Kinney Drugs’ AI Rollout Sparks Customer Frustration and Privacy Concerns

The introduction of an AI assistant called Burt at Kinney Drugs has sparked many customer complaints and system errors. Patients say the tool makes wrong refill calls, builds up unneeded medication supplies, and links to major processing slowdowns. Many people feel they must use the faulty AI or find a new pharmacy because they lack other choices.

Key takeaways

• Kinney Drugs’ AI assistant ‘Burt’ makes confusing calls and incorrect prescription refills.
• System errors include ordering wrong dosages and failing to tell customers when refills are ready.
• Customers report they were not asked for consent and have no keypad alternative to the voice AI.
• The launch has created longer delays and damaged patient trust, pushing some customers to leave.
• AI healthcare rules are behind, offering few consumer protections during this deployment.

Widespread Customer Complaints and System Failures

Nearly a dozen Kinney Drugs customers in Vermont and New York describe a launch filled with system errors and mistakes. They report Burt makes unclear calls, lists drugs incorrectly, and asks for wrong refills of important medications. One customer, Kathy Callaghan, said she approved these confusing requests, which left her with extra bottles of a drug she rarely needs.

Operational Breakdowns and Delays

The AI system arrived as delays grew between doctors ordering drugs and the pharmacy filling them. Specific problems include the tool failing to find established customer accounts, ordering wrong dosages, and not alerting customers when refills were prepared. These mistakes make the user experience slow and frustrating.

Customer opinion is evident: many see no advantage. Vermont customer Dave Bellini said the new system “has absolutely no value, no benefit to the customer,” while Matt Penney called it “more complicated and cumbersome” than the old touch-tone phone menu. Issues are so severe that some customers, like Maria Aveni, now only refill prescriptions in person to avoid Burt completely.

Implementation and Lack of Informed Consent

Kinney Drugs started its AI virtual assistant, named Burt, for patient messages and prescription refills in May. A third-party AI pharmaceutical firm called Synerio built the tool. The pharmacy’s own terms state, “Burt may not be accurate, complete or up-to-date and may be misleading or contain errors and omissions.” These terms say any customer who gives their phone number to Kinney Drugs agrees to use the AI, though they can opt out later.

Many customers said they received no warning about the new system before it launched. Several found out only when calling for a refill and hearing the AI voice, with no advance notice from the pharmacy. The system needs voice commands, providing no keypad choice. Customer Maria Aveni summed it up as, “talk to Burt or don’t get your drugs,” pointing to the missing automated alternative for callers.

Company Rationale and Regulatory Gap

Kinney Drugs explained it launched the AI assistant to remove routine tasks and give pharmacists more time. A company director asserted the tool meets this aim, stating, “it’s definitely doing the trick and handling those phone calls in such a nice manner that it’s reducing the calls to our pharmacy.” A company representative admitted in a statement that “some patients have experienced frustration with Burt, especially during rollout,” and said the firm examines each complaint and tries to contact each patient.

Legal and Regulatory Landscape

Several attorneys note AI technology in healthcare is moving faster than rules, leaving few consumer safeguards. Cody Venzke, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU, said, “There’s a delay in laws that are coming onto the books, so we’ve not seen a detailed picture of how companies are going to comply or how states are going to enforce the laws.” In Vermont, the new data privacy bill S.71, signed in June, waits two years to start, creating an enforcement gap.

Privacy advocates contend the bill is too limited to safeguard consumers. Vermont lawyer Ryan Kriger, who testified on the bill, noted, “Even if it were in effect, I’m not sure that it would necessarily cover the situation.”

Frustrations and Forced Reliance

The mistakes and required use of the flawed AI system raise serious privacy worries for customers. Their growing irritation drives some to quit Kinney Drugs entirely, while others feel stuck using a system they doubt because rural areas have few pharmacy options.

In-Person Workarounds and Rural Barriers

Some customers, like Maria Aveni, now only get refills in person to bypass AI contact. Yet this solution fails for people in rural places with little transport access. Aveni stated, “Burt demands that you talk to him… So it’s more of a talk to Burt or don’t get your drugs,” emphasizing the absent keypad option.

Customers report the AI assistant, named Burt, has caused delays, ordered wrong dosages, and failed to announce when prescriptions are prepared. These errors, paired with the system scanning pharmaceutical records to make illogical refill requests, directly harm patient trust and access.