Some online pharmacies have a free live chat feature on their websites. Here, customers can have a one-on-one chat with a live person, who’s supposed to answer questions about the purchasing process.

But the reps only answer some questions--and repeatedly give out vague information. On Sunday February 15, 2009, I chatted with Holly, an online Customer Service rep at www.Online-discount-pharmacy1.com.

Here’s an excerpt.

• Erin: But what about a prescription? I live in the United States. Don't I need one?
• Holly: We are a legitimate company and we operate in compliance with existing federal laws, all medicines provided are obtained from legitimate pharmaceutical wholesalers, or in some cases directly from the US manufacturer. Rest assured our company is committed to meeting and exceeding all government regulations covering this online health care provision.
• Erin: Ok, but how do I get the medication without a prescription? Isn't that required?
• Holly: All you have to do is to answer the medical questionnaire online then our doctors will base their decision if you should or should not have the order. Please know that an online pharmacy is just a refill service. That is the reason why we do need a prescription. A customer must have been prescribed with the medication they are ordering before. If ever our doctors need more information regarding, why the customer is requesting a medication. They would contact you.
• Erin: I do not have a current prescription. Does that mean I cannot purchase the medication?
• Holly: You can.
• Erin: You said that a customer must have been prescribed with the medication they are ordering before. I have not been prescribed this medication. Can I still purchase it? 
• Holly: I do apologize but if the medication has not been prescribed before you cannot order it.
• Erin: I thought you said that the doctor could prescribe the medication based on the form I fill out
• Holly: No, you may not.
• Holly: As again our doctors only check orders and they do not give out consultations.

So how do you make sense of such mixed messages? There’s no requirement for a prospective customer to submit information about a prior prescription during checkout. And there's no place that a customer is required to transmit proof of a current prescription.

The “medical questionnaire” that Holly mentions asks for a client's height, weight, and sex, and then poses the following questions:

Please state the medical condition requiring you to use this medication IMPORTANT: your order will not be approved unless this question is answered fully.

• Is your Personal Healthcare Practitioner aware that you are requesting this medication?
  
• Have you been prescribed this medication before?
  
• Have you had a physical exam in the last 12 months?
  
• Do you suffer from any seasonal allergies
  
• Please list in detail any allergies you have to medicines.
  
• Are you currently under treatment for any health problems
  
• Are you currently taking any prescription or non-prescription medicine?
  
• Are you suffering from high blood pressure?
  
• Please list anything in your medical history that you think might be relevant
  
• Please list any significant family medical history
  
• Are you currently pregnant or have you been nursing within the past 12 months
  
• Will you be taking other medications while taking this medicine?

The  FAQs for the site give customers the impression that the site’s physicians decide on whether or not to provide the drugs solely on the basis of the checkout questionnaire.

Is this legit?

Nope.

In 2006, the  DEA launched “Operation Click-for-Drugs,” which resulted in the arrest in Miami of four people for illegal drug distribution, money laundering and tax fraud. They were charged with selling restricted, prescription-only drugs via the Internet on sites that asked prospective customers to fill out a medical questionnaire, which was then sent to a physician overseas. The doctors  issued prescriptions based solely on the questionnaire and  then emailed these to pharmacies, which promptly shipped the drugs.

"A physician issuing a prescription without meeting the patient constitutes a violation of the requirement for a prescription to be for a legitimate medical purpose," the DEA press release said.

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge John P. Gilbride explicitly said the following:

“This organization’s greed and disregard for the law and safety of the public put lives at risk by delivering drugs without proper medical approval. The DEA is focused on identifying and shutting down these rogue internet pharmacies in order to keep our children and our community safe from the perils of prescription drug abuse. Let this serve as a warning to those who operate rouge internet pharmacies that DEA and our law enforcement partners will find you and put you out of business.”

At any rate, because  Holly on customer service chat was so vague, I called the live phone help line. I spoke with customer service representative #245, a woman with an Indian accent named “Sara”, on February 19, 2009. Our call ended at 3:48 EST.

I asked her if I needed to send a prescription to get meds.

She said just fill out the form, and our doctors will review it. Then you will be emailed a Fedex confirmation. Then “Sara” launched into an unsolicited explanation of overnight shipping, and how orders are shipped by 2 p.m EST.

Then I told her I didn’t know my medical history.

She said leave it blank.

I asked her if high blood pressure would disqualify me from getting medication.

She asked which one. I said Tramadol. Again, she said to leave it blank.

Even more telling, I asked “Sara” if I could “try again” if the online pharmacy doctors denied me prescription meds based on my questionnaire answers.

She answered, “Yes, you may try again.”

I asked, “Is it ok to change answers to try again?”

“Yes,” she said, flatly.