Mistaken identity at chemist - would you complain?

[wallpoppy]

Earlier today at Boots - took my hair products and chocolate to the counter so I could get a box of Nurofen+ and pay for it all together- the pharmacy assistant sort of looked at me for a moment and then said sorry, no, you were just in here yesterday for the same thing, I can't sell you any more.

I was definitely not in yesterday for the same thing, the last time I bought a box of Nurofen + was probably two years ago, if not longer. I actually joked at first- oh yeah I do have a chocolate addiction but I definitely wasn't in here yesterday- but she just said I'm really sorry, codeine is an addicting medicine and we have to be careful.

So I got serious and said "I understand, but you have mistaken me for someone else, I was not here yesterday and I haven't purchased this medication recently - I am very responsible, and I just take one or two doses once every few months when I have an extremely bad endo flare-up. Can I please complete my purchase?" and she sighed and looked over to the pharmacist, who had heard all the exchange. He was polite but said that he had to back up his staff and if she said she sold these to me yesterday then there was nothing he could do.

So I just huffed, said fine, she's completely mistaken but fine, and I paid for my other stuff and stopped at another Boots on the way home where I completed my drug purchase with no bother. But it was so embarrassing (other people standing around the whole time witnessed it). Should I complain? On one hand, it feels like a one-off weird experience that I should just forget about, but on the other hand I feel a bit hard done by! What would you do?

I had similar - tried to buy Nurofen plus and the woman commented ‘i only have the small packets’ then under her breath but loud enough to hear ‘but you’d know that as you were here two days ago’. I was taken aback and didn’t say anything but wish I had as she made me sound like a drug addict to the other people there when I’d not been in that chemist for months.

Yes,complain. What if you didn't have a chance/time to pop in different pharmacy that day and needed that nurofen...they could've checked the cctv..I get it's a bit of a fuss but then again, it really wasn't you buying meds there the day before. And exactly as pp said- what if the different person was on duty, then it's all pointless

Of course you shouldn't complain. You've totally overreacted, the Boots employee was just doing her job. You got your drugs in the end, no harm done.

I wouldn’t.

she’s doing her job. Ok she was wrong but if she believes it and someone who looked like you bought it the day before what is she meant to do? Unless they start taking mugshots of customers or having a swipe card system then mistakes will happen.

just go somewhere else.

I was actually proud of myself for speaking somewhat coherently while feeling embarrassed, confused, and flustered and apparently I got it wrong by saying "can I please complete my purchase?" 😂😭

Anyway thanks for the responses, I feel better knowing that other people would be annoyed and upset, as well. I like the idea of complaining about the system rather than about the specific cashier, as she did seem to come across like she was reluctantly following guidelines rather than being the kind of person who is always pleased at the chance to be a dickhead with official backup (you know the type I mean - they often seem to work at airports).

Where I live we have a big population of Asian people and they get subjected to this sort of crap with restricted goods. Basically because to some (arseholes) “they all look the same”. Totally offensive.

on the other hand, we have pharmacy systems of having to sign and be ID’d for products for limited sale which works well compared with “oh I think I saw you yesterday “.

Ooh what a cow! She counted on getting away with it too, because she thought you would be too shy to get into it with her especially in front of other people. Even if she had been right and you WERE someone with a codeine problem, it would still be a nasty thing to say, you don't shame or embarrass people out of drug problems and no one who acts that way should be working in health care. How does she treat the people who come in for their methadone doses? Not very well I imagine.

You got your drugs…

And you got your dig in. Happy, dear?

What a shitty thing to say.

I’d feel the same as you OP. (Although I probably wouldn’t have completed the purchase. I’d have stormed out if they refused to sell me the tablets)

This meant you had to waste time and fuel to travel to another pharmacy.

No harm in complaining. It was their error and misjudgement so they need to be made aware.

No, it’s not the same thing. You can show ID to prove you’re not 17. What could OP do to prove she wasn’t there yesterday? Women shouldn’t be turned away buying necessities like medication because of an over-enthusiastic pharmacist. If she had been in 2 minutes ago, fair enough, but to claim to remember a customer from the previous day?!

Hm tough one really. It’s down to the pharmacists discretion - we usually have to stick with our colleagues word, but in this situation I probably would have offered to check the CCTV.

The pharmacist probably felt awkward and didn’t want to undermine their colleague. But they should have taken over the sale and spoken to you privately in the consultation room.

I don’t think it warrants a complaint in regards to the staff as unfortunately there really is no right or wrong answer and they are just following guidelines, but as others have said you could complain about the system. But it wouldn’t change as this is the protocol in all pharmacies across the UK when buying codeine.

I'd rather they be over cautious than not cautious at all but that's me!

She’s not doing her job though - her job is to sell medication to those who need it, which she failed to do by unreasonably relying on a memory from yesterday. It sounds to me like this bit of power has gone to pharmacists’ heads!

@ChloeHel the protocol is to rely on the same member of staff being present for each attempt to purchase? No - the protocol is to control the sale of excess quantities of codeine / paracetamol products. The internal procedure of relying on recognising a customer is lazy at best and the pharmacy / company are putting staff and customers at risk by failing to implement a proper procedure.

I worked in H&S for a few years and this method wouldn't pass muster on a basic risk assessment - it's astonishing it's been going on for as long as it has across the UK.

I've never been refused the sale of products, but if I was in agony and in need of, say, Paramol, I'd be screwed if I were refused it as we only have one pharmacy within 12 miles. The existing system isn't good enough for anyone.

No, it's nobody's fault that there happened to be someone similar looking in buying the same painkillers the day before. It doesn't sound like they were rude or embarrassing about it either, so can't see what you can really complain about.

I wouldn’t complain. I work in an independent pharmacy and although the OP hadn’t bought the Nurofen plus the previous day, the staff are just doing their job and the complaint won’t actually change the way people are served, unfortunately.

There are some really crafty people out there - I caught one woman standing outside the shop as she had asked a passerby to go into the pharmacy and buy her a specific codeine based painkiller “because her dog was poorly and she had to stay outside with the dog” - this woman had literally just bought the SAME product the day before, as well as a few other times before that. I notified my pharmacist and the pharmacist actually went outside to speak to the lady (she was a regular customer of ours and she apologised to the pharmacist - as it happens, this is what gave her the kick up the backside to get help for her addiction so it’s kind of a good ending)

We have to be careful, so by all means put a complaint in but it won’t change anything. We will still be careful about who we serve the codeine based medicines to. It’s unfortunate you happened to look like someone who bought Nurofen plus the day before, but by saying “it wasn’t me” - I have heard that excuse also, when I KNOW for definite it’s the same person. I can see both sides here. Good luck with your complaint but like I said, it won’t change anything.

Yes I would send off a quick email suggesting that their system is flawed,
A long time ago I hit my head and went to the walk in clinic where the nurse suggested that I had only done so to obtain some codeine, she made me feel like a junkie, it was so wierd! I wished I'd complained as I was disoriented and woozy from concussion

You can complain but Boots will just send you a generic email about how their staff have a duty of care blah blah blah.

I complained about one branch where one cashier on two separate occasions would not sell me off the shelf medications (antihistamines and feminax) because I wouldn’t tell him my medical history. He wasn’t a pharmacist or even a pharmacy assistant, not that it matters! Another time a pharmacist at the same branch loudly declared congratulations to me when I was picking up a prescription for folic acid (the stronger one) and a work colleague was in the queue and obviously guessed what was happening.

I put all three incidents in one complaint and got a condescending response. I now go out of my way to go to a different chemist.

Yes I think I would complain.

@CornishPorsche No, but if a member of staff believes they sold someone a restricted sale the day before then we can’t dismiss them. As I said, I would have checked CCTV for the customer and had a private consultation.

I bought nurofen plus for the 1st time today at boots for a pulled shoulder. The cashier asked if I wanted the larger pack! No questions, no quibble about how often to take etc etc. I agree that they need to check you only take them for 3 days etc, but don't agree with their approach. Yes, codeine can be addictive. I worked as a pharmacy assistant MANY years ago and the pharmacist would ring the GP to check out of area scripts which didn't seem right or doses above the norm. I agree it should be checked, but very odd to accuse you of only being in there 2 days before!

I would write a polite, but to the point complaint about the system, embarrassment, lack of any ID checks or even checking whether your boots card had been used the day before. If I'd thought at the time, I'd ask them to check their CCTV cameras. Not that it proves anything, but to say this in front of other customers is surely defamatory? Esp if you lived in a small village with only 1 boots! Not to mention the time/transport to find somewhere else.

I would be very upset and annoyed and I would complain.

But will it change anything 🤔

@ChloeHel or the pharmacy could implement a better system which takes up less of your time as a pharmacist and avoids the staff getting into a confrontational situation, and which also avoids the customers being denied the medication they need.

If a member of your staff - or you - accidentally sold codeine repeatedly to someone who overdosed, the Coroner would have a field day with this system of recognition. All it takes is someone to make an error, and you know better than me the legal ramifications.

It seems that this is a method full of potential to go wrong with little to recommend it as an adequate system for dealing with the risks. Just because it's been done for a while doesn't make it OK.

Well that’s wrong…I know Boots protocols and asking a customer who wants to buy OTC medication what their medical history is definitely isn’t part of it - Apart from certain medications, of which antihistamines and feminax aren’t part of.