Bargain Chemist Eastgate

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Reviews

1. Sharon sam ★★★★★

   I went to the pharmacy two days ago to get medication for my mother, and honestly the place is excellent and the service is extremely good. I was welcomed by a male staff member who was very friendly, kind, and helpful, with an excellent medical background. I can see a big improvement in the staff, as it’s clear he is new to the place, and the pharmacist on duty was also very, very cooperative.

   almost 3 months ago
2. Logan Smith ★☆☆☆☆

   My recent visit to the Bargain Chemist at Eastgate mall in Christchurch was, without exaggeration, one of the most unprofessional pharmacy experiences I’ve ever had. The first staff member I encountered an older man working behind the counter was behaving in a manner that was completely unhygienic and entirely unacceptable (picking his nose, scraping his nutsacks and finishing off with deep cleansing of his bum) in a healthcare environment. His conduct made me question how this pharmacy maintains even the most basic standards of cleanliness and professionalism. On top of that, he was loudly calling out customers’ names along with their medication details. This is a serious breach of privacy. One woman collecting her birth control looked visibly uncomfortable, and it was honestly disturbing to see patient confidentiality handled so carelessly. A pharmacy should be protecting people’s privacy, not publicly broadcasting it. To make matters worse, several staff members appeared disengaged, standing around with no urgency and no interest in assisting customers. Even though the store wasn’t busy, no one bothered to approach me or offer help. One blonde-haired female staff member even looked directly at me, pulled a face, and then walked away without saying a single word. Completely unprofessional. The only positive part of my visit was an older female staff member who eventually stepped in to assist me. She showed actual professionalism, courtesy, and product knowledge something severely lacking in the rest of the team. Everything else? Appalling. I genuinely don’t understand how management allows this level of behaviour, especially in a pharmacy where hygiene, privacy, and customer care are meant to be top priorities. If I encounter these issues again, I won’t hesitate to raise it further through formal complaints through company owners and social media. Maybe that’s what it will take for this store to take customer service, privacy, and basic hygiene seriously.

   almost 3 months ago
3. H.bmcgregor ★☆☆☆☆

   Worst pharmacy I've ever been too. I went to pick up a prescription that had been sent by the Dr. The girl who served me said it was ready and went to go and find it. I was watching her. She was looking for it everywhere. In every container, behind the containers and even asked a colleague to help look for it. After 20mins of searching she comes back to the counter looks at me and says " How can I help you? " she had forgotten she was looking for my prescription and didn't remember me. I told her your looking for my prescription right ? She looked embarrassed and continued looking and after almost 45mins of waiting it magically appeared. Im not even sure if it was ready or someone made it on the spot but since then I get all my prescriptions sent to Unichem. Seems like they don't have a system in place and are very unorganized. Avoid getting your prescription from here

   almost 3 months ago

1. Paige Roberts ★☆☆☆☆

   Now I’m not one to write reviews but this really annoyed me, I Took in a prescription to be filled after having wisdom teeth removed. A male staff said it would take around 30 min max. Mind you they have not long opened as I went in at 9:04am, I came back 40 min later and waited another 20 before I asked what’s taking so long and they hadn’t even started it!!! Too much yapping going on and not enough filling people’s prescriptions, an older lady in-front of me had dropped of her prescription the previous morning and came back this morning to pick it up… they hadn’t even began hers either!!! Terrible service and was just given poor excuse after poor excuse I would avoid altogether from now on- THIS IS YOUR WARNING!! If I could give zero stars I would!

   almost 4 months ago
2. Enquiry ★★☆☆☆

   I typically don't write reviews and I really wish I had checked the reviews before! This feedback pertains to the pharmacy aspect, highlighting two main issues: 1) their poor customer service and 2) their disregard for privacy obligations. The counter signs clearly indicate where you should stand, specifically for DROP OFF and PICK UP. While I was dropping off, I was relieved to find that I was the only one in the drop off line. In front of me, two girls were working on a computer together. Neither of them bothered to look up and acknowledge me. Another assistant came by to check on them, noticed me standing there, and simply walked past without a word. I waited patiently. I even leaned on the countertop to subtly 'signal my humble presence'. At that moment, a fourth assistant emerged from behind a wall, stood directly in front of me, rifled through a stack of TEND prescriptions that were carelessly left out exposed on the countertop I was leaning on, and completely ignored me. That made it FOUR assistants who blatantly overlooked me. I also counted another four assistants busy preparing prescriptions. At that point, I decided it was time to make my presence known loudly enough to wake them up! I raised my voice and asked, "Is there any employee here at this counter responsible for receiving DROP OFF prescriptions? Or are they all on a leave of absence?" That worked! I was acknowledged! One of the girls at the computer shot me a sidelong glance, hoping I wouldn’t notice. But I did, and I seized the moment to make her interact with me! I queried the timeframe of when it would be ready as she placed my prescription on top of the pile of exposed prescriptions. I rattled off a patient's name, their address, their NHI, their prescription, and their doctor's name. She looked at me curiously, then realised I had read the top page of the pile. Then bewildered, she had the audacity to tell me I had no right to read that. I responded, saying "that as a company, you have a duty to protect people's privacy. Leaving information out in the open is a violation of that duty. If I were in your position, I would move that pile to a safer place!" Anyway, I had to wait 30-40 minutes for my prescription. Since I wasn't in a rush, I chose to pick it up later. Now that I've gone through the google reviews, I'm ready for the delays!! I'm irritated by the customer service and their clear negligence in safeguarding people's information. I haven't used this pharmacy for my prescriptions previously; it was just convenient this time around. So, it's a lesson learned for me: I need to find a better one!!! As I still need to collect my prescription, I'll leave another review of that experience. Following up on the previous feedback, I must say this is somewhat amusing: the next day, I called in advance to check on my prescription. The gentleman on the line informed me, "Yes, your prescription is READY for you to pick up." Within 15 minutes, I was standing in the "Pickup" line. However, it took the elderly Indian gentleman 15 minutes to locate my prescription. He shuffled back and forth three times, scratching his head and scrunching his nose, rummaged through numerous containers, glanced at me while picking his nose as he walked back the other way, searched through more shelves, returned to the counter to check the computer screen again, confirmed my medication once more before finally preparing my prescription. So, it wasn't ready at all! Nevertheless, I appreciate the delightful Indian man for the entertainment he provided, as he reminded me of Mr. Bean, which truly brightened my day! :) :)

   almost 6 months ago
3. Steve Roberts ★☆☆☆☆

   Don’t waste your time going to this place.. I don’t know if they’re all the same but I’ve never had a good experience at Eastgate. They never have stock on things I want and the staff make you feel guilty for asking. None of the staff ever seem happy, and free prescriptions? I’ve never had a free one. One time I went there to see if it was possible to get an OTC mild antibiotic, the lady said sure, just speak to one of the pharmacists and he’ll help you out. The pharmacist went on to mock me for asking such a silly question and told me “I need to be living in Thailand to get that sort of thing” then laughed at me. The last straw for me, I was just after a specific shave gel they had on their website “in stock”. I got there to find it’s not in stock, and the lady I had asked just said “out of stock” and wouldn’t look at me or talk when I asked another question. I went to Chemist Warehouse at the palms and oh what a difference.. Friendly helpful staff in a vibrant store and everything I was after was in stock. The difference was black and white.

   almost 2 years ago

1. James Medley ★★★★★

   Dispensary staff have amazing customer service skills. I can see why people get mad with long waits, although this is a very busy pharmacy and it should be expected. I don't think people realise there's more to getting a prescription filled than just grabbing the medication off the shelf.

   almost 2 years ago
2. Ashlee is legend ★☆☆☆☆

   Uncontactable by phone Also some staff are unprofessional. 2 times in a row have had problems and now im having more problems trying to ph

   almost 2 years ago
3. Emily Sullivan ★☆☆☆☆

   It’s probably not the fault of the staff, but the dispensary staff always seem very unhappy in their job and at times are quite anti. I asked for help on Thursday after waiting 30 mins already, and the lady at the dispensary sharply said “sorry were serving other people you’ll have to wait” but she didn’t listen to me. I was just asked how much longer it would take because I’d already been waiting 30 mins or more. I always feel guilty for even asking for my scrips, like I’m annoying the staff somehow. Will probably go to the countdown instead now.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Stacey Broughton ★☆☆☆☆

   I'm not one to complain, publically. However.. every time I have been to this specific chemist, I've been met with rude/cold/poor attitude customer service attendants. ( Both from the retail side, and dispensary ) Also, seems there is a lack of training. The few customer service attendants couldn't help with a question I had. Also, slow to tell me correct information which had me waiting atleast 20 mins for a prescription that was never there but was told was there. So you are aware, I would come to this chemist because it is the closest to me. I now make effort to go elsewhere. Lastly, I know it's a busy time of year.. but the phone is never answered.

   almost 3 years ago

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