The majority of the online pharmacies out there are legitimate businesses which will be able to fill our order and help you save money on your medications. However, even once you manage to avoid the fake online pharmacies, you can still have problems with the legitimate ones. Some of the common complaints are late deliveries, credit card overcharging, and very poor customer service. So, how do you find a good online pharmacy?
The first step to finding a good online pharmacy is to avoid the scammers. One of the surest ways to do this is to use the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) program VIPPS. You can simply go to the NABP.net website and get a list of online pharmacies which meet all US regulations about prescription drugs. The downside to this, however, is that only US pharmacies are certified under VIPPS. US pharmacies are almost always more expensive than foreign ones.
If you choose to save money by opting for a foreign pharmacy, then it is very important that the online pharmacy operates from a country which has strict prescription drug regulations. Some of the best nations for this are: US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Curacao, Mexico, and Barbados. Note that, even if the online pharmacy is operated out of one country, it does not necessarily mean that it is filling its prescriptions in that country.
When you place an order at an online pharmacy, your order will be sent to a regular pharmacy to be filled. The pharmacy which fills the prescription is called the dispensing pharmacy. To make sure that your medicine is coming for a reliable source, always contact the online pharmacy to ask where their dispensers are located. Ideally, the dispensing pharmacy should be in one of the aforementioned nations, like Canada.
It is usually best to find online pharmacies which have a toll-free number for customer service. At the very least, they should have an address and email contact info. Do not bother with any online pharmacy which does not return your emails or is rude to you on the phone. You are the customer and you should expect top service, even if it is online.
You can find out a lot about online pharmacies through reviews. However, this is always a bit problematic as most of the pharmacy review sites are fake or biased. Don’t just base your opinion on one pharmacy review. Instead, you should read several reviews to make sure that you are getting valid information.
Using VIPPS is still the only sure way that you will be able to get a legitimate online pharmacy. However, legitimate does not always mean “good” and there are only a handful of VIPPS online pharmacies all of which usually cost more. With the right amount of research into an online pharmacy, you can really find one with great services and cheap prices. What we recommend is this: the first time you order from an online pharmacy, only place a small order. This way, you will be able to find out if it is a good online pharmacy without risking your money.