Yesterday was the most frustrating day.
I placed an order with my pharmacy mail order company.
I got a call back, "Sorry, we can’t place your order, you owe $125 that we sent to collections."
Hmmm. Never knew about that one.
I asked them what the charges were for.
“I’m sorry maam, you’ll have to call the collections department.”
Called collections department.
"We don’t show where those charges came from. We’ll have to investigate. I’ll call over to the pharmacy and call you back in 15 minutes."
6 hours later, I was still waiting.
Called three times in 2 and a half hours. Every time I got, "he’s on break."
Damn. Where can you work that you can take a two and a half hour break? Oh, my health insurance company that charges me an arm and a leg and then isn’t available to take my calls.
Finally got a hold of guy I talked to in collections department.
Told me, “I sent an email over there. I never got a response.” (What about the CALL you said you were making??)
Than had the nerve to say, “I’m doing all I can on my end maam.” (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)
Then had even more nerve to tell me, “It’s five o’clock out here. I really doubt I’ll be able to get a hold of anyone over there.” (I’m competitive, bet me!)
Hung up.
Called over to mail order pharmacy company.
"Yeah, I called collections like you told me too, and they can’t figure out where the $125 charges are coming from. He said he sent an email over six hours ago and doubted he could get a hold of you this time of day. But yet you’re still here. Maybe you can help me?"
Associate laughs, mumbles something about collections than looks up my account and tells me there were three seperate prescriptions that were sent but never charged for.
“How can that be? You charge my account right when you send the order. You know, like that $90 you charged me for my husband’s insulin and prescriptions but won’t send out because there are past prescriptions from a year to almost two years ago that you claim I didn’t pay for? Why wasn’t I told this earlier?”
Check out the associate’s answer, it’s classic!
“Well, in the past we’ve just sent out orders without payment. With the recession we have a lot of people that owe us money and we’re just doing what we can to collect money owed to us.”
"So Ms. Associate, what you’re telling me is, some of these unpaid prescription’s are from over close to two years ago–way past the time I’ll be able to track those on my personal account, and you charge me for my current prescription but fail to send it out because I owe you money from a year to two years ago that you tell me about NOW? How many prescriptions have I placed since October of 2008? Why didn’t an associate EVER say, “Hey, you owe us $55. We didn’t charge for it, but it’s due. I would’ve HAPPILY have paid it. But no one EVER did. You’ve sent out 3 different prescriptions that you never charged me for but charge for all of the rest of them. And then you send me to collections so it’s on my husband’s credit on something we didn’t know about! This is yet another classic example of great customer service. Now you’re withholding vital medication that my husband has to have and that we’ve paid for because you forgot to tell me about past charges I’ve had for over a YEAR?!? You’ve continued to send out orders to me for the PAST YEAR and never notified me I’ve had charges that weren’t taken care of when I’ve called and placed orders? I’m sorry you’re suffering, but I’m suffering too. I’ve just paid you almost $100 to NOT get my medications. Now you tell me I HAVE to pay you before I’ll get my medications. You give me no time at all to pay you, but yet you take all the time you want sending me out medications my husband has to have in order to survive? We leave in a week. I don’t have time. The least you could do is help me out a little so we can get these prescriptions to us before we leave.”
“Let me see what I can do. Well, I could take a partial payment of $100 before we send them out.”
“@#$#@ @#$@# @#$# @#$@# @#@!!# !!!”
I HATE insurance companies.