I filed for retirement. I have a horrible job at a call center. Hope I can make it to 2/1.

[bamademo]

I can't tell you the name of the place I work but it's a company that contracts out call center work to a mail order specialty pharmacy. There is no communication about issues, these people need HIV, growth hormones and transplant drugs. Constant red tape and incompetent management curse this job and this place.

I dealt with a woman who was crying out of frustation and fear because they were holding up her anti-rejection drugs for a heart transplant. And we are all so burnt out when we take these calls, we don't even care anymore because of the unreasonable call center metrics this company imposes on us.

I have a degree and this was the best I could get. I will retire and pay off student loans for the rest of my life.

[Mendocino]

1. I spent over 33 years

in an unsatisfying job. I retired about 3 1/2 years ago at 55 and love it.

Good luck and enjoy it the best you can.

[hollowdweller]

40. Work Force Participation Rate

The GOP seems to think the solution is to somehow FORCE people to keep working, or to lower everybodies salaries and benefits so more companies offer more jobs.

My wife and I both retired at 55 from Gov't. The two problems were the jobs paid so low starting you couldn't keep employees so all the extra work fell to those left, and then there was no chance of any raises to up our final retirement.

Work just does not pay anymore most places. It's interesting that a party that says capitalisim is the answer refuses to entertain the idea of paying people more to entice them to work.

Heck I know people who make more money working under the table than they do at a fast food job. Most people I know pay 10 to 15 an hour for handyman work or general labor around their houses/farms.

[notadmblnd]

2. Sounds like Express Scripts

whom I detest. Got a call from someone in Singapore yesterday, said her name was CC. Telling me that Express Scripts would not cover one of my meds and wanted to know if I wanted them to fill it for full price. I was pissed because my insurance covered my meds at the local pharmacy. Fuck no, I don't want it. If I'm going to pay full price, I'll put the money back into the local economy and not some corporations bank account.

I was notified in October that I had to switch to express scripts and if I did not order my meds from them. My insurance would pay nothing. Now I get a 40 dollar co-pay on one of my meds that cost me 25 in co-pay at the local pharmacy. Another medication I'm on- not only do they not cover it- they don't even carry it.

You got twelve days til 2/1. Take what ever vacation time you have and when you go back- quit.

[bamademo]

5. Well, I don't think they can deny but I am in default for student loans.

But they still have to give me part, right? And I have part time jobs lined up.

It's not express scripts.

[notadmblnd]

6. Yes, there is a certain percentage they can withhold, I'm thinking it's around 15%

nt

[bamademo]

9. That's ok. I can still work PT and get out of default.

I just am truly burnt out on alarm clocks and 7:00 AM arrivals.

[403Forbidden]

10. Regardless of debt, you are owned a min of around $750/month if you are eligible for that amount..

...or higher. So for example if you qualify for $800/month in social security retirement, the most the government can deduct is $50/month. Or if you only qualify for $700 month, there will be no deduction.

Of course, the deduction gets more onerous if as the amount you qualify for gets higher.

[bamademo]

14. I am qualified for way more than that.

[403Forbidden]

15. Oh man, ok well it is possible you will take a big hit all the way down to $750/month...

...if you don't put those defaulted loans into a payment plan. There is a Federally operated income based repayment plan that might help though. You can put your loan repayments into the plans even if they are in default.

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/plans/income-driven

[1939]

7. I use Express Scripts and find it very convenient and reliable.

They are Johnny on the spot with refills. They give you a 90 supply and refill on time so you don't run out. Anything short term, i fill at CVS, but Express Scripts does my five maintenance meds. They also call the e-mail my doctor if the script is running out so he can renew it. Co-pays are $9 for generics and $27 for non-generics for a 90 day supply. They give great phone service as well.

[notadmblnd]

17. Im glad you are satisfied with them. I'm not.

I went to my primary care Dr. last week and she up-ed my blood pressure dosage because apparently I have white coat syndrome- (big eyeroll there). It goes up when I see the Dr.

In the mail when I received my meds after they hounded me for a bank account number so they could automatically get in my account (which is something I don't want anyone to do). They sent me not only the script for the new dosage, they also sent me a refill for the old dosage too. I don't need the old dosage however, I saw nothing at their site explaining how to return and get credit for meds that I don't want. I also saw nothing about being able to use coupons for my meds as I could at my local pharmacy.

I paid 28 dollars for a 90 day supply of Singular (asthma) and BP medication. I haven't seen my lung Dr yet so she can submit new scripts for the rest, but I use 3 different inhalers to help me breath.Two have a 40 dollar co-pay at express scripts for a 30 day supply. One I can't even get from express scripts even if I pay full price for it (it is almost 400.00 out of pocket) because they just don't carry it. And wouldn't you know, it's the one I find most effective.

At the local pharmacy two were 25 and one was 40. So now I get to pay 150.00 a month for 4 of my meds or about 550.00 if I buy the one out of pocket- where at the local pharmacy I was paying just a little over 100.00 in co-pays for all 5 meds that I take regularly. So, no, I'm not happy at all.

[dmr]

46. Did they send both new & old refills at the same time?

In the same mail package?

If they did, then that's dangerous. The pharmacist should have discontinued the earlier script, or at least question it with you and/or the doctor's office.

Many patients would assume, since both scripts were filled together, that they must take both. That is very dangerous. These were blood pressure med ... e-gad! Makes me shudder to think they probably do this often.

Maybe company doesn't care, it's more profits for them. The pharmacist should care because it would be a game of "bet your license". I'm surprised your insurance approved it.

[notadmblnd]

47. yes. It's a good thing I'm not a complete idiot.

I'm certain the pharmacist at my local drug store would have. Express Scripts- not so much.Right now, I'm pretty much envisioning trained monkey working in a warehouse somewhere just counting pills and tossing them in a bottle.

[dmr]

48. Well, that would be illegal.

The pharmacist must review whatever is entered into the computer, and then check the med filled by a non-licensed tech before it's sent to the patient. Also, most pharmacy computers are programed to alert anything amiss. Like double prescriptions, allergies or drug-drug interactions. Looks like they failed on all three steps.

I'm glad you were smart enough to know what & how to take your meds. You should tell your doctor & your insurance company.

[notadmblnd]

49. Good advice, I think I will. Thanks.

[phylny]

24. I deal with Express Scripts as a consumer, and I despise them.

I was taking a medication that had a strict timeline - could NOT stop taking it or interrupt the dosages without major problems, according to literature and the pharmacist I talked to. They were always late mailing it out. "We called you to review, and you didn't answer." No, if you'd have called me on my cell phone, I would have seen a freaking missed call.

I am no longer on that medicine, and the less I have to deal with them, the better.

[1939]

31. They keep a stream of e-mail going to me with notices before filling and when shipped.,

They also e-mail me when the script is coming to an end of refills and also e-mail the doctor. They are one of the easier bureaucracies that i deal with on a day-to-day basis.

[phylny]

32. They do with regular drugs,

but not the one I was previously prescribed.

[Jim Lane]

30. My experience with Express Scripts was mixed.

2014, started with them, lots of hassles especially getting set up, spent hours upon hours on the phone.

2015, switched to a different insurer - they had a more efficient operation but refused to cover an expensive med, which at least Express Scripts had covered.

2016, switched back. Coverage after unreasonable hassle is better than no coverage at all.

[1939]

33. Maybe mine is different becaause they just function as a delivery service

My insurer sets the drug benefits policies and Express Scripts just carries them out and delivers. I did have some problems when they acquired Medco Health because my previous insurer worked through Medco and I ended up with two sets of records in the system. That cost me several days on the phone with Express Scripts and both insurers until I got a wonderful lady from Express Scripts who just went into the computer and killed the old Medco account. Everyone else was giving the old Catch 22 bureaucratic "Polish Salute". Now if you really want to encounter something that is royally screwed up, deal with the VA.

[irisblue]

3. positive thoughts for you

[Person 2713]

4. Hang in there . Write the date 2/1 somewhere you can see it daily . I hope you receive some

respite after that date.

[angstlessk]

8. I love retirement, though I still work

online, and get to choose what I want to do...

I would never not want to do something fun and rewarding.

[bamademo]

11. That would be ideal for me.

My car is an old clunker. But I love where I live. And I just don't want to answer to a lot of people anymore.

[angstlessk]

38. This is what I replied to another DUer

A friend of mine from where I used to live hooked me up with a Real Estate agent and I did his books and lead allocation, as the leads came through on google email...I also do miscellaneous jobs in excel...seems I am the go to person for excel. Perhaps if you send out requests to business about your work experience etc you could hook yourself up to do odd jobs when you are needed...P.S. I only make $11.00 per hour, so I am not getting rich, but I am staying busy

[enough]

12. I'm sorry to be so ignorant, are you saying that you work at a call center where you are

responsible for telling people whether or not they qualify for certain medications? Does the pharmacy make these determinations, or are they just the place where the patient finds out the good or bad news about eligibility?

This sounds awful for you and for the people you are talking to. It's terrible that this is the way the entire system works.

Good luck, 2/1 is less than 2 weeks away!

[bamademo]

13. I don't determine qualification. But I don't have access to information I need to help.

It's a nightmare of red tape. People end up in the hospital because I can't get meds to them due to insurance hang ups.

[Downwinder]

16. There mist be a high turnover.

I have never spoken to the same person twice. Most have been young fast talkers.

[DiehardLiberal]

18. I'm liquidating my business because I can't take the greedy/cheap attitudes any more.

Wasn't financially ready for retirement but am burnt out from the Trump wannabes. My landlord is a jerk and isn't renewing my lease because of his liability for contents (I have a large interior design/home staging biz) although I paid my rent on time every month. After 12 years enough is enough and I'm trying to sell the thousands of pieces of furnishings I accumulated and trying to get every dollar I can to see me through for awhile. It's not ideal at all but trying to make the best of it. Can't wait to be done and get a bit of freedom. Then see what opportunities may come along that won't suck the life out of me... Fingers X'd!!!

[Delmette]

19. I took early retirement two months ago.

I relax more as each week goes by. My family has noticed the tension in my face is gone.

Good luck in your retirement.

[UTUSN]

20. You *can* make it. Those last several days are the longest but There's a Light at the end.

Steel yourself, put yourself in Meditate mode. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

[Orrex]

21. How long have you worked this job?

I sympathize, believe me. Working at a call center is like getting a barbed wire enema.

Hang in there.

[magical thyme]

22. I quit my call center job last April

filed for early retirement in the spring. Expected to still keep the per diem med lab tech job but they dumped me without notice end of August /early Sept. The SS checks started in December. It mean living on a chunk of change I'd set aside to re-do my family room floor and paying student loans until I die, but I was so burned out and done I stopped caring.

I'm still transitioning, but just so relieved. I will never allow myself to be screamed at by any $*#2^$#&*Q@!!!!! ahole again. Ever.

[tazkcmo]

28. Telemarketed in the early 90's for a few years

Not too bad really. Most folks you were receptive or just hung up quickly. The mean ones I'd hang up on, quickly. Worse phone job was for a well known insurance company associated with the military. As a veteran, I took it all too personally and was emotionally attached. There are some quality people getting a quality fucking from our government and it makes me very angry.

Wanted to say the insurance company was and is the standard in veteran's compassion for corporate America and the others have a looooooooooooooooooong way to go. Just wanted to be clear.

[magical thyme]

34. I'm screamed at by certain managers and co-workers as well as customers

The c.s. job was for mutual funds. Screamed at by people who didn't pay their taxes, got audited, the stock market took a dive, etc. Screamed at by the night manager because.

Med lab tech screamed at by 2 co-workers because they are vile b$8(##%&$*#!!es. Screamed at by lab director because I couldn't do night shift on a regular basis, emergencies only, which I told her when she interviewed me. Screamed at and bullied by a series of managers at my real career back in the 80s and 90s at Digital Equipment.

Also stalked and harassed. At the lab by a brain-damaged, alcoholic, divorced janitor, aided and abetted by 2 lab assistants and their supervisor. Stalked and harassed in my real career back by a married customer support guy working on a green card because.

Never. Fucking. Again.

[vanlassie]

23. I did 13 years in a call center of a major health insurance company.

I figured out that I took over a quarter of a million calls before I left. I was good at it but we were exploited and increasingly disrespected by management. I finally said fuck this. Best move ever.

[DFW]

25. My heart goes out to ALL trapped in lousy jobs

And I take off my hat to all that stick it out because they have to.

I am thinking about retiring, myself, but in 20 years or so, as I'm only 63. Since none of my parents (and only one of their siblings) made it past 80, I'll probably die in the saddle, but better that than of boredom.

[merrily]

26. I'm so very sorry for your situation. Vote for Bernie Sanders is the most useful advice I can give.

One of the jobs I had in another lifetime was handling calls from customers of Revlon. Not as critical as your job, but it was unsatisfying and underpaid (by a lot). I took it because it was supposed to be a gateway to higher jobs in the company. Turned out ONE woman had made it out of that department to an executive spot. Ah, the stories people who lack integrity tell us! Ah, the gullibility of youth.

"Ah, but I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now."

[tazkcmo]

27. Make a lot of doctor appts

There's also time allowed off work under the Family Leave Act. Of course, I understand you may not get paid and can't afford to miss work, like myself and millions of others. Hang in there! When ever I'm feeling miserable at work I think of prisoners in the Soviet gulag system. Makes being a wage slave seem a little less miserable. Anyway, good luck, you deserve this so keep your eye on the prize!

[NBachers]

29. X days and a wakeup- you'll make it.

[Victor_c3]

35. I had a job that I was hoping I could make it 4 years in

I ended up making it only 1 year and 10 months before I was terminated.

I first got out of the Army and got a great job with Amazon.com. They hired almost exclusively former military officer for their production managers in their packing facilities and I got one of those jobs. They offered and paid me a lot of money and threw a lot of stock at me. The only catch was I would have to work there for at least 4 years to get all of the stock.

I quickly realized that I couldn't handle the stress of the job. My PTSD symptoms flared up really bad and I got in a lot of trouble including being suspended and I was eventually fired. I had great productivity numbers for my department, but I was a loose cannon and scared the crap out of people when my PTSD would flare up. Despite the fact that the company spouts how much it supports the troops and whatnot, management did the best thing they could for their business and fired me. Support for the troop stops when they are suddenly in a position where they could really help a veteran out. I had a lot to offer to the company and they could have moved me to a different and less stressful position, but that's not what they did.

Being terminated sent me on the beginning of a 6 year journey that eventually lead to me being awarded SSDI about 6-9 months ago. After amazon.com I worked 5 years for the government and I just couldn't hold it together. My PTSD got much worse and I attempted suicide and spent a lot of time in the psych wards. People got scared of me at work (for some reason a combat veteran who has killed people and demonstrated that he is crazy enough to spend serious time in a psych ward scares people) and my performance suffered. Management told me that they would either help me apply for disability or they would eventually fire me if my performance didn't improve quickly (which nobody realistically thought that was possible). Management stayed true to their promise. They wrote some awful letters about me on my behalf that I used as evidence to submit to SSDI.

I'm 35 now and being retired on disability has totally changed my life. Much of my stress has evaporated and my quality of life has improved significantly. So much so that I'm now getting bored of my current life and I'm itching to try to get back into work next year. I wake up and my head is clear and I'm (mostly) happy to be alive. My relationships with my wife and kids has improved significantly.

I've been focusing almost all of my time on my family and my treatment and it has made a huge difference in my life.

You were kind of vague on this part of your post, but are you looking to apply for SSDI or are you old enough to retire conventionally? If you are going the SSDI route for a psychiatric disability you need to make sure you have TONS of evidence to back it up. You need to have evidence that over a long period of time that you can't work like termination letters, disciplinary action (letters), letters written by coworkers, poor performance reviews on paper, etc. Also you need to have shown that you have been in regular treatment to no avail. Some prolonged stints in a psych ward would help too and being on lots of meds wouldn't hurt your case either. Lots of documentation is the key to getting approved for SSDI. For what its worth, I was approved on my first try totally on my own without any help from an attorney or anyone else.

Anyways, good luck to you! Hang in there.

[bamademo]

36. I am sorry for your experience. I just turned 62 and and eligible for SS.

And I am taking it. In spite of a B.S. degree and good work experience, employers won't hire women my age anymore. I am taking the money and running.

[Phentex]

37. Best wishes to you...

sorry about all the crappy circumstances to this point. I really hope you enjoy your retirement as best you can.

[Rex]

39. I hear ya, I took two part time jobs instead of a job in a call center.

Call center paid slightly better, but screw that...I get tired of being treated less than human by clients and managment.

[hollowdweller]

41. This whole thread reminds me of what happens when there are no unions

Working conditions decline.

Your boss can do anything to you.

[shadowrider]

42. Just out of curiosity

What was your degree in?

[bamademo]

43. I have a BS in Management of Technology.

And I have supervisors with no degree whatsoever.

[shadowrider]

44. That happens

a lot. My current supervisor has been in the bidness 7 years. I've been in it 35, and he has no degree.

[bamademo]

45. I am great at writing papers. LOL.