La Jolla Discount Pharmacy

Wow this place is really bad at customer service, had a prescription call in from inside the building. Then they say they cannot verify my insurance so I call the card myself and they verify the drug is paid for entirely. After a long back and fourth they call again and find out it is paid for, then they asked me to wait another 15 minutes while they fill the prescription. What a waste of time … it is almost as though they just wanted me to pay for the prescription myself and not use insurance.

This pharmacy needs to get it together. I go here because it’s the closest place to get my fertility meds. But going to rancho Santa Fe may be worth the extra drive time. Last week I called so they could mix my meds for me and they would be ready when I got there. Not too difficult right when you are spending 2000 on meds. I get there and I had to wait 30 mins for them to mix it then had to pay 3 dollars for parking because I wasn’t under 30 mins.
Then I went in today and saw the Unilocal check in offer for free multivitamins with a check in. So after paying another 1000 in meds the girl said she had no idea what that was and wouldn’t give me a free thing of vitamins. Not a huge deal but still annoying to offer it then not follow through.
Then I got home and realized that they didn’t give me the correct amount of meds that I asked for. So now I have to drive all the way back over there today. Not happy!

I’m giving this pharmacy 5 stars because of price and friendliness! Location is only slightly inconvenient as it is located right in the middle of the scripps la jolla hospital campus, but it is SO worth it! I was undergoing some expensive treatment and they literally saved me $ 900 on one of the medications alone! In fact, it was cheaper to pay out-​of-​pocket there than it was to pay the insurance price elsewhere! No joke! Don’t assume that the insurance price is always cheaper. I’ve saved thousands by comparing prices with la jolla discount pharmacy.

Overall, this pharmacy is doing a good job. I have picked up prescriptions that require refrigeration so they ask that you call 10 minutes prior to arrival. For the most part, my prescriptions were filled quickly without much waiting. This pharmacy also gave me a rebate form to fill out which resulted in saving half the cost of my prescription.

I am normally a CVS/​RiteAid kinda gal. but I was directed to this pharmacy due to their competitive prices on specific medications I need.
At first approach, it really does live up to the name– DISCOUNT pharmacy. It felt like I had been transported to a PicN’Save from my childhood with recycled metal shelving and price gun labeling on a random assortment of pharmacy type needs. Despite the lack of glamorous settings, the pharmacy really has wow-​ed me with their level of customer service. Both in person and over the phone — they have been super kind, accommodating and informative. Even when they made a pricing mistake, they were quick to correct it over the phone and offer to send documentation via mail.
I can’t say anything about the drugs or pricing since I had no other choice but to come here. but at least with the service and assistance I received — I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
It appears to be family-​run which gets the additional star to a total 5. I have no qualms about this business and although no one likes entertaining medical concerns, they help make at least part of the process manageable. I appreciate that very much.

Great pharmacy & great prices! Very friendly staff, and they remember your name. The pharmacist helped me save even more money with a rebate program for 2 of my prescriptions.

Amazing prices! This pharmacy is located in the scripps hospital on the ground level. I called around to prob around 15 pharmacies in San Diego and their prices were half of what others were charging for a non generic prescription. Seriously other places were quoting 200 – 300 for the script and it was 107 at La Jolla discount. My health insurance doesn’t cover any scripts written outside of the network so this place saves a lot of money when I have to pay out of pocket.
I got quick proficient service and they even told me if I find a better price else where they might be able to match it. I just have to let them know in advance and they will discuss with the manager. Free validation also.

yes. pricing is great here. I recommend if you don’t have insurance coverage of certain meds.

I used to work in the Ximed Building and many of our patients filled their prescriptions there. David has always been very courteous and helpful with medication allergy questions, etc. I highly recommend this pharmacy.

Busy yet fast! Nice service. Love that they deliver! Great little pharmacy servicing a large community

Still sucks! I subjected my husband to the madness this time. My Dr. called my prescription in the day before letting them know it would be picked up the following day. My husband arrives and #1-​they asked him several times if i already picked it up yesteryday, #2-​they never even had it made, #3-​waited over an hour again. He was furious because once again we are taking time out of work thinking we are saving time by having these things called in a day before!
I don’t understand why they are so disorganized and lost in this place. Maybe because its all high school kids at the counter who have no idea whats going on??? I WISH THERE WAS A DIFFERENT PHARMACY!

Every time I have visited this pharmacy the staff have been efficient and courteous, even at their busiest. I have never had to wait for more than 15 minutes, even for some weird concoctions that required special compounding. I try to time my visits for around 9AM or 5PM when they seem less crowded.
David is super-​helpful — I heard him helping out an older customer who was fed up of coming in on multiple days to pick up refills. He took 5 minutes to review her notes then set her up with some extra medications so that now all her prescriptions are coordinated and she only has to come in once to get them all. How’s that for service?

I try to avoid this pharmacy unless its necessary. I work in the building and sometimes the convenience of their location doesn’t outway the bad. My main gripe is no matter when my prescription has been sent over they won’t fill it unless I’m standing there waiting for it. Like today I had a rx sent over at 9am, went down at 2pm and they said it’ll be a 20 minute wait. I feel this unacceptable patient care and it happens to me EVERY time. Another bad experience I had was a couple years ago they were filling a monthly script of mine and always filled it generic. When I came in for a refill the lady gave me brand name and tried to tell me that particular med didn’t come as a generic. We went back and forth a bit and I eventually paid for it thinking maybe I was wrong. I went home and dug my old bottle out of the trash and sure enough it was generic. I brought it to them the next day and then David proceeded to say they always offer generic they probably just ran out. Ok if thats the case and had I been told that I would’ve come back another time or gotten it fillled elsewhere. She blatantly lied and said it didn’t come as a generic. So I try to avoid filling prescriptions here but they have good snacks if I dont bring a lunch to work.

They were very nice when I walked in. Took all my information and told me it would be about 10 minutes. 45 minutes later I’m still waiting and when I asked for an update I was told «it’s ready the pharmacist just needs to check it» the girl then asked for my name which I gave her only to hear somome pipe up from the other side of the counter «thats the one shes working on now»
Don’t lie to me. If u dont know the status of my meds just tell me you don’t know, and then try to find out.
In the future if I have to use this pharmacy again I will call ahead and hopefully at that time will be able to raise my rating.
I must say though for meds they were decently priced.

While conveniently located within the Ximed building, the loooong wait, and the poor customer service makes it a really frustrating process. Like many other, I go here because of fertility medications– which they really conveniently carry. My doctor will call in a large set of medications at one time for an upcoming round, I will then process get a minimum 2 – 5 phone calls and emails from discount pharmacy hounding me about when I will come in to pick them up. I will always tell them a date and time, but then everytime I go to pick them up they are never ready, and minimum 30 minute wait.
The other issue is the staff. One of the front counter girls is very competent, efficient, and mostly nice, while the two others I have most recently encountered made it very clear they were having bad days and helping me was the last thing they wanted to be doing. When you are paying thousands of dollars cash, I do expect to at least be helped by a courteous employee.
We have used a pharmacy in Rancho Santa Fe and an online speciality pharmacy which were great experiences… just not as conveniently located.

I was a little nervous about sending my prescription to La Jolla Discount Pharmacy after reading the reviews on Unilocal.I was purchasing a medication that was not covered by my insurance so I had to pay out of pocket. When calling around, the medication at La Jolla Discount Pharmacy was almost half the price of what the pharmacy at UCSD quoted me. So, I sent my prescription to La Jolla Discount.
I did not realize that this pharmacy is in the Scripps facility in La Jolla. I parked in one of the parking lots for the hospital and hoped it was okay. The people working there were really nice and helpful. However, it was a little strange to see a little mini mart in the pharmacy. My prescription did take a little longer than I anticipated, but the savings was worth it. They validate too, so my parking was free! Overall a good experience.

I was a little worried when they were unlocking the doors at 9am to set up, but wow they were in place & spoke with me within seconds of opening.
My Dr said they’d called ahead, but when I arrived I wasn’t in the system. They took charge & called my Dr to get it straightened out. I heard my Dr apologize on the other end of the phone, so I assume it wasn’t the pharmacy’s fault.
They filled my prescription & did a wonderful job explaining each item.
I found both David and the pharmacy staff very friendly and helpful.

Busy little pharmacy. Really nice staff and pharmacist.
— Tip: Remember to ask the cashier to stamp your parking ticket.
Validation is good for 45 minutes.

Wow, this is the worst experience I’ve had with a pharmacy providing IVF medications. It’s unfortunate, because this one is geographically closest to us. The other local and mail order pharmacies have been very accommodating due to the sensitive nature of these medications, and the large out of pocket expenses.
I think David is the owner/​main pharmacist, and he’s actually the one who caused the problems, then wouldn’t help correct them.
1. They got the PRESCRIPTION WRONG. I spoke with David yesterday to review exactly how many of each medication I needed. My husband so nicely went to pick up the meds for me, and they gave him too many of one, and none of the other (the one I ran out of this morning).
2. They misquoted the PRICE. I reviewed pricing with David yesterday and what my total out of pocket cost would be. When I went back (for the 2^nd time today due to their mistake above), they charged me an extra $ 50 per box. They didn’t mention that the price had changed or why — I had to catch it on my own.
3. They SCREWED UP THE COUPON. I had filled the same medication with them before but only got one box, and apparently all the IVF pharmacies can use a coupon ONCE for this medication. I wish they would have told me, because I would have filled all the boxes at the same time for the lesser price. They didn’t tell me they even used a coupon in the first place (they just said they were cheaper than everyone else — not true), then today they said the price increased because they used the coupon last time, so it’s no longer valid for me. I can’t use it at any other pharmacy for this medication either.
4. They REFUSED TO MAKE AMENDS. I went over all of this with David today at my second visit, and he said he could not help me because the $ 50 increase was the final price, despite what he told me yesterday. That’s it. No apologies for his mistake, for misquoting the price, for screwing me out of future use of the coupon. Basically, a total lack of customer service. Oh, and he’s sorry I feel that way.
5. They DO NOT PRICE MATCH. I have gone to Rancho Santa Fe Pharmacy in the past, and if they don’t already have the best prices, they will match any competitor’s price. I asked David if he would at least match another price I’d been quoted, and the answer was no. Oh, on top of that, RSF Pharmacy will cut an extra 3% if you pay cash. No such offer from La Jolla Discount Pharmacy.
6. You have to PAY FOR PARKING. This is the smallest issue. You get 15 minutes free with validation, but after waiting in line then going over the issues above, I missed the 15 minute window and had to pay the $ 4 parking fee. Slight insult to large injury.
In short, I had gotten into a bind because I was out of my medication and was counting on the information I had gotten from David over the phone, so they were able to screw me over in multiple ways.
Their aim does not seem to be what’s best for the customer, so make sure you clarify. Their «lower» price is with a one-​time coupon that other pharmacies use as well, but don’t generally include in their baseline pricing. That’s why La Jolla Discount Pharmacy seems to have the best price but in reality is comparable, and in the end you spend more. Once they use the coupon without your knowledge, you’re out of luck for the refills.
Shop around — I recommend Rancho Santa Fe Pharmacy in the San Diego Area, or Freedom Pharmacy for mail orders. At least they are up front about their pricing, which is frequently lower in the first place.

I was here 2 days in a row because the first time, my online pharmacy didn’t deliver the right drugs and I needed it THAT day, and the 2^nd time, another pharmacy didn’t carry the drug.
Pros:
— Fast. Once the prescription is faxed in, it’s filled really quickly. I called ahead to check.
— Huge stock: They have drugs that a lot of other places don’t. So if you have a unique condition, and are in desperate need of drugs that day, they may carry it.
— Free parking: Bring your card, and you get a stamp for 45 minutes free parking (so you don’t have to pay the $ 4 for Ximed parking).
Cons: Expensive. This is no discount pharmacy. I was paying out-​of-​pocket, and something that cost $ 350 online was $ 440 here. Also, they never offered the option of generics — for my second round of pills I was astounded by the price, but when I asked the girl behind the counter (who was just ringing it up, and didn’t seem like a pharmacist) she wasn’t very helpful. In retrospect, i should have asked if generics were an option BEFOREHAND, but I don’t know how I could when the prescription was faxed and ready for me to pick up. I don’t even know if they have generics in stock.