The Quest for Generic Viagra: A Prescription for Disaster

Part III - British Virgin Island Pharmacy tl-pharmacy

My first investigation took me to Ontario, Canada. I was surprised to learn that the Canadian company outsources to India, but where does the rest of the world get generic Viagra? After searching the web again, I come across this site at http://www.tl-pharmacy.com.

The website is a simple site, similar to the Canadian company and follows the typical blog layout. There is a big picture of a generic pill in the middle of the page. Perfect! Any website with a mystery pill and limited information is perfect place to get me some cheap, generic pills.

And at the bottom of the page there is an “about us” section which reads: “TL-Pharmacy is a name you can trust providing FDA-approved pharmaceuticals and prescription processing in a discreet, safe and confidential manner. The products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with TL-Pharmacy or any of its affiliated companies.”

That information is enough for me! And by enough, I mean provides absolutely no information about the company. Sounds like the perfect place to order prescription medication!

I dial the 800 number and an Indian woman answers the phone. Her English is below par, and I get the immediate impression that this is going to be a tough call. Good thing I am asking medical questions!

TL-Pharmacy: Hello, this Customer Service, I Nancy, how can I help you?

Mung: I was on your website and had some questions about Generic Viagra and was hoping you could help me. Do you have a second?

TL-Pharmacy: O.K.

Mung: I was interested in the Generic Viagra. What is the difference between regular and generic?

TL-Pharmacy: Size shape and color will differ, but it does the same stuff. You would not notice a difference since the dosage is the same as the non-generic.

Mung:  MMMkay. Well I live here in New York. Are you able to ship here to NY?

TL-Pharmacy: Yes, we ship everywhere in U.S. We only ship to U.S.

Mung: Oh Great! Where is the medication coming from?

TL-Pharmacy: Well, we ship from any one of our fulfillment centers located in European and Asian countries.

Mung: Sounds like a nice distribution network you have. Does it come from India, because I heard they are the fastest?

TL-Pharmacy: Depending on where the drug is available it could be shipped from any one of our fulfillment centers. It could come from anywhere in Asia.

Mung: Would you let me know where you are sending my drugs from?

TL-Pharmacy: It would be from our fulfillment centers sir.

Mung: But where does generic Viagra ship, since that is what I am interested in?

TL-Pharmacy: India.

Mung: Sweet! So, how long does it usually take?

TL-Pharmacy: The business service we use is registered air mail and it usually takes 10 days. It will be in a medical envelope and should arrive to you shortly after order.

Mung: And it is legal to ship drugs here to the US, right? I am in NY, and don’t want to break any laws. I mean my wife would just kill me if I went to jail… again.

Mung: Is it legal to ship drugs from those locations to here in the US, wherever your fulfillment center is located?

TL-Pharmacy: Uh, yes, we can ship to the US, and we have not had any problems. No problems at all.

Mung: And are there any side effects of generic Viagra. Since I have never taken them before, I am a little nervous.

TL-Pharmacy: We fill exactly the generic by US FDA approved and manufacturer’s compliance. It will be exactly like the drug.

Mung: Hmmmm. And do you have any doctors on staff or would I call you with questions.

TL-Pharmacy: No we don’t have any live doctors, but we have online doctors available anytime.

Mung:  No live doctors huh, do you have any dead doctors?

Mung: I mean for those doctors online, where are these doctors trained?

TL-Pharmacy: They are doctors from around the world, so, many places.

Mung: Great!  If I have Diabetes is it OK if I take the drug?

TL-Pharmacy: It would depend on your usage and dose of the current medication you are taking for Diabetes. You should place an order online now. You can put medicines in online on the website.

Mung:  So If I am taking Propecia for my hair, would there be any interactions I should know about?

TL-Pharmacy: No sir, no problems.

Mung: OK then. What type of payment do you accept?

TL-Pharmacy: We accept Visa credit card or debit.

Mung: Best way is through your website though?

TL-Pharmacy: Yes.

Mung: OK. Thanks! Take care.

Nancy must have a script. And she did a quality job… of testing my patience. She had no problem answering my medical questions, shipping drugs overseas and putting me through to online doctors, who may or may not be dead.  Either way, she is clearly trying to get my money and doesn’t even try to get me on the phone with a live pharmacist.

I am making progress in this experiment, but it’s time to cut out the middle man. Time to call India, and I don’t mean Microsoft technical support! Or do I?

Stay tuned for the conclusion.