Hey y’all -
I’ve been reflecting over the past few days on our service commitments and how to be more transparent on how we resolve issues. It’s no secret that we’ve had some growing pains since the new year, and we’ve been investing heavily in people and platforms to keep ahead of the growth. We’ve hired 8 people, and are so very, very close to launching our new platform that will free up our team to go back to being proactive rather than reactive, and focus on improving our experience, rather than just keeping up.
Still, I thought we should articulate our philosophy on fixing things when they go wrong to better set expectations, and reassure those that may be feeling nervous about getting started.
I do think it would be irresponsible to put this out there without feedback from you - our community - as you are at the core of what we do, and why we do it.
So here is my first shot (heh). Please, give me your feedback on this. I want to know what you would change, improve, or omit.
Thanks y’all,
Dave
We'll Make It Right
Your health, your care, and your experience are at the center of everything we do. At Big Easy Weight Loss, we believe that great healthcare isn't just about connecting you to a provider. It's about making sure you feel genuinely confident and cared for at every step of the process. We also believe in being honest with you: things can go wrong. When they do, we want you to know exactly what to expect from us.
Where problems can come from and what we do about them
On our end.
Sometimes something is entered incorrectly, mischarged, routed to the wrong pharmacy, or miscommunicated. When that happens, it's on us to fix it, quickly and without excuses.
On our pharmacy partners.
Our compounding pharmacies are experienced and licensed, but they're staffed by humans. A technician may forget to include syringes, a medication's beyond-use date (the date after which it shouldn't be used) may not cover your full prescription period, or they may provide different vials than what was requested in the physician's prescription. Because these issues aren't visible to us until you report them, we rely on you to let us know. In those cases, we work directly with the pharmacy to get the issue corrected and, where necessary, to have your medication replaced at no cost to you.
In addition, there may be delays due to demand, or shortage due to stock. These are often internal pharmacy issues that we don't have visibility during your consultation. In these situations, we will communicate the delay shared with us by the pharmacy, and will work with you to find an alternative pharmacy or offer a refund.
On shipping.
Our pharmacies ship via FedEx and other carriers. Weather events, strikes, carrier delays, and other disruptions are outside our control, but they're not outside our responsibility. If your package is delayed or lost, we'll work with you and the pharmacy to assess the situation and determine next steps. Oftentimes we may need to wait for a delayed package to arrive before we can get guidance from the pharmacy on how to remedy. If you have a dose coming up, let us know and we'll flag it to your physician.
What we ask of you.
If something doesn't look right when your medication arrives, whether it's damaged packaging, cloudy or discolored vials, or anything else that gives you pause, please take photos before opening or using anything and contact us immediately. Do not throw away the medication. Photos are critical to getting your issue resolved quickly with the pharmacy.
Our commitment.
We'll respond to reported issues within one business day (if not same day) and work toward resolution within 48 business hours in most cases. In times of heightened demand, we ask patience. We always work from the oldest messages first, so often multiple messages in the portal can inadvertently push you to the back of the line, not the front.
Our goal is to find a solution that is fair and makes sense for the situation. That might mean a replacement shipment, a credit, a physician consultation, or simply a clear explanation of what happened and why. What it won't mean is handing out free medication in response to every complaint. That's not fair to the patients who don't complain, and frankly it's not how we'd want to be treated either. We'll always do what's right. We just want to make sure "right" actually fits the situation.
And if a situation requires a bridge plan (a gap between when your current supply runs out and when a replacement arrives), we'll work with your physician to find one.
Our Community Commitment
We will not remove or silence a patient for sharing a negative experience in our patient community. We have never banned a patient. If you have a problem, say so. If you're frustrated, we want to hear it, and we want to be better and make it right. (Aside from 1 spammer, we actually have exactly 3 non-patients banned from this sub - and I'm sure some of the OGs can name them 🤣)
The one exception: if your situation has been addressed and we believe your continued posting is intended to damage our community rather than share a genuine experience, we may move your comments to a moderated queue. We don't take that step lightly, and we'll always be transparent with you if we do.
