An ode to ineptitude

I am in so much pain today. I feel like one giant muscle cramp. This is due, in no small part, to the pharmacy that dispenses my medication. I have two prescribed medications: one is a standard PBS drug that is available in any pharmacy in Australia; the other is a little-known drug that is not available on the general market.

It's the second one that I've had no end of trouble with since I started taking it in September 2004. I have to order it from a compounding pharmacy in another country (which I won't name, since I really don't want them to hate me any more than they already do). I ordered this latest batch on the 4th of August, and by the 31st it still hasn't arrived. When I queried this I was told that my order had been mislaid and wasn't processed until the 28th.

I'm a reasonable guy, one who mislays things with an embarrassing regularity in fact. So I can understand the odd mislaiage of an order. Except that this is the fourth order I have put in with this company, and it's the fourth that they've fucked up in some way.

On the first order I was charged the GST (VAT) of their country, which obviously as an Australian citizen I shouldn't have to pay. That was fairly quickly remedied and the extra amount refunded.

The second order was dispensed promptly, 200 tablets short, due to a problem with the prescription provided by the doctor. When I pointed out that all they had to do was to email me and I would supply a new one they answered that they wanted to dispense it as quickly as possible so that I wouldn't be without the drug if there was any delay. I have to admit that this sentiment was nice and demonstrated some level of consideration (although in light of more recent events it seems they aren't consistently considerate).

The third order I wasn't charged at all and sent someone else's credit card receipt. Being the honest and upstanding guy that I am I told them about it, although I was met with not a little resistance in sorting it out. Really it was more a case of not wanting my card charged in future when they finally figured it out themselves.

And now here I am, nearly a month after submitting my fourth order and nothing to show for it except aching legs, back, arms and neck.

The word "inept" seems a tad understated at this juncture.