I purchased 2 prescriptions + a few other things from chemist warehouse here in Brisbane but upon renewing one of my prescriptions (monthly) they have told me that I didn’t pay for the items purchased previously in March 24/2022. I don’t recall getting a reciept but I did recall scanning my debit card to pay. My Commonwealth Bank account shows the transaction on March 24 at 11:13 am which I showed to the cashier but it wasn’t accepted as proof of payment. The reason they gave me was that there was no record on their computer of the purchases for that day on any search for the amount $58.45. My prescription script shows the date on the little sticker on being dispensed but I didin’t have that one with me but the one that I had made today has the same sticker,same date. I paid them all today so I could get my medication and now I have effectively paid twice. Please any suggestion on what I can do and What are my rights?
Hi @amnew, welcome to the community.
A couple of questions:
- The monthly prescription, does Chemist Warehouse hold this for you or do you take it home and take it back each time you need to fill the repeat?
- Do you have an account with Chemist Warehouse?
- Have you gone back from the start of of the script to reconcile each month’s payment? The 24/03/22 payment could have been against your account/script and the payment could have been for an earlier month, not the month the payment was made.
It is possible that you may have inadvertently forgotten to pay for a monthly script and Chemist Warehouse has found this out from reconciling their account with you. Being a repeat script filled monthly with Chemist Warehouse, this is relatively simple for them to do.
If you believe you have paid it, you will need to prove you have paid every month the script has been filled with them. This means looking at bank statements from the date the script was initially filled and presented to Chemist Warehouse. Until this is done, it is hard to provide advice on how to move forward.
There have been a number of similar complaints on our local FB group about Chemist Warehouse claiming prescriptions were not paid for.
If you click on the transaction on your card account it should show a transaction number that can be traced. One approach is to ask your card issuer to trace that transaction. Another is to lodge a dispute on the transaction and if Chemist Warehouse cannot match it, it will be cancelled.
I take home the script and take it in each time I need it refilled. The little stickers on the scripts show the 24/03/22 as well as the repeat authorisation script stamped with 24/03/22. They only charged me for the prescriptions made on that date, but haven’t haven’t included the other items I purchased in the same transaction as they have no record . The cashier conferred with the Pharmasist who was the one that put that they were unpaid on my account. I am not sure what account they were looking at as I don’t do the repeat script refill automaticalIy. I have an online account with them but have not used that for prescriptions. These scripts have only 2 stickers on them which means they have been dispensed twice and this one that I needed filled 3 times dispensed. I haved checked my bank statement and it shows that I did make a purchase with them on all the dates that I refilled the script. These amounts are more than the prescriptions as I have purchased other things in the same transaction. They have thrown my brain out as I can’t understand why/how they had no record of my payment yet my card was swiped and I had paid for them. Just confused though I will be super careful in future, cashiers will be watched super carefully.
Thank you. I will try with the bank and lodge a dispute. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
It could take many weeks for an outcome. Some of the dispute mechanisms are not amenable to including details, but the details you posted are germane. Either your card payment should show up in Chemist warehouse records, or ? and you need an explanation of where your money went as well as having it re-credited.
Please update how it goes, when it does.
Thanks for the additional information.
The reason for asking if you had the scripts is this will tell you how many times the script has been filled… original script and repeats. This is important information when reconciling payments which has been made as it is usually possible to fill scripts more regularly than normal medicine cycles (such as monthly). If Chemist Warehouse held the scripts, this can make reconciling all script fills more difficult.
The reason for the account question is if it was on account, the account statement can be used to reconcile against your own bank records, and against the number if times the script has been filled.
If you can prove all filled scripts (original and repeats) were paid for, you will need to document/compile this information to prove you have been overcharged. Once you have all necessary proof, take it to the pharmacy and show the pharmacist. Deal with the pharmacist rather than one of the floor staff. You also might need to arrange an appointment rather than just turning up as the pharmacist may be busy.
If you have been overcharged, you have a right to be reimbursed the overcharged amount.
Alternately, if the mistake has been made by the pharmacy and your records reconcile it, why should the customer need to do any more than say so?
It’s an argument that the customer is guilty until they can prove otherwise.
Having over time had other types of issues with over the counter transactions I always ask for a receipt from the machine, which provides a relatable record.
Comments:
I don’t follow how the Business could have provided the scripts and other items over the counter at no charge. Mistakes happen, but it should have been apparent the same day when the business computer was doing it’s thing of reconciling the days transactions. For the business to do nothing in response on the next day seems lax.
My most recent experiences with two local businesses where they have made errors have not been difficult to resolve. They were followed up promptly in both instances by the business, one with a phone call and the other SMS. The most recent involved a CC transaction where the business undercharged for the goods supplied against an authorisation over the phone. It happens because you can’t see the entry directly while the staff person taking the order may not be as disciplined in their training. Some issue an e-receipt and email or SMS. Some do not charge until the goods are delivered.
I could stand corrected but as a Chemist Warehouse customer it appears their system works roughly as follows:
a) the pharmacy dispenses the scripts and the pharmacy system generates a charge record that goes into their POS system and the scripts are handed to the customer.
b) at checkout OTC and general items are scanned, but only one of the script items gets scanned to identify the dispensing transaction, and the POS seems to add the lot of them to the tax invoice for payment.
c) Once paid the POS system updates the pharmacy records. If that step fails it explains the anecdotal reports.
If that split system is how it is implemented a daily reconciliation would simply carry the scripts balance along for those who keep their scripts on file.
In response to a disputed transaction Chemist Warehouse would be expected to provide a copy of the tax invoice/receipt that the store apparently could not retrieve. That receipt would show the scripts as line items.
Chemist Warehouse does things differently to other pharmacies we visit. The local Amcal and Guardian don’t hand over filled prescriptions until paid for. Chemist Warehouse dispense and one takes it to the front register for payment (a supermarket type approach). The Chemist Warehouse approach can lead to one taking a filled prescription from a store without paying, if one is used to the more traditional type approach. Chemist Warehouse tries to prevent this occurring by putting filled prescriptions into sealled, chipped containers, which are supposed to trigger the exit sensors.
Sometimes, not always. It varies from a chipped container to a sealed special bag, to an open special bag, from time to time in the same store. Some of the local CWs have security at the front door, others don’t.
I suspect customers who don’t keep scripts on file (eg possibly once off customers, etc) get the chipped boxes and we ongoing known customers the bags.
The user has proof of payment made to CW on the day. The pharmacy has no records but refuses to accept the bank record of payment. Whether or not the customer went through a register is therefore moot in this discussion, as they obviously did make payment. It is a failure of CW systems to properly account for their transaction history and as such they must take responsibility and not charge the customer again, this is not a customer problem of not paying or not having proof of payment.
The discussions above of whether the customer actually paid, if they have scripts to show medicines were dispensed, whether they actually paid or not and so on is just distraction from the issue that payment was made and CW refuses to accept proof and requires another payment for their system failure. ACL requires some proof of payment (purchase) but it does not have to be a receipt, it can be a bank record showing proof of payment. From the ACCC it does not have to be a receipt (though this is probably the most handy way):
" A receipt can come in the form of a:
- a GST tax invoice or
- a cash register or hand written receipt.
Other types of proof of purchase include:
- credit or debit card statement [This what the customer provided]
- a lay-by agreement
- a receipt or reference number given for phone or internet payments
- a warranty card showing the supplier’s or manufacturer’s details and the date and amount of the purchase
- a serial or production number linked with the purchase on the supplier’s or manufacturer’s database
- a copy or photograph of the receipt."
I went to my bank and got the receipt number for the transaction in question then went into Chemist Warehouse and handed over that information for the cashier to search the system. She did eventually find the transaction made and printed out a receipt to show me and it appeared that the medication was not scanned. When I queried she told me that sometimes the scanner doesn’t scan the prescriptions when the cashier swipes the codes. I replied with that I understand that yes that could happen with one but 2 scripts? That was the only explanation she could reply with. I will be more careful in future and ask for a receipt as well as change to a different chemist as this is the last straw for me with Chemist Warehouse. Thank you to you all for replying and advising me on my rights. It is very much appreciated.
Hi @amnew, I am pleased that you followed up and appears that for some reason the filled script wasn’t scanned…and appears that Chemist Warehouse were correct that there was a script which wasn’t paid for. If it wasn’t a repeat script and/or it was a one off visit, may never had the opportunity to follow up payment at a later date. 
While it isn’t known why the script wasn’t scanned, hopefully the store follows up with staff on the registers to prevent a reoccurrence and also to possibly mention to customers when being handed the filled script to present it at the register for payment.
So it was still a system failure on CW’s part. You made payment in good faith expecting that they have a system that is appropriate for the task. Their failure to ensure that their service is fit for purpose, and that they couldn’t find a record initially (which is a further sign of their system being an unfit for purpose one), is perhaps a most damning indictment of their processes.
I am glad that you have finally resolved the issue, and I applaud your move to obtain and retain receipts. I generally take a photo on my smart phone after getting the receipt, I find that many receipts fade in a short period or are easily discarded by mistake. After enough time has passed in my estimation, I delete the photos that are for simple things like scripts and similar and only retain those for purchases that have warranty periods.
It seems the original cause was human error (not scanning a script), and the inability to find the transaction was probably more human error (unfamiliarity with the system and how to find transactions using search criteria). Different from systems not fit for purpose. It could be a training issue or a newer staff member, or a longer term staff member who was distracted.
Armed with the transaction information from the bank it appears to have been resolved quickly.
I disagree that it wasn’t a system not fit for purpose though I did refer to service not fit for purpose. CW’s system failed and when first presented with proof of payment that payment information couldn’t be found. It took a further attempt before a payment was found and the fault described by the CW employee was a system failure, perhaps not an IT one (though if scanners don’t acknowledge the scanned code that’s IT). We will agree to disagree on this it seems.
Since this issue has been resolved this topic is now closed.
If a member has a similar issue and needs advice please start a new topic or PM a moderator and this topic can be reopened, as appropriate.
