I recently was the one who did the staring, making for a long uncomfortable silence. I didn’t do it as a “cheap ass tactic” or “outdated business trick.” It came quite natually.
I had to go back to the pharmacy to show them they had, for the second time in one year, put the wrong pills in my mother’s prescription bottle. I found out about the first time, after she had taken the wrong pills for 2 weeks and had to go to her doctor because the pills lowered her blood pressure so much she was weak, dizzy and depressed. They asssured me it would never happen again, incrediably rare mistake, everyone is human, blah blah blah. I gave them another chance, but I made sure that I checked each new prescription against a picture of what the pill was supposed to look like, not believing another mistake was likely, but I wanted to protect my mother, just in case.
So I open her new prescription, and find they made the same error. I go back to the pharmacy, and ask to speak to the manager. The clerk tells me she is the manager, but is really busy, can’t I come back another time when she does not have so many important things to do, this is not a good day for her.
I am stunned. She knows I am not a sales person, I am a customer, she has waited on me dozens of times. The words that were dying to spring out of my mouth were, “You stupid bitch, your day just got a whole fucking lot worse. My mother could have died because you fucked up again, and now I am going to make you wish you were the one who OD’d.”
I have never spoken to another person like that in my life. I don’t have a temper, but when she tried to brush me off like that, I had to take a breath and count to ten so I wouldn’t say what I really thought. I have worked for years as a hairdresser and bartender and have been on the other end of raving customers. I know if I go off on her she will not take me seriously, and this is a very serious matter.
So I am just staring at her. I am also trying to decide what my options are. I can storm out, and call the BBB, or the state agency that regulates pharmacies, or the local news. But I realize that won’t accomplish anything. In the end their mistake would just become a bureaucratic nightmare for me. I really don’t need that aggravation. I just want to file a complaint, get my money back, and find a new pharmacy. It takes me a while to decide what I want to do. I do notice my silence is unnerving her, well good, let her get unnerved a bit. As it turns out, she was the one who filled the prescription wrong. Since she is the manager, not much of a chance anything happening to her.
So while I can understand your complaints of people who give you the silent treatment, sometimes that is best thing they can do for you. The alternative might be much more unpleasant.
