Complaint Review: CVS Pharmacy

As I read the rebuttals for this report, I found one thing in common. Everyone who claimes to have been "shorted" said it was on scripts for vicodin or lortab. Identical medications, both of which are controled substances. Controls are that for a reason, because they are abused. I find it amazing that nobody was every shorted on their antibiotics or herpes medications, just the pain pills. Perhaps that's why the staff was so resistant to your claims. I'm not saying anyone here is abusing, but most pharmacy employees have heard so many claims of shortages, and lost/stolen meds that we're completly desensitized to them. The pharmacist (who I have never med I work in Indiana) may not have been implying that anyone in the house stole the medication, but we HAVE to ask, we can't just assume.

As I said before, these are controlled for a reason. However just as the pharmacist should accuse you of stealing the meds, you should not accuse the employees of stealing them either. When it comes down to it, we are all human, things happen. The pills may have been counted correctly, and falled out of the tray when been transferred to the vial, they may have falled out when you got them home and counted, or the technician may have miscounted. While I'm not defending how you were treated, when you've been this business for a while, you really do begin to think that everyone is abusing their meds.

I am a store manager for CVS in southern Illinois. I apologize for what happened to you, but I can assure you this is not the way the majority of CVS's conduct business. I recommend you count all prescriptions before you leave the store, especially any narcotic. This type of medication is very sensitive, as there are certain people who try to scam the company by saying they did not get all of their medication. I am in no way implying this is what you did, or that this Cvs and staff handled it well. It is CVS policy to count each narcotic twice, and when it is counted twice the quantity is circled on the label.

People, even pharmacists, do make mistakes. The woman pharmacist referred to by many people in rebuttals sounds like a horrible pharmacist with extremely poor customer service skills. I have worked in 6 different CVS stores and I can say this is the exception not the norm. Customer Service is CVS top priority. We don't make fun of customers, put them on hold forever, laugh at them, or talk about them in front of other customers. Also, CVS does not label you as a troublemaker in their system so it can be seen at any store. They do not write bad things about you either.

Again, I am sorry this happened to you and that you feel this way about CVS. It sounds like your local CVS has a careless, insensitive pharmacist that ruins the store. CVS is a good company as a whole. They preach customer service and taking care of the customer. They are a good company to work for. THe only advice I can give you is count your own prescriptions and check to make sure they are the right pill. Any pharmacy you go to, whether it be CVS, walgreens, rite aid or a local one, misfills and incorrect counts do happen. A good pharmacist or a good technician would be happy to know you double check their work, as they realize they can make mistakes too.

I have just been ripped off by CVS Pharmacy. Called to have my persciption for Lortab refilled. Told them I would either be in later that day or the next. Called that night to see if it was ready and was told I didn't have one.
Called the next day and was then told it was ready. When I got to my car for some reason I felt maybe I should count them. Sure enough it
was 4 pills short. Immediately went back in the store and confronted them. Was told the pharmacist that had filled them the day before was not there and I would have to talk to her. When I asked about if they had been filled the day before then why was I told I didn't have one that evening when I called. Once again was told I would have to talk to her. They assured me that they do a double count on all narcotics and
then they are bagged and stappled. Understand that but someone in that pharmacy took 4 of the pills but I am now being made to look like the liar. I am now waiting to hear from their supervisor. Which I am sure is not going to change the outcome of it I will still be 4 pills short and a liar.

The CVS staff loves to talk about thier customers after thier out of site

and whats worse if you have a problem and you have a disagreement with them your name goes into the CVS computer that every CVS store hass access to they black ball you as a troublemaker

and yes they love putting people on hold

I was witnesss to a phone call the female pharmacist got from an elderly lady who wanted to phone in a refill but had a hard time understanding the automated phone refill system

she put her on speaker phone

she lady asked could she just give the pharmacist the precription number and let her refill it within the next hour or so

she yelled at the lady thats what the automated system is for

again he elderly lady explained she didnt understand that kinda stuff

she yelled at her again look were busy and cant take the time to hand hold every caller please hold till I get around to dealing with you and she put her on hold I was still there 15 minutes later and she kept laughing that the lady was still holding

I'll just say it the pharmacist Osaze Scott has got to be replaced

bring back Jim Lee
or Paula Monk

Those are the 2 she ran out of the Fairburn CVS

I have had several incidents at the CVS in question where they messed up. This last one just happens to be the last straw.
For example, My daughter who was 2 at the time was ordered to have a CT scan of her brain. Her doctor's office prescribed a medication to sedate her that I was given instructions to give before I brought her to the hospital the following morning. CVS didn't have the meds in stock, and didn't let me know until around 7 pm that night. They promised it around noon the following day.

I needed it at 8AM! They had ample time to let me know, why did they wait until so late? I had to haul a*s to the Eckerd in Sharpsburg to get it in time!


Another thing is if they partially fill my prescriptions, they don't tell me! I just have to go back or call and ask where the rest is. Then they kindly let me know.

I witnessed a woman get kicked out of CVS pharmacy in Fairburn and the police were called. She had her children with her. When she left, right in front of myself and other customers, the employees started discussing how they believed she abused her children!

After the pharmacist accused me of stealing the meds, I called another local pharmacy to get my prescriptions transferred. The pharmacist called me back and said that they didn't know what was going on with that place, he was on hold for over an hour!

CVS is CRAP. Eckerd in Tyrone is great and just as convenient to me. They are courtious and well-organized. They are profesionals and they behave the way professionals should. CVS in Fairburn is the worst and there pharmacist cant count, or they've hired a drug addict theif.

I'm just a customer of the fairburn CVS

I do not work there never have never will

I was just mearly stating that I no they do count the Narcotics 2 Times when filling them

I can even give you a play by play of the process

1 you drop off prescription

2 the person you gave it to depending on if you gave it to them inside the store or thru drive thru hands the prescription off to the billing clerk who them process the billing information for payment and scans the prescription into the computer and prints up the bottle labels and the paper info sheet that gets stapled to the bag

3 then its handed off to the filing clerk who gets the meds off the shelf and counts the meds and puts it in the bottle and then labels it and put it in a yellow or black small container

4 then its handed off to the pharmacist who looks in the bottle in case of narcotics counts the meds scans the bottle upc label and an image of the meds and the prescription will show on a pc screen if everything is correct

5 its then bagged and handed off to the cashiers which call out the persons name if your waiting if not its put on a shelf behind the counter listed by last name awaiting pick up


I no this because I have stood there and waiting on my meds and have viewed the process

I have delet with the pharmacist many times with disagreements over the CVS policy of call in your refills a day ahead
trust me she wont fill anything early

shes rude and think she is a pharmacy goddess


I myself miss the days of the old family amoss pharmacy in fairburn


they too have lost alott of my business

Thnak god we have a walgreens phamacy coming soon in union city on hwy 138 next to taco bell

oh and you think CVS is bad never go to the Eckerd in union city if they even think the doctors signature looks funny they wont fill the prescription and in some cases they will keep it and report you to the police


on and accept my apoloigy in stating you should question others in the household about the medicaction but anything is possiable

but I tend to belive the CVS messed up it wouldnt be the first time

I was witness to a screw up of theres once when they gave a person the wrong blood pressure medication instead of extended release they gave regular and the person was on other BP meds too and thier blood pressure droped to the point of passing out or so the person explained

From what I've been told, vicodan brings $10 a pop on the street. Don't know, don't care. Got 40 when I got released from knee operation. 3 days later went to work, took first one in the morning because the knee hurt like hell. 11:00 AM took a second one. Was drooling with my head on the desk. Pitched the rest. Count them BEFORE you leave the drug store.

This response is for Janis.
I, too was a victum of the same thing happening only this was a perscription for myself, and this happened at a RITE AID in Wheeling, WV. I was supposed to get 40 Vicoden, I only got 30. I don't know why after I got home, I counted them and only got 30. I called the pharmacy right away and explained to the pharmacist my problem. She denied it and said that she counted my pills herself and the right amount was in the bottle. When I got back to RITE AID, I gave her the bottle and I also told her that 40 pills wouldn't fit in that bottle. She agreed and gave me my perscription back with the 40 pills that I was supposed to have in a larger bottle.

The next time I had the same perscription refilled, she had crammed all 40 pills into the same small bottle. Was this a little message to me to not come back? I don't know, but I know there has to be a theif in the RITE AID store in WARWOOD!!!!
She made it good, but I will count at the register from now on and I will Keep coming back and will treat them as all potential theives. They are!!!

Narcotics are a very controlled substance. There are alot of checks and balances when counting and dispensing this type of drug.

I would call the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy and report the incident. They keep track of such things and this may have happened to someone else. You can also contact the Georgia Drug and Narcotics Agency. You can find their web site by doing a google search. I'm sure they would be interested in this. You might want to let the CVS people know you are doing this also.

It may have been a mistake, it may be that someone ripped them off.. but if you didnt take them, and no one in your family took them the pharmacist either counted wrong or they were stolen..

Thanks for the comment, but I was never in doubt about picking up other people's medications before this last time, as I have two children and it's a rarity that I pick up narcotic prescriptions. I didn't think of counting the meds at the counter. And I am aware that the standard is that they count out the meds 3 times. And the first time she told me they did count them 3, the 2nd they counted them two. I don't keep in the company of addicts, nor am I an addict, and yes, I did check with everyone in the house before I called their corporate office. I don't know who you are, and what affiliation you have with this store, but there's something going on, and yes, you are correct, it was the head female pharmicist which implied that I had taken them. And I agree she should be fired. But the office doesn't take these things serious enough to have their regional manager call me back. All I can do is tell you something's not right when 11 vicodin disappear and pharmacists are blaming the customers! They've lost my business. And I dont care, I still believe someone at the pharmacy may have stolen the pills. She had one boy with down syndrome in the house, her husband, and my other cousin. All of which I thouroughly interregated before I even filed this report. Now who are you anyway, do you work for CVS?

The Fairburn GVS store is highly accurate in its counting of medications and narcotics are double counted by the staff and then reviewed by the person in charge

if the prescription said 20 but your cousin only got 11 I sujest you question others in the household as the medication bottle would have said 20 on the label and wouldnt have made it out the drop off window or counter unless it had 20 in the bottle

this is the handling of narcotics the CVS staff isnt going to risk prosacution by the fairburn police and losing there job and doing 10 years in a federal prison as ths would be a felony crime


now I dont think you would take your cousins medication nor do I think CVS would rip off anyone but you must take in account of others in the household who had access to the meds

and if someone in the CVS made an accustion that you might have taken your cousins meds that person was very unprofessional and should be dismissed from his or her position at once

but I will admit the lead female CVS pharmacist dose have an extream attitude problem and is the excact reason some staff members have transfered to other locations and the reason the other male pharmacist left fairburn


and to the nice person who made comments about giving vicoden for teeth extractions
vicoden is very common when having teeth pulled and dental surgery 20 pills is about the standard dose


the standard rule is when getting someone elses meds before you sign anything check the medications when in doubt check with the staff

WOW! Twenty vicoden for teeth extraction?

Who's your dentist, I think I need some teeth pulled! LOL!!