How to say "no" to a customer.

This is another non-rant. Sort of. I do complain, but mostly, I want to point out a retail practice that makes for good business.

The blood-testing apparatus.

It will come as no surprise that the supplies for my diabetes care are covered by our supplemental health insurance. It also won't surprise you that the little strips that are used every time I test my blood sugar cost just shy of a dollar apiece. I test my blood about 3-6 times a day.

That adds up to almost $200 per month.

Recently I had some confusion about how those strips could be billed directly to my insurance, with me only having to pay the co-pay.

Here's what I experienced at two different pharmacies, and why I will hereafter shop at Pharmacy #2.



Pharmacy #1 - near where I work
Despite my printout of a message from my insurance that stated that a doctor's prescription was not required, the pharmacist insisted that he would need one. He asked me to wait while he called the insurer. Not surprisingly, this took a long time and it ended inconclusively. He got off the phone and said he would have to follow up with the insurance company's main office. I left feeling frustrated and with little confidence that the pharmacist would actually follow up. In any case, he had made no effort to gather my contact information.

Pharmacy #2 - near where I live
Also insisted that she was unable to submit a claim without a doctor's written prescription. However, she asked if she could keep a photocopy of my message and call the insurance company later. The following day, I got a call from the pharmacy asking if it was okay for them to fax the insurance company a copy of my message. (Yes, it is odd that the insurance company couldn't get that information more directly, but health information has all sorts of reasonable access controls around it.) I agreed. About an hour later, the pharmacy called me back and explained that the agent had given me incorrect information: I did indeed need a written prescription.

While that won't happen until I have a regular appointment with my new doctor (in late August), I so appreciated the second pharmacy's courteous approach and respect for my time that I will continue to buy my prescriptions and supplies there.

Both suppliers had to tell me they were unable to fulfill my request, but the way in which they did it left me feeling completely different. And that is worth paying for.