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Report: #146729

Complaint Review: Longs Drugs - Burlingame California

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  • Reported By: Sanbruno California
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  • Longs Drugs 1871 El Camino Real Burlingame, California U.S.A.

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Longs Drugs are dishonest. They commit insurance fraud, lie to their customers, and if you complain, retaliate in any form they feel they can get away with. I gave the home office 3 weeks to get back with me, and they have ignored my letters showing my wife and I that they fully knew their stores are pulling felonys, and have no plans of rectifying themselves. This happened in NY years ago, and a chain was fined heavly causing the whole business to fold. Looks like Longs needs this as well. Now for the story.

My wife had a baby 8 weeks ago. Needed a cesarian which was decided after hours of labor. She needed medication afterwords and this is where things started looking strange.Longs Pharmacy would tell us the perscription was not covered or was refilled to many times and insurance would not cover them.

The only reason I figured out this pharmacy was pulling insurance fraud was the fact when they tried to make us pay retail, the price for the prescription was 5 to 10 times more then what I paid out of pocket elsewhere.
I cought on to this imidiately, especially when I saw what was in the pill bottles. They wernt generic, and even an employee there who I wont mention stated as such. What Longs is doing, is making up stories of not having generics in, and trying to push on our insurance companies very expensive name brands wihout telling us, nor telling us their out, and of course most insurance companies will refuse.

Id have gone elsewhere if I knew they dont carry or are out. Instead they make stories up in order to make us pay what basically we cant anyways. I yelled at the management and threatened to press charges on the owner there. We picked up our prescription that was covered, and was told it would take a few days to see if they can fix the problem of getting generic in. Guess what? They did no such thing. They called my wifes doctor and said she was abusing her medication, hence of course the medication gets canceled, and now a mark, that any insurance company will see gets put on record.

My wife ended up in the hospitol becasue of this and doctors who saw her realized what Longs did was false, and gave her the medication she needed, but now any time in the future she ever needs medication again, and I hope she doesnt, what Longs did is going to follow her. Im going to look for an attorney in regards to this, but I wanted everyone to know to be aware of this drug store.

Scott
Sanbruno, California
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 06/19/2005 12:57 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/longs-drugs/burlingame-california-94010/longs-drugs-insurance-fraud-false-information-bait-and-switch-delusive-burlingame-calif-146729. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#6 UPDATE EX-employee responds

i suggest you put yourself in our position, then point the finger elsewhere... we are only the middle-man

AUTHOR: Sharksfan0825 - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 23, 2007

well first off, i used to work for longs in the pharmacy department typing scripts and handling the 3rd party claims for over 2 years..
--all pharmacy chains have different pricing... Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Costco, will NOT have the same pricing for the same meds... in my area theres also two major companies that we can order from here in the U.S... they both have different pricing, and we chose generics if there is an option, but we kept brands available if the MD writes the script that way and doesnt want to change it. on a typical day Mon-Thurs we could order something and it comes in 1-2 days later..
--did you ask the pharmacist if the generic drug was available in the marketplace? sometimes drugs will NOT have a generic due to patents and so forth.. and sometimes the FDA will pull the patent of a generic for a matter of reasons. soo if you had the generic one month and you went back a month later to find out the pharmacy cannot order the drug... ALSO, some companies come out with the same formulation of the medication which results in i.e different color, size, shape, and distinct markings... when that happends and you come to pick up you medicine, the pharmacist will insist on talking to you (consultation) to let you know about the change..
--the person typing the script is the person who submits it to the 3rd party in the process.. it happends all online connected to our servers. most cases i.e monthly prescriptions with refills takes about a minute or two, then they have to be sent to the back of the lab to be filled, two people handle this bottle and ultimately it takes the pharmacist a few minutes to check this off. you also have to realize you are not the only person filling a script at any given time of the day.. if its a new script and the 3rd party is having trouble, expect to wait more, IN A PERFECT WORLD.... what you dont understand is we get calls for alot of customers checking for their scripts and asking about refills, faxes, and we deal with the customers in line... the pharmacist needs to consult patients about their new meds, check in drugs being delivered that day, answer MD questions on the phone or fax, and call backs if the MD writing is not legible or strength is incorrect.. there is sooo much more that happends in the pharmacy, but its not all worth writing it here
--maybe the script in question was a pain drug that insurance companies will monitor. sometimes the drug plans will only allow 120 pills or less of a drug each month, which by the way, if the pharmacy clerk tells you its not covered by your insurance, or its too soon to pick up, call your insurance provider... or ask your doctor to call in a different strength or drug.....
--committing insurance fraud is bit of an accusation. the way the system works is we cannot double fill something in the same day, the computer system will flag the script and the insurance company will deny the co-pay.. there is no need for us to do so, unless you call in a refill number and your doctor calls in a new script for the drug, and even in that case we will catch it before both are even processed in the lab. your whole drug profile for the extent of your being a customer there at longs will pop up, the very top of the list will show what is being processed on that day..not even in the same week if it has a quantity for a 30 day supply. look on the label, and the piece of paper you get with your meds, look all the way at the bottom of the sheet and it will say EDS: then a number next to it. EDS means Estimated Day Supply... we cannot bill something twice in one day, your insurance will NOT allow this. Lastly i loved working there at Longs, they are a great company to work for, you are trying to portray them as a shady business, which is not true. if you worked a day in our shoes i bet you would have a better outlook.. good luck and good life

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#5 UPDATE EX-employee responds

i suggest you put yourself in our position, then point the finger elsewhere... we are only the middle-man

AUTHOR: Sharksfan0825 - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 23, 2007

well first off, i used to work for longs in the pharmacy department typing scripts and handling the 3rd party claims for over 2 years..
--all pharmacy chains have different pricing... Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Costco, will NOT have the same pricing for the same meds... in my area theres also two major companies that we can order from here in the U.S... they both have different pricing, and we chose generics if there is an option, but we kept brands available if the MD writes the script that way and doesnt want to change it. on a typical day Mon-Thurs we could order something and it comes in 1-2 days later..
--did you ask the pharmacist if the generic drug was available in the marketplace? sometimes drugs will NOT have a generic due to patents and so forth.. and sometimes the FDA will pull the patent of a generic for a matter of reasons. soo if you had the generic one month and you went back a month later to find out the pharmacy cannot order the drug... ALSO, some companies come out with the same formulation of the medication which results in i.e different color, size, shape, and distinct markings... when that happends and you come to pick up you medicine, the pharmacist will insist on talking to you (consultation) to let you know about the change..
--the person typing the script is the person who submits it to the 3rd party in the process.. it happends all online connected to our servers. most cases i.e monthly prescriptions with refills takes about a minute or two, then they have to be sent to the back of the lab to be filled, two people handle this bottle and ultimately it takes the pharmacist a few minutes to check this off. you also have to realize you are not the only person filling a script at any given time of the day.. if its a new script and the 3rd party is having trouble, expect to wait more, IN A PERFECT WORLD.... what you dont understand is we get calls for alot of customers checking for their scripts and asking about refills, faxes, and we deal with the customers in line... the pharmacist needs to consult patients about their new meds, check in drugs being delivered that day, answer MD questions on the phone or fax, and call backs if the MD writing is not legible or strength is incorrect.. there is sooo much more that happends in the pharmacy, but its not all worth writing it here
--maybe the script in question was a pain drug that insurance companies will monitor. sometimes the drug plans will only allow 120 pills or less of a drug each month, which by the way, if the pharmacy clerk tells you its not covered by your insurance, or its too soon to pick up, call your insurance provider... or ask your doctor to call in a different strength or drug.....
--committing insurance fraud is bit of an accusation. the way the system works is we cannot double fill something in the same day, the computer system will flag the script and the insurance company will deny the co-pay.. there is no need for us to do so, unless you call in a refill number and your doctor calls in a new script for the drug, and even in that case we will catch it before both are even processed in the lab. your whole drug profile for the extent of your being a customer there at longs will pop up, the very top of the list will show what is being processed on that day..not even in the same week if it has a quantity for a 30 day supply. look on the label, and the piece of paper you get with your meds, look all the way at the bottom of the sheet and it will say EDS: then a number next to it. EDS means Estimated Day Supply... we cannot bill something twice in one day, your insurance will NOT allow this. Lastly i loved working there at Longs, they are a great company to work for, you are trying to portray them as a shady business, which is not true. if you worked a day in our shoes i bet you would have a better outlook.. good luck and good life

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#4 UPDATE EX-employee responds

i suggest you put yourself in our position, then point the finger elsewhere... we are only the middle-man

AUTHOR: Sharksfan0825 - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 23, 2007

well first off, i used to work for longs in the pharmacy department typing scripts and handling the 3rd party claims for over 2 years..
--all pharmacy chains have different pricing... Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Costco, will NOT have the same pricing for the same meds... in my area theres also two major companies that we can order from here in the U.S... they both have different pricing, and we chose generics if there is an option, but we kept brands available if the MD writes the script that way and doesnt want to change it. on a typical day Mon-Thurs we could order something and it comes in 1-2 days later..
--did you ask the pharmacist if the generic drug was available in the marketplace? sometimes drugs will NOT have a generic due to patents and so forth.. and sometimes the FDA will pull the patent of a generic for a matter of reasons. soo if you had the generic one month and you went back a month later to find out the pharmacy cannot order the drug... ALSO, some companies come out with the same formulation of the medication which results in i.e different color, size, shape, and distinct markings... when that happends and you come to pick up you medicine, the pharmacist will insist on talking to you (consultation) to let you know about the change..
--the person typing the script is the person who submits it to the 3rd party in the process.. it happends all online connected to our servers. most cases i.e monthly prescriptions with refills takes about a minute or two, then they have to be sent to the back of the lab to be filled, two people handle this bottle and ultimately it takes the pharmacist a few minutes to check this off. you also have to realize you are not the only person filling a script at any given time of the day.. if its a new script and the 3rd party is having trouble, expect to wait more, IN A PERFECT WORLD.... what you dont understand is we get calls for alot of customers checking for their scripts and asking about refills, faxes, and we deal with the customers in line... the pharmacist needs to consult patients about their new meds, check in drugs being delivered that day, answer MD questions on the phone or fax, and call backs if the MD writing is not legible or strength is incorrect.. there is sooo much more that happends in the pharmacy, but its not all worth writing it here
--maybe the script in question was a pain drug that insurance companies will monitor. sometimes the drug plans will only allow 120 pills or less of a drug each month, which by the way, if the pharmacy clerk tells you its not covered by your insurance, or its too soon to pick up, call your insurance provider... or ask your doctor to call in a different strength or drug.....
--committing insurance fraud is bit of an accusation. the way the system works is we cannot double fill something in the same day, the computer system will flag the script and the insurance company will deny the co-pay.. there is no need for us to do so, unless you call in a refill number and your doctor calls in a new script for the drug, and even in that case we will catch it before both are even processed in the lab. your whole drug profile for the extent of your being a customer there at longs will pop up, the very top of the list will show what is being processed on that day..not even in the same week if it has a quantity for a 30 day supply. look on the label, and the piece of paper you get with your meds, look all the way at the bottom of the sheet and it will say EDS: then a number next to it. EDS means Estimated Day Supply... we cannot bill something twice in one day, your insurance will NOT allow this. Lastly i loved working there at Longs, they are a great company to work for, you are trying to portray them as a shady business, which is not true. if you worked a day in our shoes i bet you would have a better outlook.. good luck and good life

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#3 UPDATE EX-employee responds

i suggest you put yourself in our position, then point the finger elsewhere... we are only the middle-man

AUTHOR: Sharksfan0825 - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Sunday, December 23, 2007

well first off, i used to work for longs in the pharmacy department typing scripts and handling the 3rd party claims for over 2 years..
--all pharmacy chains have different pricing... Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Costco, will NOT have the same pricing for the same meds... in my area theres also two major companies that we can order from here in the U.S... they both have different pricing, and we chose generics if there is an option, but we kept brands available if the MD writes the script that way and doesnt want to change it. on a typical day Mon-Thurs we could order something and it comes in 1-2 days later..
--did you ask the pharmacist if the generic drug was available in the marketplace? sometimes drugs will NOT have a generic due to patents and so forth.. and sometimes the FDA will pull the patent of a generic for a matter of reasons. soo if you had the generic one month and you went back a month later to find out the pharmacy cannot order the drug... ALSO, some companies come out with the same formulation of the medication which results in i.e different color, size, shape, and distinct markings... when that happends and you come to pick up you medicine, the pharmacist will insist on talking to you (consultation) to let you know about the change..
--the person typing the script is the person who submits it to the 3rd party in the process.. it happends all online connected to our servers. most cases i.e monthly prescriptions with refills takes about a minute or two, then they have to be sent to the back of the lab to be filled, two people handle this bottle and ultimately it takes the pharmacist a few minutes to check this off. you also have to realize you are not the only person filling a script at any given time of the day.. if its a new script and the 3rd party is having trouble, expect to wait more, IN A PERFECT WORLD.... what you dont understand is we get calls for alot of customers checking for their scripts and asking about refills, faxes, and we deal with the customers in line... the pharmacist needs to consult patients about their new meds, check in drugs being delivered that day, answer MD questions on the phone or fax, and call backs if the MD writing is not legible or strength is incorrect.. there is sooo much more that happends in the pharmacy, but its not all worth writing it here
--maybe the script in question was a pain drug that insurance companies will monitor. sometimes the drug plans will only allow 120 pills or less of a drug each month, which by the way, if the pharmacy clerk tells you its not covered by your insurance, or its too soon to pick up, call your insurance provider... or ask your doctor to call in a different strength or drug.....
--committing insurance fraud is bit of an accusation. the way the system works is we cannot double fill something in the same day, the computer system will flag the script and the insurance company will deny the co-pay.. there is no need for us to do so, unless you call in a refill number and your doctor calls in a new script for the drug, and even in that case we will catch it before both are even processed in the lab. your whole drug profile for the extent of your being a customer there at longs will pop up, the very top of the list will show what is being processed on that day..not even in the same week if it has a quantity for a 30 day supply. look on the label, and the piece of paper you get with your meds, look all the way at the bottom of the sheet and it will say EDS: then a number next to it. EDS means Estimated Day Supply... we cannot bill something twice in one day, your insurance will NOT allow this. Lastly i loved working there at Longs, they are a great company to work for, you are trying to portray them as a shady business, which is not true. if you worked a day in our shoes i bet you would have a better outlook.. good luck and good life

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#2 Author of original report

on Longs, Different location. South SanFransisco

AUTHOR: Scott - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, January 12, 2006

Was at the South SanFransisco Longs drugs, in which an approved perscription was being picked up. This by the was was almost a month lator as it needed approval and since they didnt bother to follow up tried making me have to resubmit the perscription for another approval in an attempt to double charge insurance. I notafied the authorities and low and behold the same presinct who came to another location before came here. Was a female officer this time who told me that if Longs Drugs does this, swtiches perscriptions (Switching as in charges for name brand but gives the customer generic) To contact the insurance company, they dont deal in this type of situation.
I told her its a felony to switch medacines, its a felony to comit insurance fraud, its fully proven, its your job as an officer to uphold the laws, including federal. She said its the insurance and not theirs, left me with a card and left.

Other then my own county, it seems the South San Fransisco Police department feels they only have to uphold their own made up laws and that federal for the state of California doesnt need following. Its amazing how many companies out here are comiting crime and the police for this department are outright allowing it. Another situation I saw with this same presinct was that a handicapped person on a bus was refused a handi capped seat to some kids and the police officer refused to enforce the law?

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#1 Author of original report

Longs Drugs insurance fraud

AUTHOR: Scott - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, July 06, 2005

It has been a month since we used Longs drugs and during this time now using another pharmacy we have learned a few other things Longs drugs has been doing comiting fraud with our insurance companies. It seems they have been giving sample medacines in place of what was suppose to be given and charging our insurance for them. A few medacines we were getting from Longs were very small and our doctor said they should have lasted a lot longer. When we switched to a new pharpamcy the medacines were huge. When I asked the pharmisist about the size difference, it was discovered Longs was using small samples in place of what was suppose to be given and charging full price to our insurance and catching the consumer unawares. Im going to be contacting the FDA and IRS against Longs in regards to this matter.

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