Boots the chemist

My husband's repeat prescription is voluminous. There is no way it would fit through my letterbox. Therefore somebody would have to be in to receive it. I am quite happy to pick it up at our one local independent pharmacy. They would deliver but the same problem ... it is bulky...I would have to be in. I'm sure companies like pharmacy4u are fine for small packages, until Royal Mail go on strike again, but not for carrier bags of "stuff" including glass bottles.

Ah - I see what you mean Salti
Luckily, I’ve an outdoor metal box for post, which also takes small packages.

Our nearest Boots is in a shopping outlet and has dispensed with their pharmacy altogether. The other things it sells are cheaper elsewhere so I doubt it will last long.

keepingquiet

Boots is now an American owned company and has been rubbish for years. They are in financial trouble and closing some stores in the new future. If you can, choose a local chemist for your prescriptions and go to Superdrug for everything else.
Also, if you eligible for a free flu jab book it at your GP because the NHS pays for other suppliers to give the jabs, even if it is free for you, it is more expensive for the NHS but they won't tell you that.

Wow, I didn’t know any of that, thank you!

It makes me feel very sad to see how Boots standards have fallen.
I started working at 15 for Timothy Whites/ Boots and my years of pharmacy and dispensing training where second to none.
Our managers where strict,customer service all important,I was proud to say I worked 20+for them and secured other jobs on the strength of my being Boots trained.

Like Georgesgran, I use Pharmacy2U for all my allergy meds - simple and reliable - so don't have to visit a pharmacy. It saves the NHS money too.

Hetty58

Like Georgesgran, I use Pharmacy2U for all my allergy meds - simple and reliable - so don't have to visit a pharmacy. It saves the NHS money too.

I have used them for about four years now, never any problems

keepingquiet

Boots is now an American owned company and has been rubbish for years. They are in financial trouble and closing some stores in the new future. If you can, choose a local chemist for your prescriptions and go to Superdrug for everything else.
Also, if you eligible for a free flu jab book it at your GP because the NHS pays for other suppliers to give the jabs, even if it is free for you, it is more expensive for the NHS but they won't tell you that.

Didn't Walgreens try to offload Boots last year - but couldn't find a suitable buyer? They loaded it with debt, took out the profit, and left it to struggle along.

I think the writing is on the wall.

I need to vent my annoyance.

Our Doctors’ Surgery is in the process of installing a new system to order prescriptions. They sent us a 7 page document from the surgery and from it DH took the info regarding prescriptions. The process was tedious beyond words and after working through a number of screens giving all my personal details, then a list of the tablets I requiredand why I want them earlier than usual, due to our holidays, I finally finished.

They then asked for my feedback and had 4 faces getting progressively more annoyed. So I selected the red, fuming face.

I told them that it was too long winded, they already have all my personal details and I said people of my age who are not computer users would be in great difficulty.

Finally, and this is what is going to get me I to trouble I said.

‘There was a BONUS you didn’t ask me my preferred pronoun!

It sounds rather like the system our surgery uses, but once you have registered on it ordering repeat prescriptions is simple.
Not wise to fall out with your surgery no matter how irritated you may have felt.

You are right I shouldn’t have made the comment, but I am very impetuous. I won’t tell DH as he won’t approve. I shall sit on the naughty step.

This is why it took me 45 minutes to get my flu jab booked through a new online system. I did keep thinking I should just set myself a reminder and pop into my local chemist next week but I heard of someone with a very similar experience to you nankate .

Was that your surgery’s system or the NHS one Lollin?

I request my prescription online from the surgery, it's sent to Boots and they text me when it's ready to be collected. An emergency prescription I had to collect for DS was ready when I went for it - no delay.

The surgery’s, I thought, until it caused problems then it was made clear that it was run by outside sources.

The situation Germanshepherdsmum is that our surgery is in the process of having a new IT system installed. They were ready to change over and it failed ! We have something called Klinik which we were told to return to but this at present requires us to input ALL our information each time including personal details and to list all our medication.

They have told us that the NHS app is not available at present, so we can’t go via there either.

I’m pretty good on using my internet skills, but a number of my friends will be totally thrown by this temporary system.

Finally in the 7 page online letter they too say if you run short of tablets phone 111.

I shouldn’t have ‘sarky’ in my feedback but I felt so frustrated as I am trying to get my tablets in advance of my holiday.

It is an absolute mess.

I use a small independent pharmacy and not Boots .

I can't praise them highly enough .

I use pharmacy 2U.

I stopped using boots last year. I’m on a few pills and last year had pain in my jaw my dentist thought I had an abscess coming through but couldn’t see so give me some antibiotics I asked if ok with my medication he said yes went to boots they also said yes 12hrs later I was being blue light to hospital turned out I was allergic to them and I spent 4days in hospital dr at hospital should me on her tablet it red it said not to give these pills if on etc mine was number one at the top. She wasn’t pleased and was getting in touch with them.

I think that Boots has been on its way out for a number of years and it’s such a shame as like downtoearth I can remember them being excellent with their customer care, the shops were always very busy and it was the place everyone went for their medication as they had an excellent reputation.

Nowadays they are more expensive than other stores for exactly the same thing, lots of empty shelves, their online ordering system doesn’t always work and don’t get me started on their pharmacy - the medication was never ready or they couldn’t get hold of the item, there was always a very long queue and they closed between 1pm and 2pm!

In frustration I went to an independent 24 hour pharmacy and they have no problem getting items and always deliver to my home, sometimes on the same day I ordered a repeat prescription! Excellent customer care too. I can’t fault them.

I'm glad I'm not alone - but it's very frustrating. Our surgery staff are pleasant but are not always on time with my prescriptions and our Boots is the same unfortunately - pleasant staff but not up to date in spite of DH visiting both the surgery and Boots to ensure I get my medication on time - and of course there are queues as well.

A while back, our Boots pharmacy didn't open until 10am, although the shop opened at 9am. I asked why, and an embarrassed assistant said it was an HQ decision.
I don't know if that's still the case, as I've stopped going in there.

Well our Boots pharmacy closes on a Sunday and then was closed one day midweek 😏

We have 2 independents in our town and both are excellent. They will pick up your repeat prescription from the surgery and have it dispensed in 2 working days. At least one of them will deliver if you can’t get to the shop to pick up the drugs. The nearest Boots is over 15 miles away anyway so no need to go there!

We're lucky as our surgery has its own Pharmacy, which although very busy is pretty good and only a mile away. The staff are lovely and do their best under the usual difficulties. However they only open in the morning on Saturday and are closed Wednesday afternoons, and Sunday all day. I can't honestly say that I have ever expected a Pharmacy to be open on Saturday afternoon, or at all on Sunday, Boots or anyone else.