Ageing at Boots!
- 8 June 2012 17:32177134And I'm not talking about their anti-ageing cream but the long queues at their Pharmacy. Now firstly I must point out that their staff are very courtious and pleasant but they really need to get a proper system that works effectively.
A month ago I queued for 30 minutes to leave in a prescription and was told to call back in half an hour to collect. I returned, only to find I had to queue for, yes, another half hour to collect it. There was only one queue for everything, leaving a prescription and collecting same. The two ladies on the counter also made up some prescriptions and made phone calls to Doctor surgerys with queries when necessary, which held up the queue considerably. I almost lost the will to live.
When leaving, the lady suggested I use the repeat prescription service which would save me time with unnecessary trips to the Doctor's Surgery. She explained this to me and I signed the forms and left, feeling somewhat guilty for holding up the queue. I returned on due date to collect repeat presciption and queued for 40 minutes this time, but it wasn't there, something had gone wrong, someone forgot to order it. Then she telephoned the Doctor's Surgery to investigate the matter and after another 20 minutes I was asked to come back tomorrow to collect. Needless to say the people queueing were not impressed! And you have guessed it , the next day I queued for 35 minutes. Never again, if you happen to see me in town you will notice the ageing process has rapidly advanced
- 8 June 2012 17:39177136i have only used them the once never again, when i am in boots for something else the queues are static.
i use the one in pencester road, they take it and say 1o minutes normally so i wait, if they say longer then i tell them i will call back.
much the same with the chemist next to the london rd/peter st surgery.
boots will have to get their act together soon, a new one has opened on the folkestone rd with another one planned to open 2 doors away in the new doctors surgery. - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
8 June 2012 17:44177137aha colette,i was in boots today,droped of 4 prescriptions and told the nice young lady i would call back after midday,the morning que was small about 3/4 persons,the afternoon que was slightly 8/9 people.a little tip for futher referance try getting there at 9 am when they open,very small ques then maybe 1/2 people.
- 8 June 2012 18:21177142Thanks for that tip Brian, my three trips covered various times throughout each day, dont really think I'll be going back there anytime soon
They should be handing out free anti- ageing creams to all women of a certain age, in their long queues 
Think I will take Howard's advice and go elsewhere
- 8 June 2012 19:29177161Colette you have the patience of a saint
- 8 June 2012 20:56177176That's some queuing time Colette; I would have definitely lost the will to live. It seems to be a 'Boot's thing as the queues here in my local one in Essex are pretty much the same - one long queue for everything and one or two pharmacists dealing with everything. After being interrogated (quite literally) regarding antibiotic eye drops I stopped going there and went to my local Co-op pharmacy. Much less queuing time and 'come back in 30mins' means just that and best of all no interrogations!
- 8 June 2012 20:58177177Guaranteed to wind me up every time! In my experience, all pharmacies are pretty much the same. It's another example of an archaic paper-based system that should have been replaced years ago. A bit like the NHS computer system. As everyone knows, it's still done on bits of paper! But I have to confess, Boots always take the biscuit. For a business that's been going for 150+ years you would have thought they'd get it right by now. Like most organisations nowadays, service is a thing of the past. The customer is but a mere inconvenience.
- 9 June 2012 08:14177204Since having to take blood pressure medication I started using Boots, ordering repeat prescriptions on-line each quarter. For 3 years only once did I arrive, after the prerequisite 48 hours after ordering, at their pharmacy to find it ready, correct and packed for collection as should have been the norm. So just over a year ago I switch to Beggs, a bit further to walk but well worth it, only once in that time has the order not been ready and correct for collection and that was the fault of the surgery....
Far superior service and no problem queuing either, something I hate doing. - 9 June 2012 08:25177205I went into Sainsburys at Folkestone yesterday to do a biggish shop. I handed my husbands prescription in and was asked if I was doing any shopping. I said I was and he said it would be about 15 minutes.
After over half an hour I went back.The same guy asked me when I had left it, I told him it was about half an hour ago. Looking puzzled he disapeared again, then came back to check the name and address. Again he disapeared then came back and told me they didn't seem to have it! When I protested that he himself had served me less than an hour ago he said he would have another look. Eventually he came back with the medication and asked "what name and address was that"? lol
There's always a little truth behind every "Just kidding", a little emotion behind every "I don't care" and a little pain behind every "I'm ok". - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,931
9 June 2012 08:46177208I always use Paynes because they are a small local business and have never had a problem but their 10mins wait is often longer so usually call back.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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