Since we'll all be locked in our houses, Coronavirus

[mihaid]

Now you have made the giant leap from cash to card you need to look into contactless payment, most credit / debit cards have this built in with a limit of £30 (recently raised to £45 I'm told)

still not high enough for my weekly shop. it turns out that having accidentally put my credit card through the washing machine it survived intact signature and all.

 

[EEPhil]

Now you have made the giant leap from cash to card you need to look into contactless payment, most credit / debit cards have this built in with a limit of £30 (recently raised to £45 I'm told)

Don't think I'm going to enable that. It's not my card. I'm shopping for someone else. You are right about the £45 limit coming in.

 

[Black Hole]

Don't think I'm going to enable that.

What do you mean enable it? You either have a contactless card, or you don't. Any cards issued in the last couple of years will be contactless unless you have specifically asked for cards without that function.

 

[EEPhil]

What do you mean enable it?

I was under the impression, possible wrongly, that the first time you try to use contactless you have to enter the PIN. Otherwise anyone could take your card and steal £30 (£45) here, there and everywhere. They still could if I'm right and I've "enabled" it.

 

[Black Hole]

I was under the impression, possible wrongly, that the first time you try to use contactless you have to enter the PIN. Otherwise anyone could take your card and steal £30 (£45) here, there and everywhere. They still could if I'm right and I've "enabled" it.

Maybe, not sure. Whatever, I think you are being unnecessarily cautious and denying yourself the benefits of cashless transactions - particularly, at present, paying without touching anything that's not yours. Cash can transfer bugs, shops don't want cash at the moment (or ever, really), and you could receive a forged note in your change, or be short changed. Somebody stealing your card isn't much different from somebody stealing your cash (except you can't cancel cash). The banks are required to protect you by regulation when it comes to cards, not so cash.

If you want to be cautious while still using contactless, keep your card in an RF screened case so it can't accidentally do a contactless transaction.

 

[mihaid]

I was under the impression, possible wrongly, that the first time you try to use contactless you have to enter the PIN.correct

correct

 

[Black Hole]

OK, here's the latest debacle: The elderly friend I support needed a prescription collected from the pharmacy attached (but not connected with) her GP practice. I spoke to the GP practice (by phone) about arranging delivery, but they said the pharmacy was nothing to do with them and gave me the phone number. I then spent several days this week trying to phone the pharmacy at various times of day, they never pick the phone up or the line is busy (I guess when somebody else is also being ignored).

So I had no choice but to go over there and queue (as I knew I would have to), at least it was a nice day. When I got near the front of the queue (about 80 minutes) somebody came and got a list of names and addresses, I thought so they could bring out the prescriptions, but no - despite having the script sent over electronically several days ago, they were only preparing them when somebody turns up to collect.

When mine was ready I was called in, and it was short. Not only was it short, there were owings from previously which they claimed not to know anything about. I asked if there was any way to get the shortages delivered, because the patient in question is 87, and they said "if you have difficulty collecting, give us a ring". I said "I've been trying all week, you never answer your phone".

So now I will have to go over to Bristol and queue up again, another day, with no way to know in advance whether I can get the shortages made up. This is clearly unacceptable.

While I was near the front of the (by now very long) queue, a well-to-do looking woman (maybe late 70s early 80s) came along and saw the queue, and managed to blag her way into it just behind me (that person decided not to wait any longer). I forget how the conversation started, but it turned out she had only put her repeat request into the box earlier today. "You mean the slip with the boxes to tick to request a prescription?" Apparently, yes. "But that has to be processed by the GP to issue an actual prescription, which then gets sent from the GP practice to the pharmacy, and that takes at least three working days so I recommend you go home now and come back in a week." "Oh, well I just came back from some time abroad, I don't know how the system works. I'll go and ask somebody." "Well, if you want to waste your time and theirs by not believing me, go ahead." She left, muttering. She must have known, how else would she have got a repeat request slip except by having done it before. My impression: somebody who felt entitled over and above everyone else in the same position.

 

[mihaid]

So now I will have to go over to Bristol and queue up again, another day, with no way to know in advance whether I can get the shortages made up. This is clearly unacceptable.

don't you have some small village pharmacy near you and also near the GP to which the emailed prescription could be sent. went in about one hr before closing time today for my mil and even if two people were in front, it took me 10 mins to get in. did not get anything bcause bl00dy wife did not check with gp whether repeat prescription had been sent.

will need another visit but guess what, one hr before closing.

 

[Black Hole]

don't you have some small village pharmacy near you and also near the GP to which the emailed prescription could be sent.

How is that going to resolve the "owings"? For the future, I have set up ordering via Patient Access and intend to have the prescription directed to a delivery service.

 

[mihaid]

How is that going to resolve the "owings"? For the future, I have set up ordering via Patient Access and intend to have the prescription directed to a delivery service.

ignore it then if it's good for nothing.

 

[MikeSh]

For the future, I have set up ordering via Patient Access and intend to have the prescription directed to a delivery service.

My wife uses Pharmacy2U or something (the official one). They missed a couple of things off her latest order and can't fix it. So she had to contact the GP to get a prescription sent to the local pharmacy and one of us has to go in a fetch it.

We need milk so I'll go grab 'some other things' from the convenience store while I'm getting infected

 

[Black Hole]

Ha! Almost a week later, Morrison's have sent me an email asking me to rate my ordering experience. Guess what...

 

[Black Hole]

My wife uses Pharmacy2U or something (the official one). They missed a couple of things off her latest order and can't fix it.

Well, that's a bugger then, no good me setting up delivery either.

don't you have some small village pharmacy near you and also near the GP

In Bristol? I reckon it would be better to go with a big place like Boots.

 

[mihaid]

Well, that's a bugger then, no good me setting up delivery either.


In Bristol? I reckon it would be better to go with a big place like Boots.

Big place big queues

 

[Black Hole]

More stock more staff.

 

[mihaid]

Well, you said it yourself, you lost a whole day, I took 10 minutes

 

[Black Hole]

Yeah, but I have no idea where there could be a village pharmacy to direct the prescription to (by definition, there are no village pharmacies inside a city). It took me an afternoon at the pharmacy on the GP premises, so I figure anything will be better than that.

 

[MikeSh]

My wife uses Pharmacy2U or something (the official one). They missed a couple of things off her latest order and can't fix it. So she had to contact the GP to get a prescription sent to the local pharmacy and one of us has to go in a fetch it.

We need milk so I'll go grab 'some other things' from the convenience store while I'm getting infected

Did this yesterday. It was quicker than in normal times
No-one else in there. The prescription hadn't been made up yet (it was short notice), so I went to get the milk, came back and had the pack in my hand within a minute or so of that.

I'd seen a queue along the road for the small Boots in the town a few days ago, so this was a very pleasant surprise.

 

[EEPhil]

Up until now we have been able to get repeat prescriptions by going to the designated* pharmacy and requesting they put in the order to the GP electronically. The proper prescription is sent electronically from the GP to the pharmacy, who then make it up and deliver it free (if asked). I usually go to the pharmacy with a bit of paper (not the prescription, but a printed by the pharmacy on a prescription form) with boxes ticked for the repeat prescription. It has worked so far. Tomorrow I'll see whether it works during the current problems.
(* pharmacy known to the GP as to be the one I'm dealing with)
In the past, the system has worked with a telephone consultation with a GP who has issued a new one-off prescription and sent it to the pharmacy and they have delivered it.

 

[EEPhil]

Ha! Almost a week later, Morrison's have sent me an email asking me to rate my ordering experience. Guess what...

I wish they'd sent me an email to rate the "in-store" shopping experience even before the current problems. Like most of the local supermarkets the experience is .
Morrisons tell you to stay 2m away from each other and their staff - but don't do anything about the knob head who wanders around aimlessly and misses customers by less than 20cm.