principle.
Good for you, I hate getting yelled at for not breaking the law. I get that same line all the time, I’m on this medication for the rest of my life, blah blah blah. I usually say, I understand that, but that doesn’t mean the dose will never change as you get older and you still have to go in for checkups once a year with your PCP. Hell I’ve had doctors refuse to refill simple HTN meds b/c the patient hadn’t been in for 2 years and would give a one month refill once the patient made an appointment. Completely agree that fronting tablets b/c a patient is out of refills and they never seem to read that on the bottle. Oh well, congrats for standing up for yourself and your profession.
My most difficult patient is Indian, too (although I have other Indian patient who are very sweet). He never gives me a chance to speak, he just yells and yells and I cannot understand half of what he says. He is a dual-eligible and thinks that everything his doctor writes for should be covered and free, be it a prescription for Teddy Grahams or Milk of Magnesia. He will never even let me explain things because he won’t quit interrupting me.
Good job! Pharmacists are not whipping boys! No one else would tolerate verbal abuse and disrespect like that.. neither should we!
Dr Seeji, If you don’t like regulations in the US, such as ‘pharmacists do not take the word of a patient that its ok to refill an RX which has no refills’ go back to India. You chose to come here, respect our culture and regulations. It sounds like you’re saying our regulations are just plain stupid and India is so much more enlightened.
IMHO it wouldn’t have made any difference what nationality the customers were.. I’ve had the same from all walks of people. Probably should not have even mentioned they were Indian.
I have a corporate…sort of…My chain is smaller ~150 stores…
Technically, I’m the store manager as well. I do the “official” hiring for the smaller front end area I have. My store is about the size of most Walgreens except we sell alcohol. However, I have a front-end manager that does my hiring out there.
Anywho – I have significant stake in my place of business. I receive a lower salary than I could garner elsewhere and a lot of my yearly salary comes in a large bonus at Christmas Time…LARGE Bonus. My other pharmacists are not like that – they get paid more than me by the hour, but they get no bonus based on the store’s success. That’s why I get a little more leeway in running the show than your big chains.
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
See, if I were a pharmacist, I would be doing the exact same thing. Unfortunately, I’m a tech, so if I did that, the pharmacist would have to get up, make me look bad, apologize, and give a weeks’ worth of meds to her, even though he feels the same about the patient as me. Such is the totem pole of life. -_-
DUT DUT DUT!
A long time ago, when I was doing my
apprentice year after graduation from
pharmacy school I was working with a very
nice pharmacist. Very kind and considerate with all customers. I overheard a woman just
giving him hell over something trivial and undeserving of such a brow beating.
Finally he said “Ma’am, as hard as i’ve tried
I can’t seem to please you so you just take
your business somewhere else. I was stunned. “Well I never…” said the woman and stalked out of the store, never to return.
“Son,” he said, “you’ll find that 10% of your
customers cause 90% of your problems so
it’s best if you get rid of them”
I’ve used that strategy a few times myself
and found that it works.
That man was my Dad, bless him.
^^^ BEST COMMENT EVER ^^^
Well Angriest, your experience is similar to what we have over here. I swear but it seems that certain migrants have a hard time not breaking the law, being plain inconsiderate and thinking that their new countries (and the local citizens) owe them something. Perhaps, it is because most of those who can actually move out of their homeland are very wealthy back home. Thus, a overwrought sense of entitlement. Indians in particular seem to be the biggest offenders. Over here we are swamped with Indian labour so we face the brunt of their less than socially acceptable behaviour when things don’t go their way like they do in India.
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I actually read this the first time around when it was originally posted. Very entertaining blog you got going here, even if I haven’t participated in the discussions yet. I read you and Angry Pharmacist all the time. I’m glad someone shares my anger at people like this lady.
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