Well, yesterday was the last straw at this pharmacy. I have never felt so intentionally humiliated by anyone as I was when I went to take in my prescription in at around 1130 am, by the female at the drop off counter. I didn't get her name, and I should have, because I would blast it on here. I had just left my pain specialist because of a chronic back issue I have dealt with since MY JOB AT COCA COLA , over ten years ago. I have degenerative disk disease on top of that. Anyways, I quit my job to take care of my grandmother, who is now 94 and has dementia and I am on medical, which actually is called CAL OPTIMA. It's still a label that is judged apparently, and this female made it very loudly clear to all customers in the pharmacy area THAT I WAS ON MEDI-CAL. She actually said it out loud 4 times. I never have heard someone loudly ask if I'm still on Medi-Cal, number 1, because they have kindly asked if I am " on the same insurance?", and I can only chalk this up to an UNPROFESSIONAL, JUDGEMENTAL young, ignorant female that has no business working anywhere other rhan the 99 cent store. So, to you little girl, I have paid my dues. I have worked my ass off, raised two kids that are productive, tax paying citizens, AND IM NOT MILKING THE SYSTEM. I only need the state help with medical insurance because I will not allow my grandmother to be put in a home to rot. I could be on disability, and or having the state pay me to take care of her, BUT I DONT. I kindly ask your staff to educate their employees about sensative, personal issues and keep their petty judgemental OPINIONS at the door. I will NEVER step foot in this store again, and I have been in this city, 2 miles away for 26 years! read more

Rude, terrible, immature pharmacy tech shayne. I have been going to this pharmacy for 6 years without complaint. The pharmacists and techs have been helpful except shayne. It was also my first time dealing with shayne today. Wong prescription was filled, which i can understand, all she needed to say was sorry there was misunderstanding, we will work on the correct rx. However, she blurts out that medication i needed was not covered. When i questioned that it has been covered in the past, she then says they do not have medication in stock. During this conversation, she is making rude facial expressions and gestures, such as throwing her arms in the air. Her coworker, who by the way, abruptly interrupted conversation, joined in the rudeness party with facial expressions and gestures. Unbelievably low quality customer service, shame on shayne, needs training from step 1! read more

The most indulgent person I saw at the pharmacy throughout my life Rude and unconscious and sense of responsibility in the patient's communication read more

I'm shocked at all the negative reviews. I've had nothing but great service here. I walk with a cane; I live in pain 24/7. On a couple of occasions when there are quite a few people waiting in line at the pharmacy one young lady (Setareh) of her own accord has gotten me a chair to sit while I wait for my turn at the Pharmacy counter. read more

Poor customer service (not all staff, during my purchase A. D. was the cashier. He wasn't kind, and helpful at all.)

I am rating the pharmacy dept., and I am a clinical/hospital pharmacist. I have been going to this pharmacy for my family's Rx's for about 15-20 years. It's in the neighborhood where I live. I really never have an issue with them, but then I'm used to planning ahead. I have no affiliation with the pharmacy or its staff, whatsoever. My biggest issue is almost always with the people in line who DID NOT PLAN for their visit or their refills. It clogs up the "Pick Up" line and takes a quality staff member out of the picture. The last complaint I heard from one of those customers was "this pharmacy NEVER gets my order right!" Odd, because this pharmacy almost ALWAYS gets my orders correct, and for years and years! In the last few months I have received phone calls from the manager and other staff members if there are issues with my family's Rx's, and they make their best effort to resolve the issue. You don't see that kind of service everywhere. They also automatically call when your prescriptions are ready. You won't get as good an effort in most other places. They call when there is a delay on the doctor's end, or if there is a stock issue. Keep in mind that retail pharmacy, no matter how computerized, is still operated by humans, so expect human qualities to outweigh computer qualities, no matter how much you think or wish otherwise. Okay Yelpers, here are some inside tips on getting better service from whatever pharmacy you use: 1. Contact your pharmacy for the refill using their phone automation refill request system. Don't contact your physician, because you are just adding at least two more humans into your refill request, and it will get lost in the shuffle. 2. PLAN AHEAD! Is it a regularly scheduled med? Whether or not your doctor needs to be called, look at what date you last had it filled. Write the day to call for a refill, on the prescription cap, with a Sharpie. For 30 day meds, use 1 month minus 7 days (or 21 days) from the fill day. If you had the Rx filled on August 10th, write September 3rd on the cap. For a 90 day prescription, count out 3 months and subtract 20 (Twenty!) days. So for August 10th, add 3 months would be Nov. 10th, minus 20 days would be about Oct. 20th or 21st. 3. New prescriptions? Not really an emegency or you'd be in the ER. Since you're not in the ER, you will get your best service by dropping off the prescription(s), going home and unwinding or running a few errands (allow a few hours even if the promise is for 15-20 minutes, you will avoid a lot of disappointment). Since this goes for all types of retail pharmacy establishments, it's better to plan for the pharmacy to be too busy to really keep their 15-20 minute promise, than to consider it a failure if they don't. If you're a regular customer, write your phone # and date of birth on the top of the Rx, it makes the "look up on the computer" action go much faster. If you're a new customer, allow several more minutes for them to enter you or your family member's info into the computer, and to check stock. That's one of the things I love about this particular CVS pharmacy, is that with new Rxs, before you go about waiting, they will give you an idea if it's covered by your insurance, and whether enough is in stock. Another pharmacy I used to use would not do that, and you would be surprised when you came back that there was an insurance issue, or a stock issue. Not pleasant. 4. Insurance issues are YOUR issues, not the pharmacy's issue. There is no foolproof common database. Understand your insurance company's UP-TO-DATE policies BEFORE you get an Rx filled or re-filled. Expect problems on January 1st when prescription insurance plans commonly change. DO NOT expect the pharmacy to automatically receive the newest update about your coverage, it's up to YOU to give them that info. If there is a gap or change in your insurance, do not be aggravated with the pharmacy, it is not their fault. Sure it's an upleasant surprise, but you need to stay on top of it yourself. And of course, do not try to "trick" the pharmacy into having your insurance pay for it, when you have a temporary gap in coverage. It's the insurance company that will deny it, not your pharmacy. 5. Don't think all the different retail pharmacies are connected. Don't be a regular Walgreen's customer, for example, and then when they're closed go to your 24-hour CVS and expect them to have some sort of record of you. It's a dumb trick and it doesn't work. You will cause grief to yourself and the pharmacy staff that is (really) trying to help you. 6. Don't ask your pharmacy staff for help in the store UNRELATED to pharmacy, such as cosmetics or toiletries, sale items, etc. Okay to ask about OTC meds and devices that are typically placed near the pharmacy counter. But wait your turn. Most pharmacies are busy places, so be patient. Reached max characters. If helpful, I'll add to it when I think of more. read more

Arthur is by FAR THE WORST PHARMACIST ON THE PLANET. He should be FIRED IMMEDIATELY.... my girlfriend was having trouble breathing and he had the nerve to not suggest one thing that would help until we drove to the ER... He honestly had the nerve to tell us to stand in line. I will personally ensure that he loses his job by the end of the week, and most likely bring litigation against CVS and him personally for being such an incompetent person. STAY FAR AWAY! read more

This is the single worst pharmacy, not the actual CVS, but the pharmacy needs to replace these workers with people who know how to do their jobs. Normally you show up and if there's less than 10 customers it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to get your prescription, I waited over an hour and they didn't give me my full prescription. The worker intentionally neglected to inform me my other prescriptions weren't done yet, with a smile on her face. These people in the pharmacy have absolutely no respect for anyone, it almost feels like a family run business because they don't care and welcome complaints. The other customers were treated like shit, mocked for their accents then ignored as if they were second class citizens who didn't belong there. Otherwise the actual CVS is around 4 stars, their cashiers could be quicker. read more

I wanted to make sure to write a positive review for this particular pharmacy! Not all of the CVS's are good. Especially the one in RSM on Antonio. Stay away from that one! But this store on Alton always goes out of their way to be helpful! They go above and beyond! Everyone does whatever they have to in order to make sure you have what you need. The main pharmacists and the people who assist them all treat my family and I like we're important and that we matter. We will only go here for all of our pharmacy needs. Thank you for being so wonderful! read more

This review is directed at the pharmacy. Pharmacists are rude and give you the feeling you are bothering them. The pharmacy staff lacks any sort customer service skills or consistency. I had a mix up last month and my doctor had to call them to release an early prescription refill for me. It was the most difficult thing for them to do it seemed. My doctor told me they never received any faxed paperwork from CVS regarding the refill. When I called CVS back to find out what the issue was Ali told "You can't keep calling her every 5 minutes". Keep in mind that was my second call that morning. After over 3 years of being a loyal customer to CVS I will be taking my business another pharmacy. read more

This store has some managers that treat you like a piece of dodo. Having a print out of my receipt and saying no to a refund!!! Then you go into the bathroom and I've been there over a dozen times and never not once has seat covers always empty. I talked to an employee also upset the asses don't give them even so employees can have a safe and sanitary movements. I almost wet my pants trying to make my own with toilet paper that is scarce a little left. And dirty! In a pharmacy in the rich city of Irvine! Actually gets zero stars. Then for 2 days with me having been disabled in a wheelchair would not secure my prescription for relief of severe back pain! 2 days. My doc office sent to wrong pharmacy but these derilicks sat there knowing it was suppose to be called 2 days ago and only send 1 transmission to my doc not bothering to call. Only 24 hour pharmacy in my area and refuses to fill my RX! From an emergency room!! The pharmacist did a hippa violation, discrimination and accused me of being on drugs. Kicked me out of store late at night refusing to fill my emergency room RX! I had to get the Irvine PD to force the law breaker to give me my sleep medicine. I'm very critically ill and he caused me severe harm and possibly sicker from the stress!! There a couple good managers but some are suspious it's me! And not the AH behind their pharmacy counter. I'm in severe pain now prior to surgery and unable to get relief for 2 days! This place sucks. If I had control and manager I would go to corporate with new rules and plans. I brought a Er script a few days earlier and the pharmacist said he is required to take his lunch!!! And leave me waiting for my script when I need to be in bed!! Almost over a hour to get it till pass 2 am! What the heck!! CVS also twice I found someone else's pill with mine! No apology letter and acted like I was trying to scam them when I asked for a couple free copays because of the serious infraction! They discriminated against me!!! My diagnosis of manic depression which is stable always treated me like a piece of shit... hippa me! Gave me the finger from behind the counter and then said I was on drugs came out barking in my face to leave the store with another emergency room prescription late at night sick have to drive into Orange where they helped. Did you know Revlon lipstick is $2 more in Irvine and $2 less at CVS in Orange. Sticking it to people in area because more money in most homes. Like we don't like a fair deal. I'm securing an attorney.. Hippa, pretending to be my doc and made a RX prescribe on his own and discrimination a drug addict give me the finger and kick me out. If they'd treated me decently I wouldn't yelp to my community. The police said there's a 24 hour RiteAid off of Culver and Michelson. What a joke of a store in our beautiful community and as a citizen I'm going to be sure it doesn't happen to anyone else!! read more

About the most inconvenience I've experienced in any establishment. Not only do I have to walk to the opposite side of the store to get pharmaceuticals (I understand why, and I don't like it), I was required to give my birth date to purchase cough medicine. First I've heard of this. I wouldn't mind having my ID checked, but she was going to put it in their system. I don't trust them. Add in the fact that CVS in general doesn't accept Apple Pay? The only way to have made this trip any more inconvenient was to have an employee punch me in the face on the way out. Needless to say, I declined to give my personal information and went to Walgreens a block away. Avoid CVS in general if they're all like this. read more

Why I can't put 0 star here. Incompetent pharmacist kept me waiting 1 hour and they didn't let you know you will be kept longer time. They are careless about your time and your pain. If you don't follow up with them, they just kept you waiting. I am confused why this Pharmacy don't write off these incompetent pharmacists. read more

No, no, no, no, no. Although the pharmacy here is 24hr, it is inefficient, not well stocked, and not knowledgeable. I needed to come here to pick up medicine after an urgent care visit and the guy who helped me out not only had a staring problem - he also informed me that the medicine I needed (which wasn't an uncommon medicine) wasn't in stock. They filled half the prescription, then told me I had to come back for the other half later. They took my phone number to text me when the medications were ready, but no text arrived at my phone until the next morning (after I had picked up my medication that night). When I came back to pick up the other half, I told them that I had a bad reaction to one of the antibiotics they gave me. I brought the medication back to them and asked them to discard it (I wanted to treat it as an expired medication and not just throw it away in regular trash), but they told me they don't take old medication back. I asked how they suggested I get rid of it and they literally told me to just crush up the pills, dissolve in water, and toss down the sink. I really didn't want to introduce antibiotics to the water supply, so I'll likely throw it away as biohazardous waste. On top of that, the same lady who told me how to dispose of my antibiotic didn't know how to work the register, and I had to explain to her multiple times that I only had a half-filled prescription (I showed her receipts and everything). She even walked away a few times while I was talking with her, which I thought was quite rude. The photo place here is not efficient as well. I ordered prints online, and opted for a text message when the order was done. After 6 hours, I decided to call (according to the online order update, my order should have finished within a couple hours). They said it was ready for pick up. When I went to get it, there was no one at the photo center, and no one available to help. I saw the pictures just laying on the table so I just took them and paid at the front. This place is just inefficient overall. read more

The pharmacy staff are incompetent. They can't manage to know when they are out of stock of drugs. I came in for a flu shot at the beginning of the season. I waited for 30 minutes at 10 am, when they were not busy. Finally, the worker came out and said they had no flu shots left. I do a better job managing my toilet paper. You know, when you use the last roll, you leave a note that you need to order more!! What kind of incompetent staff don't have the intelligence to order more flu vaccine? This is why this pharmacy should be avoided at ALL costs. read more

I am not one to write negative reviews online, but this pharmacy has become so hit or miss for me. Sometimes I get incredible service, care and a sense of urgency. Sometimes I do not. Sometimes, it can be quite the opposite. I won't name names, I'll just simply say, consistency is key. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. read more

This CVS is very clean and organized and love that it is 24/7! The staff here are very patient and kind-hearted. They also wear masks too. I had some issues with a photo order I placed and the staff immediately worked to resolve my issue.There's a McDonald's, Starbucks, Ralph's, and gas station too for a quick pick me up. read more

Any place open 24 hours a day gets an automatic 5 stars from me, just for being such a trooper. In a city where most everything is closed by 9pm, cvs stands strong - shining like a radiant star in the night sky. Pharmacy dept is consistently competent as well read more

The staff at the pharmacy is incredibly slow, unhelpful and have no idea what's going on. They have tried to charge me full price for my medicine when I clearly had insurance. Also whenever there was an issue with my prescription or it was put on hold for some reason they would not contact me. Instead I would show up or have to call them too see if it was ready only to find out that I have to take it upon myself to call other CVS pharmacies to get my prescription filled. I've had similar issues with other CVS locations and will be taking future prescriptions elsewhere. read more

Conveniently located Alton sq plaza so grocery shopping at Ralph's followed by some pharmacy stuff at CVS. Only thing is there's a lot of pandhandling donation vendors which is not CVS fault cause its required by the city. Nonetheless a little annoying. read more

I came here at 3 am looking for something for a rather embarrassing ailment. I was greeted right away when I came in the door, and the clerk kindly asked me if I needed anything. I said no thank you and headed to the pharmacy section. I searched the aisles for a bit, looking for what I needed, but I couldn't find it, so I went to the pharmacy counter. I told the pharmacist what I needed, and instead of just telling me which aisle it was in, he came out from behind the counter and led me straight to where it was. He gave me recommendations and also warned me of the side effects of the medication. Overall a great experience. Staff here were very professional, used great discretion, didn't hover even though I was the only one in the store, and were very helpful. read more

I thought my experience would be unique but apparently not based on all these reviews. My review is also for the pharmacy. This is not my usual pharmacy but my husband likes to come to this one. Recently, my toddler and I were finishing up our meal in the shopping plaza and we went to look for my husband at CVS where he was supposedly picking up his prescription. I walk in and am looking around the pharmacy area for him and my toddler is clearly calling "Daddy? Daddy? Where are you?" The cashier (woman, late 20s, light brownish hair) at the pharmacy yells over at me, "Did you need something?" to which I responded with, "No, I'm just looking for my husband." She snaps back, "The line is over there" and points towards the line of people picking up their prescriptions with, in my opinion, a dirty look. I clearly looked like I wasn't picking up or dropping off prescriptions and I can clearly see that there's a line given that there's about 3-4 people standing there in a line formation. Look, I totally get that you have issues with line jumpers but I clearly said that I'm looking for a person and I clearly am not line jumping. I have extensive experience working in retail and there's really no reason for her to be so rude. I'll leave two stars since my husband swears the actual pharmacists themselves are great. read more

EXTREMELY SLOW!!! 10 people in total at the pharmacy, 1 HOUR to get the prescription!! They really need to improve their efficiency!!

So the great thing about this CVS is they are open 24hrs....and thats about it. What drives me crazy is they constantly seem to forget to notify me if my prescription is running out and when I ask them to contact the doctor they always forget. The pharmacy is also super busy and are kinda pricey compared to other pharmacies. Maybe time to consider other options The CVS on Harvard is so much cleaner and people are nicer. read more

A bit over priced but aren't all pharmacy stores? Customer service was good, cashier person reminded me that I can get a coupon off their machine. They also have a good selection of holiday Disney items if you are interested. Parking is tricky here since it's part of a busy shopping center. Especially during lunch hour. read more

3.5 stars This review is for the 24/7 aspect of their pharmacy. I've never needed a 24-hour pharmacy IN MY LIFE! So when I left the ER (don't ask why, just read on.... alright? Good!) after midnight and needed my antibiotics, found this location on trusty ol' Yelp! I'm happy that it was there and open.... for that it would get 4 stars. It goes down a little because it was quite slow with not many patients. I imagine it's harder in those late hours, but I also figure if you're going to tout this type of service it would be run/perfercted a tiny bit better. With that said, it was helpful because it's 24/7 and I couldn't find anymore in this area of Irvine. read more

do not buy a gift card from this store. my husband bought me a $200 macy's gift card along with 6 other various gift cards for christmas. i tried to redeem it with macy's and they said the card was voided and there was no balance available. i called the 800 number debits and credits line to file a case. they made me wait 14 days so they could talk to macy's and verfity my claim. they never called to follow up. i had to call them and when i did they told me they would not refund me the money nor give me a new gift card, pretty much that i am out of luck and wasted $200 buying this gift card. i then called the manager at the store, named frank, and he was unhelpful and said there was nothing he could do to replace the card, that it was non refundable. i understand it is non refundable but you sold my husband a gift card with no balance. i even have the receipt to show it. apparently, cvs does not care about customer retention. they have lost me and my husband as customers! read more

This employees don't care and ignore customers. I came to pickup photos and there wasn't anyone staffing the photo section. There were two cashiers in the main checkout line next to the photo section. When I asked the cashier if I should wait in the main checkout line, he told me to stay where I was. He then went on to help multiple other people while ignoring to help me. After waiting 15 minutes, I asked if I should move over to the main checkout. He then said OK and eventually I picked up my photos. If I had just waited in the main checkout line, I could have saved a lot of time. Clearly the employees don't understand how to help customers or they're just disorganized. Terrible service. read more

I've been coming here for years. When I'm really sick they expedite my medicine. They manage my monthly medicine calling my doctor for refills for me. They've become my good friends. I've seen them treat all customers as friends. They've added more staff now to be faster as they're growing. read more

Abe mocks the client's question and is not helpful while the girl with the red lipstick and funny hairdo , laughs at clients. She made so many mistakes on the prescriptions. Both need to be more professional read more

I work for a drug rehab facility. We called this location to fill several medications for one of our clients. Staff Anton told us that the medications would be ready within one hour. I arrived one hour later; none of the staff knew about the medication. They stated they'd work on the medication right away and then gave me a new timeframe of 'within a half hour'. A half hour later, without apology, Anton stayed that it'd be another 45 mins before they'd be ready. He stated that he's been backed up with other customers. Instead of apologizing, Anton persisted to say he initially said three hours, but promised 1 hour to be accommodating. The staff here was unprofessional and insolent. I understand they were under pressure. However, they could have promised a realistic time rather than have other working people wait long enough to write negative reviews. I disliked my experience with this location, particularly with Anton. read more

Absolutely the worst pharmacy. The techs take no responsibility and look at you like deer in headlights. Very poor communication between one another. Will be switching all prescriptions to anywhere else. read more

Great costumer service from Samuel at late night shift. He was great and i did my purchase very fast.

My husband ran out his medicine and called them today. He has been with CVS for years and we have been happy with them but not with this one. We called first time around 12:00 pm on May 29, 2017 and gave the information. The guy hung up on us first time and we called back. He said that he can't do anything after taking our our information even we have been CVS for years and have been going to the Orchard Hill one. We had the same situation in Pittsburgh and the 24 hours CVS was able to fill out the prescription. Why can't Alton CVS 24 hours? We thought that is the reason CVS always has one 24 hours in the area for that purpose. From the Yelp review, we are not the only unhappy customers. Maybe CVS should do something about it. read more

Monique was so amazing - while this pharmacy was out of the medication my daughter needed, she helped me find a location that had it available. read more

One of the only 24 hour pharmacies around in the area, so 5 stars for that. Understandably there are long lines at times but the pharmacists are super helpful and very nice. Minus one star because the phone app does not work/coordinate with their pharmacy whatsoever. Not sure if it's because I have a glitch but really huge waste of time to try to refill from there. For quick and easy refills CALL their pharmacy directly, the automated system for refills works SO WELL (clear instructions, meds were ready at requested time, no annoying-ness of speaking into the phone, lets you press numbers for all answers) but just make sure you have your Rx number in hand. read more

24 hour service is a huge plus. Excellent customer service. Gene was able to answer all my questions.

we get 15 prescriptions a month from CVS. We all use generic meds. We ask them to give us the same manufacturer each time - sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Why can't they be consistent? We tell them at least 4 times a year - don't substitute the manufacturer - the different meds make us sick - we get headaches from different manufacturers. They say that the active ingredients are the same - ok. but the other components of the med are not the same. THEY NEED TO GET IT - WE NEED THE SAME MANUFACTURER - THEY SAY SORRY - BUT THEY KEEP MAKING CHANGES BECAUSE THEY ARE CHASING PRICES FROM DIFFERENT DISTRIBUTORS. i DON'T CARE - IF THEY WANT MY BUSINESS - GET IT!!! read more

Worst pharmacy ever! Completely unethical. You expect a medical company to carry some ethical medical codes right. Not this place. Went there 3 o'clock at midnight with an emergency situation because they are the closest 24hr open CVS. I was having an extreme medical condition and about to pass out. Went there with a prescription to refill my medicine (I should have stocked it more but still) and they refused to refill for 50 minutes because the only employee is sitting behind the fence for his LUNCH BREAK. I repeatedly told him it is an emergency and I am about to pass out but he refused to stop his lunch break for 1 min. I was sweating, shaking and puking and he didn't even care (The stress I had there doubled my symptoms). I had to go to the Hospital Emergency later (maybe I should have gone there first). But still this doesn't explain their unethical behaviour. They run this place like a market instead of a pharmacy and I will never ever go back to their place again. Avoid if you can even on normal operating hours. Don't count on them as a 24hr open CVS. read more

I have been going to this pharmacy multiple times to fill my prescription and every time I go there is always an issue with the medications. Most of the time I have to wait for them to order them because half the time there out of stock. I called and spoke to the "Manager" Alan and he was the most condescending person I have ever communicated with. I informed him that knowing this pharmacy is always busy you would think that he would order efficiently so there won't be an issue. I also informed him that his patient care was below par of what's expected in this industry. I will not be going back to this pharmacy as if the manager is treating patients this way then the employees customer service is going to suck as well. CVS needs to give better training to there managers on how to treat patients and also have some empathy. If you want to wait an hour and deal with poor customer service this is your location. read more