Evil Pharmacist

So for those of you who haven't heard this yet, I will do a recap.

There is an evil pharmacist at my pharmacy. Every time I get her, there is undoubtedly a "problem" with my insurance. Now, the problem is as follows: she goes to run my insurance, and it comes back saying I owe the full amount on whatever prescription. For my birth control, full price is more than $60/month, when insurance knocks it down to a co-pay of $25. Now, I feel I should note this woman is in fact a real pharmacist, she's at least 50 and has been there since I started filling my prescriptions 2 years ago, and she gets really rude really fast and speaks perfect English. This is not an issue where she is lacking training, experience, wisdom, or appropriate communication.

The first time this happens I brushed it off. I thought, "Eh, well...it's probably a computer error." I took the evil pharmacist's advice and kept my receipt, went home and called insurance to see what was up. They said I only owed $25, even though I had paid $60. I kept this to myself as money was tight at the time (Mr. Borealis was between jobs). When I went back the evil pharmacist said her computer said $60, so if I couldn't provide proof then I couldn't get a refund. She didn't want to talk to insurance.

From then on I avoided that pharmacist because she was rude. However, last fall I was 2 days late on the refill and finally caved. I thought it would run smooth and surely whatever issue or lacking training in entering insurance info had been remedied since our last encounter. Not so. That time she told me my insurance was expired. I said no, it was not. She looked at my card and said it was through the state, and having worked there for twelve years or something, they renewed every October so I needed a new card for my insurance to apply. That didn't sound right to me, so I called Mr. B and sure enough, our insurance was current and renewed in July. Evil pharmacist said her computer said my insurance was expired. I checked to be sure the correct date was on the card, pointed it out, and evil pharmacist said I needed a new card but to keep my receipt. I went home, Mr. B agreed it was weird, he called the insurance company who also agreed it shouldn't have happened, and we requested new cards just in case. I went back in for a refund, this time with my paper proof, and the evil pharmacist said that she could not issue a refund because it was more than 10 days old. I'm thinking, "$%^#%!" I again keep this secret from Mr. B.

Here's the kicker: the next month I go in to pick up my birth control with my fresh insurance card (no information changed--just a new piece of plastic) and have it in hand when I get to the counter to pick up. The evil pharmacist walks in and takes my order, relieving the pharmacist who I had walked up to. I tell her my last name, she gets my birth control, and says "That'll be $25." without even looking at my card. My jaw drops. I say, "You made me go through the ordeal of getting a new card because you told me my insurance was expired--then you refused to refund me when the error wasn't with insurance. It went through this time?" She shrugs and repeats that it's $25. I pay and grind my teeth all the way out to the car. I vow that I will sooner get pregnant before dealing with this inept woman again.

Today, I'm working hard on end of semester projects. I send Mr. B out to get my birth control. Well, guess who he got at the counter? And guess how much my birth control was, because the computer said so, even though Mr. B told all these previous stories and had them check their record to confirm we usually pay $25? Evil pharmacist made him pay $60 anyways, and as always "keep the receipt."

So he came home and told me what happened. And guess who just got blasted by name and store location to the corporate email address?

Vindication will be mine. I kept my receipts.

Alula