An Australian influencer who was branded “rude” for complaining about the wait times at pharmacies is being roasted over her “pitiful” attempt to justify her behaviour.
Amber Paul, the woman behind popular TikTok account @influencer.updates.au, shared a video last week asking why pharmacists often take 20 minutes to serve them their medication.
Her video wasn’t well received, prompting Aussie pharmacist Mustafa Dhahir to respond, explaining exactly why it can take that long – including “checking to make sure the medication doesn’t kill you”.
Now Amber, a mum who lives in Geelong, Victoria, has attempted to explain her criticism – but appears to have dug an even deeper hole for herself.
“About a week ago I made a viral video on TikTok complaining about the wait times at pharmacies,” she says in a fresh video.
“Here’s a little secret. Another woman back in 2017 ran the exact same video and it’s script for script pretty much exactly what I said.
“I copied it. I’m not actually that rude or stupid. I just wanted to make a viral video and it worked.”
But Amber’s explanation appears to have fallen flat, with many responding she was “still rude”.
“So you wanted to go viral showcasing your ignorance? Success!” one said.
“Girl that is being rude still,” another added.
And another said: “This is so pitiful.”
“Even if you copied, it perpetuates a rude and stupid idea. Stop making healthcare workers’ lives harder than they already are,” one wrote.
“Yeaaah I’m gonna call BS on that,” someone else added.
Others pointed out her argument meant she admitted copying someone else’s idea, which is also “wrong”.
“You shouldn’t copy other people’s content regardless,” one woman wrote.
“So you copied a video my content creator friend made five years ago, and now you’re calling my friend rude and stupid?” another argued.
And another person said: “This is so embarrassing for you.”
The original video Amber is claiming to have copied was posted on Facebook by radio host Kristie Mercer back in 2017.
In it, she questioned why it takes so long to receive a script, according to a report by Mamamia at the time.
“I have to entertain myself because there’s a 15-minute wait on getting a script. What the f**k? Like, I’m sorry, what is the hold-up on the process?” she said in the clip, which had been viewed more than 60,000 times before it was taken down.
“You hand over your prescription and they’re like, ‘Sure, there’ll be a 15-minute wait, here’s your little buzzer and we’ll be with you in 15.’
“Like, what is happening? I can see the medicine behind you, it’s like 2m away. Just grab it off the shelf and press print on the old sticker printer, slap it on and away we go. Is there some kind of magical process that’s taking place back there? Because I’m very intrigued as to why it takes so long.”
Amber’s original video was similar, though notably not as lengthy, asking, “Why does it take 20 minutes to dispense a prescription?”
Her rant however attracted the attention of Aussie pharmacist Mustafa Dhahir, who rose to popularity on TikTok during the pandemic with his videos debunking Covid vaccine myths.
Mr Dhahir, known as @pharmamustafa on the platform, confirmed that while patients can see that their medication is readily available, “first I need to put your details through the computer”.
He also added that while it only takes a few minutes to process the medication, there are a lot of other things that increase the wait time.
“Why are you waiting longer than a minute? Well let’s just assume there are four people waiting ahead of you and each person has about three prescriptions,” he said.
“On average, each prescription takes me about a minute, so that’s an extra 12-minute wait – but this is assuming everything will run smoothly and I will not get interrupted.”
Mr Dhahir also said anyone who approaches the counter to ask advice or for a vaccination takes priority over filling scripts.
He then estimates on average the wait time to get a script filled is about 17 to 18 minutes before adding one final dig at those who complain about waiting.
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“Most importantly I am checking to make sure the medication doesn’t kill you.
“But also you waited like two hours at the doctor’s, can’t you wait a few more minutes for me?”
News.com.au has contacted Amber Paul for further comment.
