BIG Savings at CVS and $10 bonus for a phone call

The boys and I went grocery shopping this morning, and fortunately they were very well behaved. With seven days until my due date, I was happy to be less than a mile from the hospital, but I got in and out of the stores with no problems.

Our first stop was at CVS, where we were going to stock up on some school supplies.

I had five cvs bucks with me, and I split the items up into three transactions.

1st Transaction:

3 x Ballpoint pens at 99 cents each= $2.97 (saved $3)

2 x 1 subject notebooks at 99 cents each = $1.98 (saved $3.60)

1 Portfolio at 5 cents (saved $.75)

Subtotal $5

Paid with 5 CVS bucks

Total out of pocket $0

Total saved $12.35

CVS bucks back $4.95

2n Transaction:

3 x 10 pk no. 2 pencils at 99 cents each = $2.97

2 x wooden rulers at 99 cents each = $1.98 (saved 40 cents)

1 Portfolio at 5 cents (saved $.75)

Total $5

Paid with $4.95 CVS bucks from previous transaction

Total out of pocket $0.05

Total saved $ 6.01

CVS bucks back $4.95

3rd Transaction:

1 Gilette Fusion manual razor $7.99 (saved $2)

Reeses pieces $1.50

Sub total $9.49

sub total incl tax $9.77

Used $4 coupon

Paid with $4.95 CVS bucks from previous transaction

Total out of pocket $0.82

Total saved $ 10.92

CVS bucks back$4

Total out of pocket at CVS $0.87

Total saved at CVS $29.28

This is what I got for 87 cents:

For the past two weeks I have had issues with getting rain checks at CVS. The first week, I was trying to buy CVS diapers, but they were out of the sizes I needed. The store refused to give me a rain check, and told me that they did not give rain checks until after Wednesday when the truck came in. They ended up substituting the diaper brand, after a long discussion.

Then last Monday I went to my regular CVS, and I asked for a rain check for the pencils and the Febreeze, since they were out of of both. I received the same answer from this employee (at a different store), as he insisted they would not give out rain checks until after Wednesday, when the truck came in.

This guy even went as far as to tell me that they would probably have the item at any other store in the area, or that I could come back and get the pencils after Wednesday. I was standing there 38 weeks pregnant, with two boys in tow, and I sure was frustrated. On top of everything the pencils were free after CVS bucks, but only Sun-Tues, so showing up Wednesdays surely would not do me much good.

I finally convinced the guy to give me the rain checks, but of course he did not even do them right.

After this experience, I called the CVS customer service when I got home to ask whether it could be true that I could only get rain checks after Wednesday, when their trucks showed up, even though the sale started Sunday.

The customer service representative thought this was absolutely ridiculous as well, and while I told her I did not want to get anyone in trouble, I just wanted to figure out whether they were right or not she definitely wanted to get to the bottom of this issue. Apparently, she could pull up all my transaction information just by getting my cvs card number, and soon she was on the phone with my regular CVS.

She came back with the message that I should contact the store manager next time I was there, and that this would no longer be a problem. She went on to say that she had to file complaints against both stores, as this was against CVS policy.

Today I did just that, and the manager apologized and told me that she that I was absolutely right for asking for a rain check, and she also gave me a $10 CVS gift card, which I am sure she had been told to do by the customer representative.

For anyone, who has any issues whether questions, complaints or praise for your CVS store, I encourage you to call CVS customer service. I have used them several times over the past couple of years, and they have always been great. I have even been sent free coupons, just for calling in to praise one of their CVS products.

Since I am of the opinion that complaints need to be addressed, I also feel that it is important to give praise when appropriate. I therefore just called the customer service again to thank them for resolving the problem, and to let them know that I did not have any problems getting the rain check today at my local store.

Have you ever called CVS customer service?