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CUSTOMERS of Kroger’s pharmacy services have voiced their frustration over recurring issues with the company’s website, app, and customer service.
These problems have left some patients without crucial medications and raised concerns about the reliability of Kroger’s pharmacy operations.
Multiple users on X have expressed their dissatisfaction with Kroger’s pharmacy system, citing challenges such as inaccessible websites, non-functional apps, and poor communication channels.
One user reported, “Your pharmacy system has put my life in danger. I no longer trust your supply of generics. Your website, phone system, and service have been the cause of me being unmedicated.
“I will no longer shop your stores or brands.”
Another customer shared a similar sentiment, criticizing the pharmacy app and website, writing, “Y’all app and website suck when it comes to the pharmacy. You cannot do anything. Shows hardly anything.
“As much as I hated Walgreens, y’all could learn a lot from their app & website. It really needs to be improved.”
The recurring theme across customer complaints involves the inability to refill prescriptions online, leading some to consider using alternative methods, such as making phone calls, to manage their prescriptions.
“I’ve been trying for 2 days to refill a prescription and I just keep getting error messages instead of the page loading,” someone else wrote.
“I’ve tried two different browsers. I may have to resort to (gasp!) making a phone call.”
HEALTH HAZARD CLAIMS
For some customers, these issues have gone beyond frustration and inconvenience, potentially impacting their health.
Another user noted, tagging the retailer, “When are you planning on fixing your pharmacy on your website? I can’t tell if my parents or I need medications. It has been like that since Aug 10. My father is now out of blood thinner.”
These grievances reflect a broader concern regarding the reliability and accessibility of Kroger’s pharmacy services, particularly as many customers rely on them for vital medications.
With pharmacy errors and system outages persisting, customers are questioning the chain’s commitment to service quality and patient safety.
While Kroger has yet to respond publicly to the surge of complaints, the need for prompt resolution is clear, as customers continue to turn to social media to express their dissatisfaction and urge the company to address these critical issues.
Eleven questions for Kroger
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey asked the CEO of Kroger to answer eleven questions about AI, labels, and Microsoft's EDGE technology:
- How many Kroger grocery stores currently use EDGE or other ESL platforms?
- How many customers are served by these stores?
- Did any external entities advise Kroger to adopt EDGE and/or continue using EDGE?
- If yes, who are those external entities?
- Has Kroger prepared internal estimates regarding the potential to increase prices or profit margins by adopting dynamic pricing with EDGE?
- How does Kroger establish dynamic prices using the EDGE system?
- What factors does Kroger consider when changing prices? Please include a description of any time- or volume-based considerations.
- How does Kroger inform customers of recent or upcoming price changes?
- How far in advance does Kroger inform customers of price increases that will be implemented using the EDGE system?
- For all items that have been subject to dynamic pricing using EDGE, what is the average percentage change in price of those items over the first six months of using the system?
- For what percentage of items has the price increased over the first six months of using the system?
- Has Kroger ever used EDGE to change the price of an item more than one time within the same day?
- If not, does Kroger intend to do so in the future?
- If yes, please list:
- The locations at which Kroger has changed the price of an item more than once in a day.
- The complete list of products for which Kroger has changed the price more than once in a day.
- Will Kroger use customers’ data to institute personalized pricing on its ESL platforms?
- Will customers have the option to opt out of the collection of personal data through ESL platforms?
- What safeguards has Kroger put in place to protect against violations of consumer privacy related to ESL platforms?
- How will Kroger ensure that it will not use customer data related to ESL platforms to discriminate based on protected classes, such as race, gender, or age, when offering personalized prices?
The senators requested that Kroger answer these questions by August 20.
Source: Letter from Sens. Warren and Casey
The U.S. Sun has contacted Kroger regarding this matter.
KROGER PRICE HIKE
During a court hearing on Tuesday, Andy Groff, Kroger’s Senior Director for Pricing, acknowledged that the grocery chain had increased the prices of eggs and milk beyond inflation rates, according to an internal email presented by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The email, dated March and revealed during the hearing, showed Groff stating that Kroger’s pricing on these staple items saw a “significant” increase.
“On milk and eggs, retail inflation has been significantly higher than cost inflation,” the email read, as reported by Common Dreams.
When questioned about this statement in court, Groff explained that Kroger’s objective was to “pass through our inflation to consumers.”
Kroger later attempted to mitigate any fallout, with a company spokesperson arguing that the email was “cherry-picked” and covered only a “specific period,” according to a Bloomberg report.
The spokesperson emphasized that the email does not reflect Kroger’s long-standing commitment to lowering prices for customers by reducing its margins, as reported by Bloomberg.
Despite this defense, the disclosure has left many Kroger customers feeling uneasy.
Kroger has been under fire lately, for this and other reasons.
A shopper reported being overcharged for a pack of sausages during a recent purchase and was reportedly informed by a Kroger employee that the issue couldn’t be resolved. Frustrated, the shopper abandoned their cart and left the store.
Additionally, some customers criticized a “unacceptable” shortage of cashiers at local Kroger checkout areas, leading them to also leave items behind in protest as the company issued an apology.
