I always reorder prescriptions by phoning them into the automated system. I put my pills in a case, which I refill once-a-week. And while I like the phone system very much, there is something missing from the process. You see, although it’s very conveinient to call in my prescription refill at 1 a.m., and it’s reassuring when I reach the prompt that says that my prescription will be refilled, I’m not satisfied or fooled into thinking everything is copacetic. What the system doesn’t do is tell me if the pharmacy is out of the drug (they always are), and if the pharmacy needs to wait for the warehouse delivery (they always do. I know you’re thinking, why do I go there, but it’s local, what’s why.) What the fancy system doesn’t say is that I should be prepared to wait until the drug arrives. What it doesn’t say is that I have a small window of time when my insurance will pay for more meds and when the pharmacy is going to get it in. Automated systems are nice, but they’re not so automated if you need to constantly try to outsmart them and be one step ahead.