Internet Pharmacies: Nefarious Scam or Good Service

Internet Pharmacies: Nefarious Scam or Good Service
by Amy O'Hare

When you're online and searching for products such as refrigerators or socks, the choices are endless, but at least you know when you are on a reliable Web site (i.e., K-Mart or Wal-Mart, etc.) versus one that seems a little suspect (i.e., Bob's Used Refrigerators or Nelson's Sock World). But when you are shopping for medication online and looking for a good, inexpensive deal, where do you turn? The trustworthy companies in the United States are all familiar and sometimes have discounted name brand pharmaceuticals. However, more often than not, due to the rising costs of healthcare in America, the prices for such medicine seems pricy compared to all the other foreign online pharmacies that sell generic drugs (sometimes for HALF the cost).

But when you go to those websites most seem characteristics of scammers trying to get your social security number or credit card information. Most of the sites do not provide real customer service attributes, such as an online agent or 1-800 number. Rather they create an illusion that they are there to help you in your time of need with an obvious photo of an old smiling doctor, stethoscope perfectly placed around the neck. This rhetorical ploy sometimes leaves anyone searching for medications via an online pharmacy with a discomfort greater than whatever is ailing them in the first place.

Like buying a car from a slimy dealer or a watch from a traveling circus, the age-old Latin caveat of buyer beware becomes prevalent when buying your pills online. That's why I created my blog http://www.onlinepharmacyfivethings.blogspot.com, which details five critical points for buying drugs online. I have scoured the world wide web, seeking out the best and most reliable online pharmacies, while reporting the nefarious ones to the BBB. I test the waters and make small purchases on some, while retesting those that I have had success with in the past, just to ensure they haven't faltered. The scary thing is that, on a weekly basis, I find the number of new online pharmacies cropping amidst an atmosphere where there is little-to-no repercussions for those that do not provide good customer service for online medications.

But those that do provide decent customer care, get listed on my blog. And those that provide good care, but do not advertise on a regular basis, get my recommendation as well, whenever possible. Speaking of those online pharmacies that do not really advertise, one of the major criteria for good customer service is an online consultation that remains private and discreet. The online consultations are mainly through an easy-to-use online form that you fill out. After that, a certified physician will assess your condition quickly and inline with typical doctor-patient relationship guidelines. After this process, an order confirmation of some type is obtained. Then, a package arrives at your doorstep (although you have to be there to sign for it) only a few days later (depending on what kind of mail service you choose). Is it so hard to provide those kind of service for a reasonable price? Those that don't make the cut don't follow these above-stated criteria and should be blacklisted. Not only do they miss fulfilling the criteria, they sometimes actually steal from the credit card holder. One time I had an extra $200 charged to internet sites which are too erotic to mention here. Beyond that there are instances where your information becomes ripe for spammers, taking months to get your junk mail filter augmented in order to decrease the number of nasty emails.

As it stands now, the scammers and the non-scammers get there day online. They fill a market-gap for many Americans without insurance (or for those with it, but still refuse to pay outrageous prices for name-brand pills). Maybe that's what we should really start investigating instead of those scammer online pharmacies. Maybe we should ask why does such a market exist in the first place? Is it because our own country's health-care system is imperfect? Not sure, could be.