Dec 20 2005 We get our prescriptions through a drug plan from the State of Illinois. Recently, the state switched over from one company to another. Let's call the old company Careforyou. Let's call the new company Medcrap. So the deal with either company is you mail in your prescription and they mail you a 90-day supply of the medicine and charge a little over $30 for a co-pay. Refills can be handled on line.

With Careforyou, I never had a problem. When I mailed in prescriptions, I got the medicines within a couple of days. Same with refills on the Internet. It always surprised me how quickly my order was filled and received.

So, it's time for me to order a prescription from Medcrap. It's the first time I have used them. I am out of refills, so send in a new prescription form. I get an email from Medcrap a couple of days later acknowledging the order and telling me where to go on their web site to see its status. So, I go there and see they have logged in the order on December 13th. But there is no ship date. And I am running out of my current supply.

Last night I went on the Internet and the web page says that they think the order will be shipped by December 23rd. But all I have left is one pill for the next morning. This morning after taking my last pill, I call Medcrap. After finding my way through the touch-tone maze to get a real person (and this was not easy to do), I explain my problem. The dialogue goes something like this:

Me: "I used my last pill this morning and am out. I need a refill right away. You got my order and logged it in on December 13th. Why is there a 10-day delay between your logging in my order and a possible shipping date?"

Them: “We were trying to contact your doctor to see if the doctor would accept a substitute."

Me: "The prescription form by the doctor specifically said no substitutes or generics. I also checked the box on my order form that said I wanted no substitutes or generics.”

We then go back and forth about this with the agent having to put me on hold a lot to check with someone who actually has some power to do something. After a while, he comes back on the phone and asks if I have a prescription for a local pharmacy. So happens I do. He tells me to go there (e.g., Walgreens) and the pharmacist will log onto Medcrap and get it taken care of and he is sorry about the delay in the order.

So, after lunch, I drive to the local Walgreens and relate the story to the pharmacist. She logs onto Medcrap and it tells her that she cannot refill the prescription this soon and tells her to call. She posits that it's probably because they have already mailed me my order. She calls and tells me that they will allow her to fill an order for 14 days and the co-pay will be $36. I ask her what the total charge would be for the pills if I paid for them without a drug plan. The answer is $38. Hmmm.

Before doing anything with Walgreens, I call Medcrap. Now I know how to get to a customer service person fast and get one on the line. I explain this morning's call. This one needs more help than the one this morning and has to put me on hold between absolutely every exchange we have. Finally, he tells me that all that was authorized was a seven-day supply of the medicine rather than 14 days. (I wonder to myself why, then, had they just told Walgreens to fill a 14-day supply?) Dialogue (shortened) is something like this:

Me: "Well, if I get a seven-day supply now, when will I get my 90-day supply from you?"

Them: "You should get it by January 3rd."

Me (very calmly): "Well, as I told you at the outset, I'm out of the medicine. Let's look at this logically. It'’s the 20th of December. I believe that January 3rd is more than seven days from now."

Them: "Let me put you on hold."

The pharmacist has been listening and says: "Welcome to my world."

He comes back on the line and tells me that they are authorizing a seven-day supply at no charge to me and expediting the shipment of my order. I ask when I should receive it. I am put on hold. He then assures me I will have it before I run out again. Yeah.

P.S.: Last night when I saw the expected shipping date, I emailed Medcrap to let them know my predicament, the 10-day lag in their shipping, and my concerns. After I came home this afternoon from Walgreens, I got the following email from them:

"Thank you for your online inquiry. Please remember that you need to allow 5 to 11 days for normal mail delivery of your order. If you have any questions about the effects of missing doses of your medication, please call Member Services and request to speak with one of our registered pharmacists. To receive medication before your order arrives, please contact your physician for a prescription for a short term supply. This prescription may be filled at your local retail pharmacy. Thank you for visiting medcrap.com."

I’m so relieved. You?