Duane Reade Pharmacy

"Quite sure my card was skimmed in this Duane Reade Citibank ATM. Be careful."

"This is a great pharmacy if you enjoy spending hours upon hours of your time each month either on the phone or standing in line, just trying to get them to refill a few simple, bog-standard prescriptions. Even the simplest refill is a hassle that takes hours to sort out, so if you love being aggravated and wasting time, this is your spot. I initially wrote a very long review detailing all of the issues I've had with them, but I feel like it's simpler and easier to follow if I just give you a rundown of what an average experience at this pharmacy is like. Me: "Hi, I got a text saying my Wellbutrin was ready for pickup. The name is LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX." Useless Pharmacy Technician: "No, I'm not seeing that in the system. But if you need it, we can have it ready for you in an hour." *5 hours later* Me: "Hi, I'm here to pick up my Wellbutrin. LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX." UPT: "Oh, that's actually out of stock. But if you need it, we can order it and have it for you in 3 days." *4 days later* Me: "Hi, I'm here to pick up my Wellbutrin. LJ, birthdate XX/XX/XXXX." Different But Equally Useless Pharmacy Technician: "No, I'm not seeing that in the system. But if you need it, we can have it ready for you in an hour." This is the point where I've learned to just give up and call my doctor to have a new prescription sent to a different pharmacy. Because this Kafkaesque nightmare could go on for weeks. At this point there's only 1 medication left that I'm still getting from this Duane Reade. I was *literally* spending about 15 hours a month dealing with these people, just trying to get them to do simple refills of meds I've been on for years. Literally every single refill is a project that takes hours. I thought nobody could be worse than CVS, but somehow this pharmacy has managed it. BTW, in case you're wondering why I would keep showing up in person and waiting on line, instead of calling to check if my script was ready: it's because they usually don't answer the phone. They leave you on hold for at least 30 minutes and then half the time they just hang up on you. If you show up in person, you'll still have to wait on line for 30 minutes, but at least they can't hang up on you. There have been times I have raised my voice or otherwise expressed visible frustration, and gotten results. But I really don't like having to do that. Unfortunately, their attitude seems to be, "If the patient isn't visibly upset about being denied their medication, then they must not really need it, so we can continue ignoring them and playing games with them." Sometimes it's just not feasible to call the doctor and have a new script sent to a different pharmacy. In that case you just basically have to stay in the pharmacy and nag them into doing their jobs. It's like they're goldfish or something; they can't remember anything that happened more than 2 seconds ago. As soon as you step away from the counter, they forget you exist. So you have to stand there and keep reminding them. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them. CVS on 93rd & Broadway is almost as bad. Don't go there either. They like to do this fun thing where they pretend your doctor never sent the script at all. That way they don't have to bother filling it. Clever, right?"

"Recently my parents moved to the UWS. My dad’s regular pharmacy filled all his medications except for one medication which this pharmacy had in stock. BENAZIR, Staff Pharmacist, told me the other pharmacy had to reverse the claim. I spoke to the other pharmacist who confirmed with insurance that was it reversed the day before. She tried to speak to Benazir to help resolve the issue bc insurance said they were entering the dose and quantity incorrectly and that’s why claim wasn’t going through. However, Benazir was rude and unwilling to work with the pharmacist, insurance or me to resolve issue for the longest time. Furthermore, EMY, Pharmacy Technician, chimed in, yelling and offering her two cents. It was a nightmare trying to get my dad’s medication through this pharmacy. Rude, unprofessional and inefficient staff, mainly just Benazir and Emy. It didn’t appear busy; just one customer ahead of me. Also, Signa insurance confirmed we shouldn’t have any issues getting meds from DR because the claim was reversed the day before. Go elsewhere for your medication. It’s not worth it. This is the worst pharmacy service I’ve ever experienced."

"Today I ordered and picked up my prescription at this location as I was having difficulty getting the same one at another location. This was my first experience with this pharmacy. Short wait on the phone, ready in 1 hour, no wait at the counter, all staff were not just professional, but pleasant to interact with."

"Staff are nice and professional. I know it’s not easy working for Duane Reade. The pharmacy only has one line for prescriptions/ vaccines so be prepared to wait. The prices are expensive. But just look the place is always getting “ robbed”. Don’t believe me just look at the Nypd car parked daily in front of the store."