Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write. I received too many on one occasion, but I did not return them. Normally I would have, but the prescription was for Viagra, and my HMO limits me to four pills a month. If I get an extra pill, you can bet I will hang on to it. No pharmacist I know would deliberately short-count a patient.
Mistakes happen, but usually it's due to a machine miscount.
You would be surprised how many people drop their medicine down the drain, in their car or behind the sofa, and then blame the shortage on the pharmacy. When I had a root canal recently, my dentist prescribed pain medication. The pharmacist accidentally gave me 100 pills instead of 20. I returned them. My pharmacist accidentally gave me 100 pills instead of 12.