Following the closure of a Boots chemist at a town's doctor surgery customers have complained of "chaos" when collecting their prescriptions at another branch in Bungay.
The Boots at the Bungay Medical Centre shut its doors on March 9.
Customers have said as a result of the closure at the medical centre, the town centre chemist is having queues out of the door, more than half an hour waits, and people are struggling to park.
Last summer Boots announced that it would close 300 branches located “in close proximity to each other” over the next 12 months.
The firm confirmed sites within a two-kilometre radius of each other were at most risk of being affected.
And with the chain still having a branch in the town at St Mary's Street which is 0.5 miles away from the medical centre, a Boots spokesman has confirmed that was considered when the decision to close the doctor's branch was made.
READ MORE: Third accident in as many weeks on Norfolk roundabout sparks safety calls
READ MORE: The village PLAGUED with more than 100 potholes!
Among the people complaining about queuing was a woman in her 50s who said: "I waited in the queue for 30 minutes which went out the door, to then be told the prescription was not available for collection when I finally got to the desk.
"It was to collect an urgent prescription which is a total joke.
"I am now signing up to collect future prescriptions from Tesco in Beccles to escape the madness."
READ MORE: Ice cream firm to pay former employee £10,000 over discrimination
READ MORE: No action against driver arrested after two cyclists killed in fatal crash on A143
Another man said: "The staff I think are now overworked and as a result, the levels of customer service have dropped, but I don't think it is their fault."
Another customer in a Facebook comment blamed the Boots management for the mess in the town.
One man said: "It's the [Boots management] above that cause this chaos."
Another woman added: "I think we should put the blame where it should be and that is with the Boots management and above.
"They have had plenty of time to manage a smooth merger of the two branches.
"Instead they have had no regard for either their customers or staff. They are no longer a trusted brand."
READ MORE: Man 'stabbed in front of his fiancée and children' in Mother's Day attack
READ MORE: Manhunt under way after 'long-running disagreement' ends in Mother's Day stabbing
Customers have expressed sympathy to the staff who are dealing with the issue.
One woman commented: "I can't commend the staff there highly enough. I've never had a bad experience there.
"I can only speak from my own experience. Clearly at the moment, with the closure of the other chemist, they are experiencing huge amounts of additional work and that can't be easy."
Another man said: "I feel sorry for the staff as this situation was not of their making, but it is a nightmare for the customers.
"The receptionist at the doctors said they are getting calls from other pharmacies as they are now getting overwhelmed because of the knock-on effect."
Boots acknowledged the increase in footfall at the town centre branch as a result of the chemist's closure.
READ MORE: Priest sacked after 'physical argument' with widow, 77, at Christmas Eve mass
READ MORE: Plans to build on R Charlish LTD site in Bungay at halfway stage of contractual agreement
A spokeswoman for the retailer said: “There have been occasions of higher than usual wait times for prescriptions at our Bungay St Marys store, while we onboard new patients from a nearby store which has recently closed.
"We have put additional pharmacy support in place in this store and our team members are working hard to minimise disruption for customers and provide the best possible service.
"We would like to assure patients that any higher than normal wait times are temporary.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to thank people for bearing with us and being kind to our team members at this time.”
Boots added that all staff affected by the closures of the branches across the country have all been offered other roles.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel