a rude customer today, thought I lost my cool in the end

[fxok425]

Today I floated to a store and found the tech called in sick, so I was left without a tech for the whole day. I logged in the computer and found two HAND-WRITTEN discharge orders waiting for me, one with 35 rxs and the other with 25 rxs. This already ruined my morning. Anyhow, I was not in a good mood today, no break, no rest-room break, typing, filling, counter, drive-through, phone.
Ok, here is the customer in drive-through. I sent his RX and card out. He picked up his RX. I noticed the card fell down to the ground. So I kindly reminded him: sir, your card fell on the ground. I don't know where he got that anger, he shouted at me: YOU! GET OUT! GET THE CARD FOR ME! IT IS YOUR FAULT! I told him: Sir, I am the only one in the store, sorry, I can't get out of the store to get the card for you. Please pick it up yourself, Thanks. Then I turned around to help my huge line in the store. He called in again. I told him again: I am the only one, I CAN'T leave the pharmacy, Then hang up on him. Then called in again: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?! I hang up on him without a word. I have enough patients to help in the store. You can take care of your own business. If you want t complain, it is easy to find who I am because I am the only one today.
Maybe a good pharmacist should smile to him and say sorry until he leaves?

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[BidingMyTime]

No, you handled it quite well. After the 2nd time I would have called the store management, who would have come back and told him he would have to leave or they would have his car towed. Then when he started yelling at them, they would run out and pick up the card for him & give him a $25.00 gift card for his inconvenience. Meh. At any rate, I would have been done dealing with the situation after the 2nd call, and he would have been out of the drive-through.

 

[kvl1027]

I don't know how you corporate guys do it. I just don't have the patience to deal with people like that, which is why I stay independent.

 

[rxglasshalffull]

this is why im out of there. work stress and anxiety to that degree is just not worth it. seriously, life is too short to endure that kind of treatment from an employer. mental health and health in general is just so important. and no matter how you look at it, a stressful environment that is a retail chain WILL affect a person.

 

[Estrace]

You handled it very well. I always say you teach your patients how to treat you. If his lazy butt couldn't come down and pick up his card, that's his problem. I wouldn't have called management either because I feel like they enable those crazy patients sometimes.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Today I floated to a store and found the tech called in sick, so I was left without a tech for the whole day. I logged in the computer and found two HAND-WRITTEN discharge orders waiting for me, one with 35 rxs and the other with 25 rxs. This already ruined my morning. Anyhow, I was not in a good mood today, no break, no rest-room break, typing, filling, counter, drive-through, phone.
Ok, here is the customer in drive-through. I sent his RX and card out. He picked up his RX. I noticed the card fell down to the ground. So I kindly reminded him: sir, your card fell on the ground. I don't know where he got that anger, he shouted at me: YOU! GET OUT! GET THE CARD FOR ME! IT IS YOUR FAULT! I told him: Sir, I am the only one in the store, sorry, I can't get out of the store to get the card for you. Please pick it up yourself, Thanks. Then I turned around to help my huge line in the store. He called in again. I told him again: I am the only one, I CAN'T leave the pharmacy, Then hang up on him. Then called in again: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?! I hang up on him without a word. I have enough patients to help in the store. You can take care of your own business. If you want t complain, it is easy to find who I am because I am the only one today.
Maybe a good pharmacist should smile to him and say sorry until he leaves?

What happened to accountability in this country? Individuals who think they're entitled to everything, everywhere.

 

[sosoo]

i was at a super busy 24 hr store one day and the techs didn't show up until 2 hours later. i knew it was going to go bad, so the first thing i did was to close the drive thru window, and put a note that it was closed.

 

[zelman]

One time I had a patient grab an ice-scraper and attempt to break the drive-thru window because I wouldn't open it. Some yelling is no big deal.

 

[Pharmpills]

What happened to accountability in this country? Individuals who think they're entitled to everything, everywhere.

I agree, people today think they should get 500 -1000 for food stamps and other programs but the Government/tax payers aren't your mother. Get out and make yourself more productive like learn a new skill. As for the guy who didn't want to pick up the card lmao I would tell him he needs to get it, period.

 

[Deja]

i was at a super busy 24 hr store one day and the techs didn't show up until 2 hours later. i knew it was going to go bad, so the first thing i did was to close the drive thru window, and put a note that it was closed.

lol i heard awhile ago someone at my district got fired b/c the DM drove by the pharmacy to see the drive through closed

 

[doublehh03]

Don't sweat it man. I had a customer "demanded" a week loaner of brand name synthroid a few days ago b/c she didn't have any money. I told her one day max as a courtesy and she was ungrateful and then I told her forget it. Went on a tantrum, and complained to the FS manager.

lol i heard awhile ago someone at my district got fired b/c the DM drove by the pharmacy to see the drive through closed

You can't fire someone for that. I'm sure the RPH had a list of write ups already, and that was the last one.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

You can't fire someone for that. I'm sure the RPH had a list of write ups already, and that was the last one.

Soooo, you can get fired for that.

 

[JoBreeze]

Do you guys ever fantasize about inflicting violence on your rude customers?

 

[zelman]

Do you guys ever fantasize about inflicting violence on your rude customers?

You mean like stabbing them? With mercury-laced toxoids? In the arm?

 

[Pharmavixen]

Of all the rude customers with which I dealt over the years, there's one who stands out, even though he was no-where near the worst (that title belongs to the guy who tried to attack me. But that's not really a very interesting story. Security threw him out, the end.)

I used to work graveyards @ a 24-hour store near a large children's hospital. We would generally be busy til 3 am or so filling rxs from people who had spent hours in the ER with their sick kids. Generally they were actually ok customers as they were too busy consoling their children to abuse the pharmacist, and we served them as fast as we could.

So a guy came in, walking past all these parents waiting on their rxs, asking for tx for a sore shoulder. I recommended Motrin and went back to checking a long line of rxs on the counter.

Guy returns hours later with an rx for Arthrotec from a local walk-in clinic. He was "unhappy" with the service I gave him, so he went to a doctor to get "proper" treatment. And he handed me his business card, showing me he was a lawyer.

You have to admire the tenacity of his d-baggery, waiting hours in a clinic to get the same diagnosis I gave (bit of mild inflammation probably from some minor injury), just because he felt that a pharmacist didn't spend time with him to give the level of service to which he felt entitled.

 

[BidingMyTime]

You have to admire the tenacity of his d-baggery, waiting hours in a clinic to get the same diagnosis I gave (bit of mild inflammation probably from some minor injury), just because he felt that a pharmacist didn't spend time with him to give the level of service to which he felt entitled.

Tell him that the service he gets for "free", if he wants a proper consultation, he can pay you $100/hr. That is the problem with pharmacy, nobody values advice they get for free.

 

[oldstock]

So a guy came in, walking past all these parents waiting on their rxs, asking for tx for a sore shoulder. I recommended Motrin and went back to checking a long line of rxs on the counter.

Guy returns hours later with an rx for Arthrotec from a local walk-in clinic. He was "unhappy" with the service I gave him, so he went to a doctor to get "proper" treatment. And he handed me his business card, showing me he was a lawyer.

You have to admire the tenacity of his d-baggery, waiting hours in a clinic to get the same diagnosis I gave (bit of mild inflammation probably from some minor injury), just because he felt that a pharmacist didn't spend time with him to give the level of service to which he felt entitled.

I understand what you said and think that you did not do anything wrong, but it is all about perception. Put yourself in the guy's shoes. If you are not a healthcare worker, you might not understand or know what the doctor/nurse/pharmacist is doing. Most people then only judge how well the doctor/nurse/pharmacist treat them by the body language.

I do not know what really happened there, but there may have been something that that guy picked up from your rushing back to your work... he might have taken it as that you really did not spend enough time to listen to his problem and rushed to give that recommendation... just saying

edit: FWIW, if I were the guy and unhappy with your recommendation or service, I would complain right on the spot or never come back.

and I agree with BidingMyTime that nobody values things that are "free". But I guess people are so accustomed to get advice for free from the pharmacists. As soon as they have to pay, they probably would not ask the pharmacists anything

 

[Chriskahn]

and I agree with BidingMyTime that nobody values things that are "free". But I guess people are so accustomed to get advice for free from the pharmacists. As soon as they have to pay, they probably would not ask the pharmacists anything

And that is why pharmacists need to be federally recognized as providers. We would be reimbursed for our time so it would no longer be free.

 

[zelman]

And that is why pharmacists need to be federally recognized as providers. We would be reimbursed for our time so it would no longer be free.

That would only affect people insured by federal programs.

 

[BidingMyTime]

That would only affect people insured by federal programs.

Well that's getting to be near about everybody.

 

[zelman]

Well that's getting to be near about everybody.

OOOOOBAAAAAMAAAAAAAA!
<shakes fist angrily at the thunderous sky while dropping to knees>

... But really, you know Medicaid is a state program, even though it is subsidized by the federal government, right?

 

[BidingMyTime]

OOOOOBAAAAAMAAAAAAAA!
<shakes fist angrily at the thunderous sky while dropping to knees>

... But really, you know Medicaid is a state program, even though it is subsidized by the federal government, right?

Well yes, but even without that there is Obamacare(as you pointed out) & Medicare Part D. Even the people with private insurance through their employer, a good portion of them are having their premiums paid by Medicaid (although I guess that would be considered state.) It's all the same anyway, corporations control the government, government controls the insurance, all the payments for insurance goes back to the corporation.

 

[zelman]

Well yes, but even without that there is Obamacare(as you pointed out) & Medicare Part D. Even the people with private insurance through their employer, a good portion of them are having their premiums paid by Medicaid (although I guess that would be considered state.) It's all the same anyway, corporations control the government, government controls the insurance, all the payments for insurance goes back to the corporation.

You need to reread chriskhan's post. He was talking about provider status. I agree with you that various insurance and insurance-type programs are similar, that has little to do with the actual conversation taking place.

 

[BidingMyTime]

You need to reread chriskhan's post. He was talking about provider status. I agree with you that various insurance and insurance-type programs are similar, that has little to do with the actual conversation taking place.

The actual conversation is about a pharmacist who has had to deal with a customer refusing to leave their drive through after they dropped their card.....everything else is of off on a tangent, and my tangent is no more off topic than anyone else's tangent.

 

[zelman]

The actual conversation is about a pharmacist who has had to deal with a customer refusing to leave their drive through after they dropped their card.....everything else is of off on a tangent, and my tangent is no more off topic than anyone else's tangent.

Fair enough. So what what was your point? Insurance exists and the government is often involved?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Fair enough. So what what was your point? Insurance exists and the government is often involved?

My point was, there is no point in worrying about government controlling insurance, because the insurance already control the government. It's all the same, whether its considered "public" or "private". It appears the country is moving to eventually have all insurance called "public", but I don't think changing the name will change anything, because already its all the same.

 

[kvl1027]

I have a story that I would love to share. I had a guy that was irate because I wouldn't fill his Dilaudid Rx. Long story short he was to the point where I thought he was going to take a swing at me. He told me "you're going down, I'm going to get you fired", I said, "would you like to speak with the pharmacy manager about me?". Naturally he responded with "yes I would", at which time I spun around 360 degrees and said "hi, I'm the pharmacy manager, how can I help you" His blank stare was enough mana to feed my ego for the rest of my life....oh how I love working in an independent pharmacy.

 

[ocist1121]

That sounds like a nightmare. My original intention was to become a pharmacist but after working as a pharm tech for three years there is no way I'm going to continue down that road. I know what it's like to work in a busy pharmacy with rude unappreciative customers. Retail sucks period. Now I'm an RN going pre-med.