Complaint Review: Costco Pharmacy Colorado Springs Colorado

I went into the Costco Pharmacy as a non member on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 in the afternoon to get a prescription filled. The person that tok my order was professional. This was for a Schedule 4 medication. This person evidently turned over my request to another Pharmacy employee. A Pharmacist (without my permission) called my Doctor to get my medical history, the reason for the prescription, and they also asked why I changed pharmacies.

They contacted my Doctor without my permission, I never, to my knowledge, signed any "Hippa" agreement or release authorizing anyone from the Costco Pharmacy to call my Doctor to get any type of information. My Doctor called me and said someone from the Pharmacy called her and she answered all of their questions and that I should be able to go in and pick up my filled prescription. I called and spoke with someone that afternoon after speaking to my Doctor and the girl I spoke wiith said she had just came to work that afterneoon and they were still "processing" my prescription and they would get back to me.

I waited all day Wednesday, September 26, 2018 for a return phone call and no phone call came. The next day, Thursday, since I live a few blocks from the Costco location I went over there to the physical store. I first encountered a female employee and told them BEFORE we even started a conversation that FOR BOTH OF OUR PROTECTION that I was going to video and audio tape our ecounter. Colorado is a "one party" State as regards audio and video recording of an encounter.

NO policy on either public or private property can be instituted to LEGALLY bann a LEGAL activity. The only exception is in an area where a person has the expectation of privacy like a bathroom or dressing room. Besides, I advised the employee in the Pharmacy BEFORE I began recording the interaction that I was going to record the encounter and no objection was made. I was told by the Pharmacy employee that they still needed to "count and verify" my prescription and to wait until my name was called.

I waited a few minutes and I noticed that the Pharmacist Manager, whose name tag said "Tom" and either two or three security personnel came over to me and said very gruffly that I was NOT allowed by COMPANY POLICY to either audio or video record on the company property and if I did not stop they would "escort me off the property". I advised the employee "Tom" that I was not doing anything illegal. There were no signs posted saying it was against their policy.

I advised the Pharmacist "Tom" that I let the employee know BEFORE I began recording the encounter that I was recording the encounter and NO ONE OBJECTED at that time. It was only after the Pharmacist "Tom" came back that the encounter went sour. The Pharmacist "Tom" stood there and got in my face along with the Security personnel and demanded that I stop recording or "be escorted off the property". Because I was intimidated and bullied by the actions of the above cited individuals I stopped recording.

I had researched Colorado State Law and knew that Colorado is a "one party" State and told them my actions were legal but they persisted anyway and bullied and intimidated me into stopping what I knew was legal. I waited and they finally filled my prescription and I spoke with the Pharmacy employee that requested that I delete the recording of the encounter because it would make her feel "comfortable". I told her I did not know how to delete the recording and she looked at my phone and walked me through the process to delete the recording.

After going home and reflecting on my treatment by the Pharmacy personnel I called to speak to the store General Manager. I was told her name was "Denise" and she was not there at the time. I called back the next day and asked to speak to "Denise" again on Friday, September 26, 2018. I was again advised that she was "off" that day and so I asked who was managing the operation in her place and they told me "Chris" the Assistant General Manager.

I was connected to him. I explained that I was ordered to stop audio and video recording the encounter in the Pharmacy and was there any store or corporate policy that banned this type of conduct and I was advised there was not. He responded by telling me that someone can REQUEST that a person not record an encounter but that no one can DEMAND that a person stop recording or be escorted off the property. He asked me who did this and I told him.

He said he would begin looking into the way I was treated and get back to me. He asked me what I wanted and I told him I wanted an apology from the Pharmacist "Tom". He said he would get back to me. He never did. I had to call him. On my second phone call he told me that his corporate attorneys said they were standing on firm legal ground and he was not going any further with my complaint. I told him I would escalate it to the Corporate level and I did that today October 2, 2018 and spoke with an intake employee who identified herself as "Audrey".

I did not want to escalate my complaint past the store level but this Assistant General Manager, Chris left me no choice. FIRST, he adivsed me that there was "NO POLICY" regarding audio and video taping an encounter then, after geting corporate legal involved told me that they were not going to proceed with my complaint because they were told they were right.

I have advised them that if steps are not taken to resolve this issue amicably then I would proceed legally against them. NO COMPANY can ban taping an encounter with an employee AFTER THE FACT especially when the employee was advised BEFORE any recording what I was doing and why and also the State of Colrado has encoded into their laws tht recording is legal and Colorado is a "ONE PARTY" State meaning thatnly ONE persons permissions is needed to record. In this case BOTH parties agreed in advance of the recording.