You will find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions in the section below.
If you have read the FAQ and still have some questions unanswered, please feel free to
contact us.
Questions:
Answers:
Why do some items need prescriptions when I can get them over the counter at my local pharmacy?
Legislation in Australia deems that “pharmacist only medication” requires personal counselling by a pharmacist on sale of the item. As Internet and mail order pharmacy does not provide this, a prescription will enable a Doctor to provide appropriate counselling. In store shoppers at Chemist Warehouse do not require a prescription.
A customer can place an order for “pharmacist only medication” online or over the phone and receive direct counselling from a pharmacist that will allow the medication to be sent without a prescription. Please phone and ask to talk to one of our pharmacists.
What happens if I am not at home when my order is delivered?
Chemist Warehouse uses registered mail through Australia Post to deliver parcels. If you are not at home to receive the parcel, a card will be left so you can pick it up from your closest post office. Sometimes cards get accidentally discarded, so if you believe your parcel should have arrived, check with your local post office first.
How long will my order take to get to me?
We work hard to ensure that your order is delivered ASAP! Over 90 precent of orders are picked, packed and dispatched within 24 hours of the order being placed. Delivery times are reliant upon normal Australia Post delivery times and vary depending on where you live. Average delivery times are between 1-8 working days from the date of the order being shipped. It is important to note that orders can only be dispatched Monday to Friday. In major centres, using the express option can shorten delivery times.
Can I fax my prescription?
It is illegal to accept faxed or emailed prescriptions in Australia at this stage. We must receive the original before we can dispense and send.
Can I order prescription items if I don’t live in Australia?
Yes, but you must have an Australian prescription written by an Australian registered Doctor. We cannot accept international prescriptions. It is illegal to send ANY NHS subsidised prescriptions out of Australian even if you are an Australian resident. All prescription medicines sent out of Australia must be paid for at the private price.
Is my order confidential?
All information collected by Chemist Warehouse is strictly confidential. We do not provide this information to any other party for any purposes. In additoon, all Chemist Warehouse staff are legally bound by conditons of employment to the confidentiality of your order and personal details.
How do I cancel an order?
The best way is to email us ASAP and we will cancel it. You must remember that in most cases, orders placed are dispatched the same or next business day. Orders that have been dispatched cannot be cancelled and will have to be posted back at the expense of the customer. As long as the packaging is in original condition or the cancellation is due to circumstances consistent with the 'consumer guarantees' outlined in the 'Australian Consumer Law' (found at: www.accc.gov.au) (for example if the goods are not fit for purpose), a full refund less postage will be provided. Prescription Medications are unable to be refunded or returned once they have been dispatched.
If I use a credit card to purchase my items can anyone else obtain my credit card details?
We are a secure site endorsed with the Thawte Certificate. This uses the latest encryption methods to ensure security of payment. We do not see your credit card details when ordered online, with all transactions performed by the banking institutions. We do not store any credit card details, therefore additions to orders already placed will require you to phone through payment details or place a new separate order.
Do we have a mail-order catalogue?
Yes we have a Prescription Catalogue. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact us by phone or email and we will arrange to have one posted.
Can I phone and talk directly to a pharmacist?
Yes. We have Pharmacists available on phone 7 days a week from 8.00am – 8.000pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 8.30am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 5pm at the cost of a local call in Australia. The phone number is 1300 367 283.
Can I put my families’ patient profiles on my account?
Yes. Registered Users can create as many patient profiles they require for people they may order for. As we strive to provide the best health care we can for our customers, patient profiles ensure we can screen customers for any possible interactions.
Who owns and operates Chemist Warehouse?
Chemist Warehouse is owned and operated by Brett Clark, Jeff Wasley, Gary Nipperess and Sam Gance. We are Australian registered pharmacists with over 50 years combined retail pharmacy experience.
What is Chemist Warehouse's Privacy Statement?
Our web server makes a record of your visit and logs the following information for statistical purposes - the user's server address, the user's top level domain name (eg. .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc.), the date and time of the visit to the site, the pages accessed and documents downloaded, the referrring site and the type of browser used. No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities except, in the unlikely event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the web server's logs.
What do we do with the data collected in our privacy statement?
Chemist Warehouse uses this information to improve our services and capabilities in operating our business for the consumer. We do not sell, provide, or allow our information to be viewed by any other person other than those employed by Chemist Warehouse. Chemist Warehouse will also forward order addresses onto Australia Post and TNT in order for the successful delivery of the parcel.
Why do we collect email addresses?
Chemist Warehouse requires email addresses for correspondance in regard to orders placed and registration of users. We do not use these emails for commercial use without prior consent.
Why do some prescription items have four different prices?
Items, which are subsidised by the government under the National Health Service (NHS), are charged at different prices depending on the type of benefit card a customer may have. There are three levels under the NHS. The first is called General patients. These are customers with a Medicare card but no other benefit cards ie no pension or concession card. These people must pay up to the first $34.20 before the government starts to subsidise their medicines. The second is concession patients. These are people who are on a health care card, pension card, veterans affairs card or safety net concession card. These patients pay the first $5.60 of a script and the government subsidises the rest. The third is the safety net entitlement patients. These are people who have a benefit card and obtain 60 scripts in a calendar year. These people obtain scripts at no cost. The private price you see on most prescription medications is the price with no government subsidy.
NB additional charges may apply over and above these if a patient elects to receive a more expensive brand.
Why can I only order one lot of an NHS item at a time?
The government under the National Health Service (NHS) subsidises many medicines so that all Australians can have access to affordable prescription medicines. Because they are paying for some or all of the cost of these, they impose restrictions on how frequently they can be dispensed. This varies from item to item but you can ask your pharmacist what the time interval is on a particular product. In most cases the time interval is 21 days. Items dispensed before this time interval cannot be covered under the NHS except in special circumstances.
Does Chemist Warehouse accept BPay?
Yes. You can now pay for any orders placed over the internet with BPay. Simply select the BPay option on the payment page and note the Biller code and Reference number. This can then be paid through any participating BPay provider using a credit card or debit account. The payment will go through the next business day and your order will then be processed.
If I select BPay, how long do I have to pay?
BPay orders must be paid within 14 days. Orders will be cancelled after this period. If you still require the order after 14 days, please place another order over the internet or phone us to arrange an alternative payment method.
How can I pay for an order and is it safe?
Chemist Warehouse accepts most major credit cards. The transaction is performed by the bank under 128 bit security ensuring the highest level of security, as well as eliminating the need for Chemist Warehouse to see the card, as well as store numbers. For customers who do not have or would prefer not to use credit cards, they can elect to pay by BPay. If you would like to pay by credit card but do not wish to do this over the internet, our BPay option allows credit card payments.
Why have I been initially charged for products that Chemist Warehouse could not supply?
All orders must be paid in full before Chemist Warehouse will process them. Chemist Warehouse stocks in store around 90% of products ordered and orders any other products. Most of these arrive the same day the order is placed. In some instances, suppliers may not have stock of a product and Chemist Warehouse was not informed until after an order was placed. We are currently developing new systems to limit this problem. In these cases, the item is cancelled from the order and a refund is given by way of a cheque or credit card refund.
How can I track the progress of my order?
You can also track your order status during processing as well as delivery by logging online, and clicking on your relevant order number. The status will allow you to see the stage it is at if it has not yet been shipped, and by pressing the “track order” button after it has been shipped, you can see the latest information Australia Post has on your order.
How can Chemist Warehouse assure professional quality standards are met and maintained?
Chemist Warehouse recently became Quality Care Pharmacy (QCPP) accredited for retail, internet and mail order pharmacy. QCPP is an industry-developed quality assurance program developed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia with the assistance of other industry stakeholders I serves to raise the standard of customer service in individual pharmacies across Australia - providing an industry-wide guarantee of retail service quality and professional practice. If your current online or mail order pharmacy is not accredited you should ask yourself why.
Is there any restrictions on what I can order if I am ordering outside Australia?
Yes, we cannot supply any prescription lines unless we have a script from an Australian registered doctor. It is also illegal to send any subsidised medicines outside Australia even if you are an Australian citizen. We cannot send any product which are illegal or restricted in the country they are being sent to. Eg we will not supply any codeine containing preparations outside Australia.
If I am an international customer, how can I know how much the prices are in my currency?
The Chemist Warehouse website prices can be changed to selected currencies from around the world. You can select you currency on the home page in the top right hand corner using the drop down box. The conversion rates are calculated daily using daily foreign exchange data. Once you have completed your order, your credit card will be charged the equivalent amount in Australian dollars, where your credit card issuer will then convert accordingly. Chemist Warehouse does not have any involvement in the currency exchange process by the credit card providor that is viewed on your statement.
How are international orders sent?
Chemist Warehouse has partnered with Australia Post and EMS to ensure a fast cost effective delivery solution. The cost of the freight is calculated automatically by the site once your order is completed, with the charge being showed in Australian dollars or the currency you have selected. EMS allows the parcel to be traced online with a signature on delivery. The system is an express service that allows delivery to most western countries in 3-5 business days.
Why do some of the fragrances on promotion state they are Unboxed or have No Lid
At Chemist Warehouse and Chemist Warehouse our passion to deliver the best value for our customers on the best product brands has allowed us to purchase direct from the companies excess stock that are not packaged. The fragrance is the exactly the same fragrance, however the combination of our large buying power with not requiring packaging means the cost of the product is greatly reduced. This makes these items ideal for personal use.
What happens if customs prevent my order from entering my country of stated delivery?
As each country in the world have their own custom requirements for specific products, it is imperative that if you are not certain whether a product can be delivered to your country of origin, you should check before you place the order. Where an order is returned to Chemist Warehouse by customs in a resaleble condition, we will refund the amount less the freight incurred by us to send the order in the first place.
Can Fragrances be returned for exchange or refund?
Generally Fragrances may not be returned for a refund or exchange, however in circumstances consistent with the 'Consumer Guarantees' outlined in the 'Australian Consumer Law' (found at: www.accc.gov.au), a refund or exchange may be granted.
Can I have all of my repeats dispensed in one order?
No. Unless your doctor has endorsed the prescription "Regulation 24" or has supplied a signed consent form to allow multiple packs to be supplied. You can also ask your doctor to write your script out for the increased quantity. Please note that if you do obtain multiple packs on the one order, they may no longer count towards your Safety Net limit. If you would like to know more about the Safety Net, please phone and ask to talk to a pharmacist. Medicines cannot be returned for a refund.
How does the Lowest Price Guaranteed offer work?
At Chemist Warehouse Online Store if you find a cheaper price on the same item at another Australian registered pharmacy or Australian registered online pharmacy we will match it and give you 10% off the difference.
Do I need a prescription to order "Prescription Only Medicines"?
Yes, all "Prescription Only Medicines" require a prescription from an Australian registered doctor before we can supply. NB some items may only be able to be supplied on a prescription from a Queensland registered doctor. This will be stated in the product description.
What is a Regulation 24 Script and what rules apply to having them dispensed?
If a doctor deems it necessary according to the rules of Regulation 24 (see www.pbs.gov.au) they can write Regulation 24 next to any item prescribed and this will allow the pharmacist to dispense all of the repeats at once. The following rules apply to a Regulation 24 Script -:
-It can only apply to a new prescription and not a repeat prescription.
-It can only be done on the first dispensing. If the Regulation 24 is not dispensed on the first dispensing then all rights to the Regulation 24 will be lost.
-All of the reapeats have to be dispensed at one time. Therefore you cannot get 3 lots now and then another 3 lots later. It is either get them all dispensed at once or one at a time like a normal script.
-It is the doctor that has to endorse the script Regulation 24 and the pharmacist has no control over this.
What policy does Chemist Warehouse have in regards to expiry dates of products they supply?
Our policy is to supply products with at least a month expiry beyond the normal expected time it would take to consume based on normal dosages. As we have no control over expiry dates supplied from the manufacturer, we are unable to supply requests for extended expiry dates and we do not recommend ordering any more than 6 months supply of any product. Any orders in excess of 6 months supply or in excess of retail quantities is at the risk of the purchaser in regards to expiry dates.
