SOUNDING OFF: Ripped off? Stunned by good service? Write, blog or text us your experience here
AN ITEM we recently carried about prescription medications generated considerable feedback from readers, some of whom were pharmacists. A reader expressed dismay after discovering that drugs for osteoporosis which cost his mother-in-law €55.75 in Ireland could bought for a fraction of that price in Holland. The tablets were exactly the same except the Dutch ones were a generic equivalent to the branded product, Fosamax, he was familiar with in Ireland.
“I totally agree with your reader concerning the rip-off price for tablets here in Ireland,” a reader identified as AR wrote. “I am taking Cozaar 50mg tablets for blood pressure at a cost of €37.50 per month and it must be bought on prescription. Yet in Spain recently I purchased the same tablets in every respect name-wise and dosage-wise for €16.50 over the counter without a prescription.”
Tim Delaney wrote in to say that the reason there is a generic version of Fosamax available in the Netherlands is that a generic manufacturer won a legal action with regard to the patent. He says “huge price differentials such as this are not unusual” and asks why governments agree with the astronomical prices charged for new medications by the pharmaceutical companies. “Why not ask the drug companies, who spend twice as much money on their lavish drug-marketing practices as they do on research, for a more ethical approach?”
A pharmacist called Brendan Hayes also got in touch to say there is actually a generic alternative to Fosamax. It is “called exactly the generic name itself, Alendronic acid, and would cost the patient €33.29, a significant saving”.
He points out that patients can request that the prescriber specify this brand when prescribing. “Generic alternatives are available for most prescribed medications in Ireland – at the patient’s request. If the current legislation was changed to allow pharmacists to offer such generic alternatives to patients, this would lead to significant competition, driving prices even further down.”
And finally Daniel Shull, purchasing director of the Unicare Pharmacy chain, contacted us with much the same message and to remind readers that there are generic equivalents available in Ireland which offer significant savings.
Brolly good
Catherine Peelo has a “thumbs up for customer service”. She bought a Totes Umbrella in November last year to replace a previous one that had lasted her an impressive eight years. “These cost more than your usual umbrella,” she writes and within six months the new one broke. “I contacted Totes and was asked to return the faulty umbrella. I received a replacement and apology within two weeks of my contacting them and returning the broken item. Excellent customer service that some companies could learn from: both professional and courteous. Here is one customer that will recommend their product.”
Not adding up
An eagle-eyed reader from Louth contacted us about Tesco’s apparent problem with basic arithmetic. Iris O’Sullivan is quite partial to Tesco’s Finest yoghurts but has been miffed by the presence of promotional stickers in both branches of Tesco in Dundalk which she says are misleading.
On the shelves under the yoghurts in question, the price of the tubs is listed as 79 cent for one or four for €3.50 – a saving, the stickers says, of 70 cent. But four times 79 is actually €3.16 so rather than saving 70 cent, buying a four-pack would actually costs shoppers 34 cent.
“On three separate occasions in the last three weeks I have been assured that it was a mistake and would be rectified,” she writes, and says that store workers have blamed head office for misprinting the labels.
We got in touch with Tesco head office and a spokesman accepted that there had been an error with the labelling and said that it should have read €2.50 for four.
The spokesman said the mistake should have been resolved when it was first brought to the attention of the store and committed to having new labels in place in the store by today.
