He asked me his bought some tablets last week that he hasn't used. I said unfortunately for medications we don't do any exchanges or refunds due to storage/stability issues. It is clearly indicated on our refund policy (me points to it).
He goes: "The sign is pretty hidden."
I go: "There's no where else to put it but you can still see it. Its clearly visible. People just don't read it. But this policy applies to most pharmacies anyway. No exchange or refunds on medications for change of mind."
He reads it and then questions the way its written. It says: Please choose carefully. You do not automatically get a refund simply changing your mind. "Oh so that means there is a possibility to get a refund?"
I go: "Yes, if you bring the top part before that it says: We will credit, exchange or refund if the item purchased is faulty, significant different to the one shown/described to you. So if we gave you the wrong medicine or it was expired, then yes you'll get a refund. But if you're saying you don't need it anymore and you changed ur mind then no, you can't get a refund."
He accepts my explanation.
THEN when I'm explaining to him the directions to take his tablets: Take 1 tablet twice a day after food. He goes: "Ok so that means I gotta split one tablet into half and then take it twice a day." Here it goes again..... "No. You take one tablet in the morning and one tablet at night." He goes: "But you said 1 tablet twice a day so half in the morning and half at night." I go: "No. 1 tablet twice a day means 1 in the morning and 1 at night. HALF a tablet twice a day means half in the morning and half at night." He goes: "Why's that?" I go: "It's just is. There's no other way to explain it. That's what it means."
GEEZ I don't know how else to explain 1 tablet twice a day when i clearly say 1 in the morning and 1 at night and then he questions me.... and questions what these wordings mean.....
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In a past scenario, related to this refund/exchange business, I actually had a customer come in with a half taken box of medicine and demanded a refund because "it didn't work." It was something like an antibiotic. Now although 'it didn't work' for him doesn't mean the product was faulty because a) the dr prescribed the wrong thing or something that wasn't strong enough; b) one course is not enough; c) the condition is more severe than originally expected ..... basically that problem doesn't lie within the company or the pharmacy that dispensed it.
I just told the patient the above... and told them to see the doctor again coz it's not working and she needs something stronger and better or another course of it. Like if the doctor decided to prescribe you Amoxil 500mg for a UTI without running a urine test, then that's really not my concern because the dr should've done their part and prescribe something more appropriate. Mind you, we pharmacists do also have the obligation to intervene in situations like that and ring the dr and question them... but comeon, that doesn't happen in real life and what can you do if the dr is ignorant. And the patient trusts the dr more than the young pharmacist so at the end of the day, if it doesn't work, the blame is all shifted to the pharmacist anyway so learnt not to do 'over-perform'. Trust me, the dr won't thank you nor will the patient. "Yeh yeh whatever, i dunno, just gimme what the dr wrote." So I do.
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