Duane Reade 609 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan, New York,

"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?"

"The Pharmacy in this location is the WORSE. Every single time I come here to refill my Rx's there's always a delay or excuse. Even when you call or place the order the day before. IT IS NEVER READY FOR PICK UP!!!"

"Tried calling in a prescription for a patient and was on hold 1 hour and 25 minutes later. About 40 minutes ago the message said there was only 1 person ahead of me. After they finally picked up they said they would transfer me to pharmacist and then hung up. I'm annoyed but its the patient who will suffer if they don't get their medications."

"the rudest pharmacy staff i have ever spoken to! i work for a medical office and tried calling in a prescription for a patient because our system was down. They were super rude when i told them my system was down, made me wait 15 minutes to only hang up on me (3 times)! and when id call back she had an even bigger attitude. over 10 years ive been in the medical field and have never been treated with such disrespect and rudeness when trying to call in a simple prescription! avoid the headache."

"The absolute worst pharmacy on the UWS. Numerous times, they don't fill prescriptions because they thought the price was too high. Every time, it takes 2 trips to get my RX even though the doctors call them in. The first time, they say, 'oh we thought the price was too high, so we didn't fill it', regardless of insurance. After that, they start filling the script so I always have to make another trip."