My complaint:
I called to make an appointment for a COVID shot at one of the Shoppers locations in my city. I was told by the young lady that I could not book an appointment because I didn’t have a cell phone. I asked if she could hear me clearly. She said yes, so I said, but I am calling on a regular phone, so obviously it works just fine. She refused to book an appointment. The next day I got mad. I called the Shoppers location back and spoke to the pharmacy manager. He defended their insistence on cell phones, but after I pointed out that plenty of Canadians in jails and remote communities had received COVID shots without the necessity of a cell phone, he relented and gave me an appointment. I went to the appointment and got all the way through the intake process, right to the point of having my sleeve rolled up and waiting for the shot before I was asked to leave. I was made to leave because I refused to provide a cell phone and because I insisted that my personal information (collected for COVID purposes for the Health UnitsCOVID teams) NOT be entered into the Shoppers’ customer profile databases. The pharmacy manager said he did not like my attitude. But my attitude has nothing to do with my eligibility to receive a COVID injection!!!! I was not disruptive, violent, or threatening — I am a 62 year old, white-headed senior and I am entitled to get a COVID shot. And I am entitled to ask that my personal information not be used for Shoppers’ marketing purposes.
Suggested solution:
1. Please have the Shoppers locations who were picked to administer the COVID vaccines STOP insisting that people need to have a cell phone in order to get vaccinated! The need to have a cell phone is for Shoppers' convenience only and has nothing to do with COVID, the COVID vaccine rollout, or the health emergency the world is experiencing.
2. Please have Shoppers stop using their COVID vaccine information to pad their customer profile databases. People have a right to control the use of their personal information and those simply trying to get vaccinated during a pandemic should not be taken advantage of by Shoppers trying to get a marketing advantage.
