Wildwood Seven Day Pharmacy

"How lucky are we to have the Wildwood Pharmacy x always willing to help and a pleasure to deal with. Thank you."

"Almost all the medicines they need to order and we need to wait for their arrival to start treatment"

"I visited the pharmacy twice today. Collected my prescription from a very pleasant lady... Asked to see the chemist. Received excellent advice from her and later called for a prescription which was dispensed instantly. Image"

"Always had very good service here. Staff are always efficient and friendly and pharmacist has been very helpful on the few occasions we have needed advice on a medical matter."

"Contempt for Long-Standing Customers: How to go from 4 stars to 1 star in a day. For the past 10 years I’ve been fighting an incurable bone cancer and visiting Wildwood Pharmacy every week or so, for a range of prescription drugs, to support my chemotherapy and treatment-induced heart disease – but not anymore! Yesterday, I visited with a friend, him to collect a prescription for his wife and me for my own. We entered together, as we often do and being in front, he was first to be served. After giving his wife’s name/address, the prescription was handed over without question. I asked for my prescription and after a moment’s pause, was asked whether or not I paid for mine. Not understanding why we were being treated differently, nor why I was being asked for the umpteenth time of visiting, I nevertheless replied politely that no I did not, that I had a medical exemption and that I had cancer. Obviously, I understand the need to prevent fraudulent claims and to check whether a person should have to pay for their prescription, particularly if they are unknown to the pharmacy but after countless visits to this pharmacy over the past 10 years, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect that the staff might remember me and that I have a medical exemption due to my condition. Setting aside the ‘difficulty’ of remembering regular customers, how easy would it be to have a note of patients with chronic, or life limiting illnesses and their payment exemptions, so they don’t have to be put through the wringer and explain their condition on every single visit? I left unhappy but discovered 5 minutes later that the drugs needed were NOT in the parcel and therefore I had to return again – this time leaving my friend outside. Having explained the mistake, the assistant found the correct prescription was still on the shelf but then proceeded to ask me whether or not I paid – well after the earlier disparity in service, and years of being an apparently 'invisible' customer, that was the final straw! I explained that as a regular customer, I was very unhappy at having to continually explain myself and how earlier, my friend hadn’t been questioned about a prescription for his wife, whereas I had! The assistant was quickly replaced by the Pharmacist (the owner – Ash’s daughter) who, rather than show any empathy or understanding of my viewpoint, continued to defend the way I had been treated, was combative in her manner and the way she dealt with my complaint. When I mentioned being a regular customer of 10 years and that I might anticipate they would know my medical exemption, and me, she retorted that they had 4,000 customers, so how could they possibly remember me? Well, the local Post Office also have many customers but that doesn’t stop them remembering their regulars and even through the past year wearing a face mask, they’ve only once failed to recognise me, so how do they manage – oh yes, good old customer service!! The Pharmacist then challenged me, as to whether I knew her name! I do but due to now suffering from Chemo brain (transient cognitive impairment) and being so angry at the time, I simply couldn’t get it out. Sensing a win, Nicky (see I do remember your name) pressed on with her obstinate response and strongly suggested that if I wasn’t happy, I should take my business elsewhere. Well, Nicky thank you for making an already difficult life even harder, for your total lack of empathy, or acknowledging my complaint in any way and for clearly demonstrating your absolute contempt for one of your regular customers. As suggested, I will take my business elsewhere - to an impersonal online pharmacy because quite clearly, 10 years of custom means absolutely nothing to you! Update: Your reply does nothing to address the difference in how my friend's wife's and my prescriptions were dispensed. I resent the inference that I posed some physical risk to your Pharmacist, as whilst angry at my treatment, I was in no way abusive nor threatening, nor would be. Please remove this comment and stick to the facts as they unfolded."