Tschiffely Pharmacy

I hope this is not repetitive. Steven and David Toth, Pharmacists, sons of the late Dr. Toth are just the finest in their field! Service to the individual client/​customer is the priority not only with them but also with their employees, who get to know you and your voice on the telephone. Everyone is helpful, patient and treats each client as a valued customer. Their personal attention to each customer is what is lacking at the bigger «variety» stores. It is always a treat to talk with anyone at Tschiffely Pharmacy, because every employee and the Toths really treats you like you are family! Curt Bell

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Steve and his team for their help with a prescription snafu. I sincerely appreciate the friendly team and personal support in resolving the challenge. I highly recommend using this pharmacy!

This was my first time going but I had such wonderful experience there the pharmacist at cvs/​rite aide was so useless they are always so knowledgeable and helpful.

Every prescription is a problem at Tschiffely’s. I’ve never had so many issues with a pharmacy before. I’m changing doctors (to one in Virginia) in part because I just can’t stand to deal with this pharmacy any more.
First, it is very inconvenient. I live in Arlington, and while they will ship you your prescriptions, it costs a ridiculous $ 13, and takes 2 – 4 days to arrive. Parking can be very challenging downtown (especially with their limited weekday hours) but it was usually the best choice. Unfortunately, although I had instructed them not to mail me Rx’s, they would often do it anyway, and I’d make the trip there and leave empty handed, then wait three days for the Rx to arrive in the mail. To their credit, the pharmacist would give me an extra pill or two if I was going to run out.
There were other problems, but the last straw was when my partner went to pick up an Rx for me, and they really hassled him. Since when can’t you pick up an Rx for someone else, especially when they sign for it and produce your insurance debit card? What illicit thing is my partner going to do with thyroid hormone?
Usually quite friendly there, but just a pain in the butt, bottom line.

I decided to give Tschiffely a try after countless failed experiences at the CVS Pharmacy right next to my job. Though this is a farther distance for me, the change was well worth it. The staff are much nicer and professional and I feel like they listen to me if I have a question or concern. I would recommend Tschiffely Pharmacy to anyone. I’ve only been using them for about four months, but have been much more pleased with the customer service experience than at any of the CVS Pharmacy locations in DC.

I’ve been to many of the Tschifflely Pharmacies around town but this is by far the best one I’ve been to. I was greeted right away when I walked in. I dropped off a couple prescriptions and was told it would take a few minutes and that I could browse in the store or have a seat. They have a nice selection of medicines, bath/​body products, and other medical things. I found a shampoo that is usually $ 2 more at CVS. After about 10 minutes my prescriptions were ready. Steve, the pharmacist came over and gave detailed instructions and warnings about each. He even recommended some home remedies for soothing my cold. Cornell the manager was extremely helpful and reminded me to use my flex spending card. I will definitely be fulfilling prescriptions here when I can.

My doctor at Washington Hospital Center recommended I go to this pharmacy to fill my prescription for a compound. I was told Tschiffely’s would easily be able to do it. My initial interaction with sales staff and the Pharmacist/​Owner Steve was fine. I waited about 15 minutes while he made the compound. Steve then told me that my insurance carrier was not approving 2 of the 3 medicines needed to make the compound, so my claim was rejected. I had the option to pay the full cash price (which I did) and I could take it up with the carrier. He said the insurance company wasn’t recognizing a code he was putting in.
I called my insurance carrier’s pharmacy help desk. A representative called Steve and explained to him how to put the claim in properly. When I followed up with Steve, he claims their solution wouldn’t work because even though it would go through now, he was not getting paid for 2 of the 3 ingredients used to make the compound. He gave me an option of coming back to the pharmacy, and he’d re-​ring the sale and only charge me for those 2 ingredients rather than the full cash price I had paid earlier in the day.
I called my insurance company back to explain what happened. They said it appeared on their end Steve had already put the transaction back through so 1 ingredient was covered. They did finally tell me the other 2 ingredients would not be approved though. That was fine because I knew I could pay for those separately… or so I thought.
Flash forward to today when I returned to the pharmacy and spoke to Steve. Steve proceeded to get angry and berate me in front of other customers because he said an insurance representative had hung up the phone on him. He would no longer help me. When I reminded him that he told me I could return to the store to get the transaction re-​rung so I only paid for the 2 «not covered» ingredients, Steve got even angrier. He said because of my inquiry to the insurance company he got audited, and it was a very emotional thing for him. He said, «I’m sorry, but I won’t do anything for you.»
I was flabbergasted. I asked a sales associate if I could have the name and contact information for the store manager or owner, and she quietly looked down and said, «I’m sorry… he’s the owner and manager.»
Bottom line… this pharmacy may help some customers, but it was clear that Steve thinks he may speak to anyone, including customers, however he feels. His problem was obviously with the insurance company, yet the treated me like I did something wrong. I will never go back to Tschiffely Pharmacy, and will do everything I can to make sure my friends and co-​workers don’t either. I’ve also called my doctor at Washington Hospital Center to let him know about the horrible customer experience I received there.

Kind, prompt, knowledgeable. I am grateful for this pharmacy and the people who run it.

Great guys! Never ever a problem in five or so years going here, Steve has gone out of his way to help me a few times having my scripts ready and everyone there is nice and easy to work with. They have two other locations very close, if something is out of stock here they can usually find it three blocks away.

Surprised by the negative reviews — I’ve always had a good experience here. The pharmacist saved me money by making sure I didn’t buy stuff that wouldn’t be as effective and gave me good advice. The product selection is really upscale — brands include Gewohl, Kneipp, Fa, Pears, Roger Gallet and lots more fun euro things (no its not as wide as a CVS but much more sophisticated).
Had a few Rx’s filled here — quick and no hassle.

I had my first negative experience with Steve, owner and pharmacist. He refused to fill a prescription based on a preconceived notion that the drug could or would be used for an off-​label purpose. I listened to a very rude, sanctimonious, soap-​box type rant from him before gently letting him know that I understood his concern, but that I was not the proper audience for his opinions and views. Given that the prescription can be filled elsewhere (as it is not for an off-​label use), I will remove my business from Tschiffely. Permanently. Pharmacists are not doctors, and Steve seems to have forgotten the distinction.

I joined Unilocal specifically to review this pharmacy. I had been using this pharmacy for approximately one year and the only reason I stuck with them for that long is that my specialist personally knew one of the staffers.
–For my second refill, they gave me the wrong prescription (they filled my prescription with pills that were 4x the dose my doctor prescribed)
— For my eighth refill, they told me they could not contact my doctor to obtain authorization. I reminded them that I had transferred the prescription to a new doctor. They promised to call the new doctor that day. Five days passed. My prescription was nearly out. I called to ask why my refill had not been shipped to me. They told me they could not reach the old doctor. I again reminded them the prescription was with a new doctor. They promised to call that day. The next day I called my new doctor who said she had not heard from them. Several calls and hours later, I finally obtained my refill.
— When it came time to order my most recent refill, I called them a couple of days early, anticipating some shenanigans. They informed me that I needed to call them back on Dec. 31^st because my insurance would not authorize the refill until then. I asked them if they could simply refill it on the 31^st and they told me they would mark it on their calendar, but that I also had to call them. I repeated «Dec. 31^st?» They answered «yes.» So, I called Dec. 31^st. No one answered. No voicemail picked up to tell me they’re closed, let alone when they will be open again. Fed up, I called the local Target to transfer my prescription. Target attempted to call them to obtain the prescription on both Dec. 31^st and Jan. 2^nd. No answer. I am, once again, almost out of my medication.
In summary, this pharmacy is painful to work with and, in my experience, potentially hazardous. Their incompetence has caused me to miss doses and they have actually given me the incorrect dose.

I was shocked that the other review of Tschiffely’s was so negative; I get amazing service there. It is so refreshing to walk into a pharmacy where the staff are all friendly, call you by name, and greet you with a warm smile. I also am a big believer in supporting a small, family-​owned, local business instead of the conglomerate chain.
All the pharmacists here are amazing and very knowledgeable. They are able to advise you about drugs, of course, but they all know a lot about dietary supplements and homeopathic products, which the pharmacy stocks. In fact, Doug, one of the pharmacists, is even a certified holistic nutritionist.
In addition to dispensing regular drugs, Tschiffely is a compounding pharmacy, which means they can make drugs specifically for you. For example, if you need to take 10 milligrams of a drug that only comes in 50 mg tablets, they can make capsules for you with 10 mg. I get a digestive drug from them that is not approved by the FDA; a compounding pharmacy is the only place you can obtain it legally in the U.S. Hint: if you need a refill on one of these compounded medications, give them more than one day’s notice so you can be sure to get it when you need it; they use special equipment that has to be cleaned between each order.
I have fun browsing the aisles at Tschiffely’s; they stock a lot of old-​school body-​care products and European products. They also have a decent number of medical supplies, like ankle braces and diabetic socks.
If you’re not in the Farragut North area when you need your scripts, Tschiffely delivers for a reasonable fee. Great service!