Great donation center with caring staff and volunteers. Clean, efficient. It feels like another home! read more

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The old Asian lady with glasses who worked in the evening shift as the front desk lady was constantly portraying herself as a nice person but you could tell she was just putting on that appearance to sound professional but her actions were anything but. She went and reported me to someone on her personal number after barely checking in and asking her a question. After waiting for nearly half an hour I had to ask that lady a couple times how much longer it was going to be and If I didn't in soon I was going to leave but I told her I needed a paper to leave my email and phone so someone could take my info and delete my acct. the last 4 times I was here I always had to wait a long time to go in to donate. I said I didn't want to come back and was trying to leave and was pretty upset by then. So thìs old Russian lady (maybe) came out and was saying I couldn't be upset there and to come with her. I told her I was trying to leave my info so someone can remove me from the system. Somehow she dragged me to the intake room and forced me to give her all my details. She wanted to see my arms and I was embarrassed of my severe eczema rash's, scars, and scabs but she kept insisting and said I was a drug addict she needed to check my skin. I got up quickly and said excuse me????? She kept assuming I was a user. I wanted to leave but she just ket insisting I stay and finish the process. I was forced to show her my eczema and very embarrassed but I did lift up my jacket sleeves and barely showed her. She tried to lift my sleeve and check my arms and kept insisting she needed to see both arms. She offended me and kept pushing I stay. She yanked my thumb and placed in this medical ring and later claimed it was to check iron. My "iron" was a little short and said I was not eligible to donate but had the tenacity to say I could come back tomorrow. I could tell she was a liar because I have stopped using my weight loss injection since mid January this year and I asked if what she said was true then how come I had more iron while still on my weight loss injection and always qualified to donate. Thìs was her way to shut me up or calm me down but because of her and this uncomfortable asian lady at the front; patients in need of healthy will have one less unit to help keep them alive. It is very unfortunate the evening staff are "short staffed" but it's still no reason to overbook people for the same slots when there aren't enough technicians. The American Red Cross were quite pleasant in the beginning but since the time before last and this last one, things have gone downhill quite a bit. I was severely bruised up for the first time ever by a young male technician and I thought I was never coming back but they kept sending me desperate emails asking me to donate again. So I did but after my experience last night, I'm convinced they don't need my help and think lying to me and stalling my time is okay but it's not. They were phonies in my opinion and don't deserve to represent American Red Cross. Neither can do their jobs without being manipulative in the process. read more

Feeling disrespected as a volunteer. I volunteered with Northern California Chapter for 1-2 years about 8-10 hours per month. Then suddenly was taken off volunteering duties without any reasons when I asked for more project responsibilities. Volunteers : Red Cross is not a job, and you do not have the level of respect that a paid job has. Constantly evaluate if your effects are being respected by your organization leaders. In my experience, volunteering at Red Cross became a bottomless pit where volunteering efforts is going only one way, then organizational leader stonewalled and gave nothing in return. read more

I scheduled my appointment at 12:15 PM. I got here at 12:20 PM. I have seen people coming 20 to 30 minutes later after their scheduled appointment and yet seeing immediately after late arrival. So far over 8 people had showed up and left, and I'm still waiting to be seeing. A lady keep coming to me to let me know I'm next every 10 minutes and still bringing other people in front of me. read more

I likely won't ever donate there again. The first time I donated a couple months ago, the phebotomist missed my vein and ended up giving me a hematoma, that lasted a little over a month. He went to the other vein, and that had no complication. Today, on my second visit, I arrived a couple minutes before apt. I already pre filled the files they needed to confirm I was good to go. After about 20 minutes someone came out and said they were behind and might be 30 minutes or more. I said id do an errand and be back in 30, I did. On arrival, I waited another 30 minutes or so, watched 3 people go ahead of me, who arrived after my original appointment. I then asked what's going on? Was told there was a need for platelets, and I was giving whole blood. And platelets could take up to 3 hours. I asked when I might be seen and it was unclear, so after almost and hour and a half after my apt was supposed to start, I still had no end in sight, when I would be able to donate. I let them know to cancel the appointment. Mostly on principal at that point. If my blood was so worthless, and my time of such little value, why would I put myself threw the inevitable fatigue and other hardships blood donation can create. Decided to donate somewhere else. This kind of thing, could discourage many less patient personality types to just not dobate at all! Very bad experience at this Location. I can only conclude, the hiring of staff is not primarily based on merit or skill, (or common sense). Hope this isn't too harsh, but this was my lived experience, and im just being honest. read more

This location is a bit outdated, manual BP cuffs, TV's that don't function that well. The staff is overall nice, however they do take their time. There is no urgency in their processes at all. My appt time was for 12:45 hit I didn't complete the entire process until 2:15. For someone who tries to schedule things accordingly the extra 30 minutes put a damper on my errands before having to pick up my kids. The canteen has carb loaded snacks & juice boxes the highlight was the popped popcorn. read more

I took a CPR/First Aid class here with Holly Watts, what an amazing instructor and person she is. The class was informative, engaging, and fun. Most CPR classes I have been to are bland or boring, her class was engaing, insightful, and fun. Anyone who needs a CPR or First Aid class for certification, this is the place to go to as long as Holly is your instructor, you will not be disappointed. read more

I saw an advert from the American Red Cross regarding a Super Bowl promotion (basically, you'll be entered for an all inclusive weekend in Las Vegas to watch the Super Bowl). I'm a frequent donor and I was eligible a few weeks ago so I created a new online account and signed up for an appointment. On the day of my appointment, I logged into their RapidPass site and answered all of their screening questions in advance. This should speed up the process, right? Not here. When I checked in, the desk staff scanned my QR code and basically told me I had to do it again. Fine, it just took a few minutes since I was already familiar with the questions. Next, I go to the back for the next step of checking my hemoglobin, taking my temperature, and blood pressure. Everything there is old and dated. My blood pressure was taken manually. Next, I'm escorted to the canteen area and asked to wait "while the station is prepped". I was doing a double red donation so it's a special unit. This took about 15 minutes. It seems like people there are in no rush to get things going as I saw my "nurse" chatting with other folks during this "prep time". So finally I'm sitting in the chair and the nurse asks for my name and date of birth. My DOB in the system was wrong so she took my driver's license and corrected it. Finally, she sticks me with the needle and my donation begins. At some point the nurse brought me a pillow as I was biding my team on my phone. She really didn't check on me for another 25 or so minutes. When she does, she said "oh no". That's not really something you want to hear as the person laying in the chair. Apparently, I moved and caused the needle to get out of position. I was in pain so I asked to abort and we did. She told me that I had finished but I'm not sure about that because in the beginning, she said it would take 50-60 minutes and I was about 30 into it. In my lifetime, I've donated blood over 50 times and I have never had something like this happen before. I'm going to stick with Stanford Blood Center in Campbell as they are clean, modern, and actually have healthier snacks (American Red Cross was mostly processed cookies and bars, boxed juices). read more

I have so much history with this Red Cross Chapter. I used to be part of the Youth Services Chapter for 4 years during high school and was literally here 1-2 times a week. Not much has changed after my recent visit last month. It brought back memories! Ever since I graduated high school I would stop by for blood donations. I feel like their process has definitely improved. I haven't donated blood in probably 2-3 years and the whole registration is quick now! Especially now that they have the rapid pass system online now. Friendly and patient staff/volunteers. It's nothing extravagant, it's a non-profit and they give what they can in terms of a thank you for donating. But I do it for the need of blood and not because of the thank you gift. It used to be baskin robin ice cream pint for pint, but I believe it's amazon gift cards at the moment. If you ever have the chance and qualify, donate some blood. 1 pint saves 3 lives! read more

American Red Cross - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

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I'm done with the Red Cross and trying to donate blood. (Don't worry--I will still donate but will try Stanford next time.) This was my third visit and out of those three visits, I've only been able to donate blood once. For the record, this was my first time going to this location but I am going to discuss my issues with the organization as a whole as well. First visit: Everything went smoothly. No friendliness but whatever. The problem was they "couldn't" find a vein. I was more than willing to sit and let them prod me all day to find a vein. I have no fear of needles. I wanted to donate blood so badly that day. They barely took the time to try. They gave up so easily. I was super disappointed and thought, "Well, I guess they don't want or need my blood that badly!" Second visit: Everything went amazingly! I had the best nurse. She had some issues finding a vein but she didn't give up. She was also very personable and made my experience a great one. Third visit: It has taken me a while to go back and donate again. After my successful donation, it took me a couple of days to feel myself. (Low energy, dizziness, etc) Because of that, I knew I would need a few days after my next donation and trying to find the right appointment with my schedule was difficult. But I finally was able to make it today. It was a bit further away but I didn't mind. I arrived 15 minutes early hoping I could get up and out quicker. There was one lady sitting in the waiting room when I arrived. Shortly after me, 3 other people arrived. We were all sitting there. Nobody came out to take us back. I did see staff in the back moving around and I didn't see any people donating. Nobody said anything to us that there was a wait or that they were short-staffed. Nothing was mentioned. Finally after about 30 minutes, the original lady was called back and another person was called shortly afterwards. That was it. A gentleman asked the girl at the desk how much longer because he had to leave and she said probably about 20 minutes. At that point I decided to leave. I knew the traffic would be bad and since I had no clue if I would be called next or not, I gave up. Here's the deal: Red Cross-- you BEG people for blood. You constantly harass people via phone and email for blood. If you need and want blood so badly, then MAKE a friggin' effort to be respectful of people's time. Don't make us sit there waiting like we're at the doctors. We are there to HELP! But we have lives. Don't take people's kindness for granted. Why do you think so many people don't want to donate blood? Partly because it takes TIME! How about the CEO and the Board Members decrease their salaries (Google it--they are paid well) and give some of that money to hiring more Phlebotomists and pay them more? Okay. I've said my piece. read more

Unfortunately, today was very disappointing visit and I will not be back to this location again. Came in to give blood with an appointment and it took 80 minutes, had to re-enter all my information although I had done it online while booking, my DL was scanned as I checked in and I had done the rapid QR code. The facility is outdated and the nurses do not seem to be happy working, didn't seem like they used consistent processes or even cared too much about the patient care given (I was pricked in a very weird spot, my partner they were digging in his veins and he was in a lot of pain) -- very low energy and they are slow and poor communication. All snacks are highly processed, wish they'd have an apple or banana / some citrus. I will continue to use Stanford instead and would recommend you do the same. read more

American Red Cross - Snacks in the cantina for 15 mins - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

Waiting time to donate seems to be getting worse and worse!!! My appt is at 11, i get here before then, it is 1147 and there is still 2 people in front of me!! Unacceptable!! An hour wait so far! This shouldn't be so inconvenient for us whom are trying to save lives!! It should be an in and out process!! I really hate to write this, but working people or/and parents should know this is very likely so they can work around their kids school schedule with time. I hope this changes soon so that it doesn't keep discouraging us to donate blood! read more

American Red Cross - Waiting for almost an hour now... :( - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

Very well organized. I usually come to this location for my quarterly red blood donation. The Red Cross app is very well designed and lets you book an appointment. At the time of your appointment, you come over and usually there is plenty of parking. The front desk takes your temperature and does your checkin with either an ID or your donor card. Then one of the nurses takes you in for a quick checkup and to confirm your eligibility. This is where they confirm your rapid pass questions (a questionnaire that you fill out before you come over), your blood pressure and your hemoglobin count (finger prick test). Once all of that is done they take you over to the donation section. At the donation section you are seated on your donation chair/bed and the whole process takes about 15 min. Throughout they keep you company by asking you questions and engaging in small talk. They have taken a lot of precautions for covid and I see them wipe down every surface that a donor touches. After the donation, you are asked to wait for 15 min at a small snacks section. The whole donation from the point you arrive to out of the door is about 45 - 60 min. Will I keep donating at this location? Absolutely yes. read more

American Red Cross - The waiting room. The chairs are socially distant from each other - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

Had my appointment at 9.45 AM, checked in at 9.37 AM. They made me wait for 80 mins and when followed up I was asked to wait for another 15 minutes. I left without donating,no respect for the donars' time.I will never go back to this place. The receptionist seemed to be least cared ,and looks like they are used to to this practice. read more

I've been donating whole blood, platelets and plasma here for over 20 years. The staff here is great. They're always considerate, compassionate and thankful for donations. read more

About a year ago, I had the worst experience in over 20 years of donating. An over 70 min wait time. I left, didn't even donate. I've been back a few times since, and today I had a great experience here. a) quick, lickety split. In and out under an hour. b) a great phlebotomist. Quick, nice, but ... Biden says the pandemic is over, so why are way too many people still wearing facemasks? In my opinion. Facemasks are now optional here, and I didn't have one on, and neither did the person drawing my blood. *Thank you.* The sooner we get back to normal, all of us, the better! read more

American Red Cross - Front door. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

I would really like to continue donating blood, but maybe at a different location. This location, for whatever reason, is always behind. I feel like I only get to donate on time if I make a complaint, which shouldn't be the case... the nurses and front desk workers are all really nice but I just wish they'd do something about the timing situation here. Maybe they need more stations and more helping hands. read more

Good organization for education, training and more. I've been here for cpr training and blood donations. The staff are friendly and it's pretty well run overall. Try to make appointments for donations since they get busy and sometimes are overbooked or late. read more

I have been here a few times to donate blood and have been disappointed each time. I give blood pretty regularly, so I know that you need to set aside at least an hour if not two, for the whole process. But this last Saturday - I got there with two people in waiting room. I came in at the same time as another guy. After 20 minutes, no one had been called. The girl behind the desk said they were 'a little' behind. After 35 minutes, one guy finally got called back. The guy I came in with asked how long the wait was. He was told it would be at least another 30-40 minutes until he was called. That meant it would be at least an hour or more til I was called! No thanks - I left. I will find a blood drive to go to. read more

I am one to always donate and volunteer. I am a person that gives money to the people on the street. I am someone that buys food for the people on the street when I don't have cash. I am someone that put in time and money to buy ingredients, prep and prepare sandwiches for the homeless in San Francisco. I even have pet food for the homeless pets, too and for strays. I do this year round, not when it's the holidays or when a disaster strikes. This is the 2nd time I have donated blood in the last 4 months. The reason why I was here was solely for the victims of the Boston marathon. After watching countless graphic images whilst I was at the gym, I came back to work to make an appointment. Walk-ins accepted and appointments accepted but if I were you, I would just go in because the wait was an hour for me despite having the appointment. I did not appreciate the wait at all but since I'm over here fine and dandy, I knew a lot of people out there aren't so fortunate so I stopped complaining in my head. I was really *grrrrrrr* though. The process was painful due to a few pokes here and there. My scars did not make this an easy task so I cried (I cry every time) but it's life and all I wanted to do was to contribute and I accomplished that. Staff and volunteers were friendly... can't say much else; needles scare me. My reward after? A fried chicken waffle sandwich. read more

American Red Cross - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

I feel like this American Red Cross location is very unprofessional, disorganized and its a waste of a person's time. I love the concept of donating to help someone in need but the people (volunteers or workers..not sure if they are paid) here make that difficult to achieve. I'm talking even doing the CPR classes or donating blood or anything. I always thought they were an reputable company but going there and experiencing myself opened my eyes. I donated but it was an unpleasant experience overall and seen and heard things I did not appreciate. I was hoping this could be an ongoing ritual for me but after I left feeling the people there made it feel like we were a bother being there so I will never return. read more

So fast and the friendliest people in the world. The funnest thing I'll do today by far.

Give Blood! This facility was pretty nice and I was seen to as soon as my appointment time came, and everything went pretty smoothly after that. Will continue coming back here. I came at lunch, so there were only about 3 other people here, which might have helped with my expedited experience. I'm not sure if this place gets booming after work, but I'm not sure if it ever gets booming? My one concern is that some people seem to have a little trouble finding the vein, and she REALLY dug in there. It was a bit terrifying, especially since I have pretty big veins and my blood flows like the rivers of Babylon. Better luck next time, babe! read more

I have been to this donation center 3-4 times in the past couple of years. It is old and creepy - but as long as its clean I don't mind the poor ambience. The wait times can be very long, even with an appointment, I have been there more than 2 hours for a basic whole blood donation. I went there this week and had several issues. The 2 ladies at the check in desk, I think they may be volunteers, were quite rude. One lady, kept putting her finger up and shushing me as I was explaining the mix up with they type of donation I was making. I tried to stay calm as I know they will be taking my blood pressure soon. The nurse or phlebotomist, Mina, who did my intake was okay but she was also the person who was taking my blood. She must not have been trained very much. She found a vien, stuck in the needle then proceeded to move it around in my arm for a few minutes trying to get into the vein. She did not notice that I was coming out of my seat with pain. She finally stopped then went to get another nurse to help her. The result was no blood donation that day. It has be 4 days since then and I have a bruise on my arm about 6 inches long and the muscles are still very sore. I will be looking for another blood donation site. read more

In some of these reviews, I'm seeing a lot of gripes about wait time, forms, etc. I donate every two months at St. Mary's in Los Gatos. The vast majority of the time they are quick and efficient. Sure, sometimes it's backed up, but I come prepared with something to read on my phone. It is all something I do because I can. I have known people who have had their lives saved by transfusions. So if you can, go give a bit of yourself, an hour or so of your time, and save lives. read more

Hello Everyone, My name is John Anthony and I am a cynologist (Dog Scientist) working out of Los Angeles, CA. Aside from my scientific endeavors, I am also the training director at Redemption Road K9, a top-rated dog research facility and training company located outside of Los Angeles. Thru our "Job Training For Juveniles" vocational program, we take juveniles and young adults from within the justice system and pair them with some of the top dog-training professionals in the world and provided opportunities for education, engagement and community partnerships. This program is geared towards offering training and skills to instill leadership and strong work ethic to prepare these young people for adulthood while also training and delivering top quality canine companions to celebrities, champion athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and some of the most dynamic police departments in the world. With that said, we originally signed up for the Cat and Dog First Aid course in hopes of being able to offer our youth handlers training in pet first aid. While we paid for the course awhile ago, and were not informed through any communication on the Red Cross website, we apparently "lost" access to the class we purchased when Red Cross "migrated their system". Our entire profile stopped working and after weeks of emailing and calling, we were finally able to get someone on the phone only to be told that Red Cross would not help us. We provided proof of purchase, emails, and even recorded phone call attempts and were still told there was nothing that could be done to give us access to the course we had already paid for. To be clear, we aren't or weren't looking for a refund. We were merely looking for access to the class we purchased. We were told that this was "literally impossible" which seemed odd to us given that this is a man made computer program. They demanded that we pay again and actually scolded us for not being "more on top of it" despite our 20 email attempts. Red Cross, your mission statement says that "The Red Cross, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors--in its international and national capacity--to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being." Rather than doing the right thing, employee after employee hid behind bureaucracy, red tape and excuse after excuse even despite knowing the issues your website has had since migrating your site. Up until today I believed in the your mission. I donated and volunteered and have offered my dogs on multiple occasions in efforts to help raise money for Red Cross. I can say without a doubt that being treated the way we were treated today, and knowing that Red Cross placed $25 that had already been paid over so much positivity and so many positive people has caused me to pull both my support and endorsement of the Red Cross organization. I do not believe Red Cross is who they say they are. I do not believe they treat people with dignity and respect and I encourage everyone considering this course to keep searching. Let me be clear, I've already taken the course and believe it is average at best. But I am of the mind that you can never have too much training or be too prepared. For those of you looking to truly prepare yourself for pet-related emergency situations, there are better classes out there for the same or less. And I can say from experience, you will get your money's worth and won't be blamed for internal site issues that have nothing to do with you. On top of everything, I was given a number in an email from their customer support that called directly to a sex line. In front of my youth handlers... Thank you but no thank you. Best of luck to you Red Cross. read more

American Red Cross - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

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THE REASON IM NOT DONATING MY BLOOD IS every time I come to donate my blood, the phlebotomist is not able to find my vein. They than start probing and that is very painful. ARC, get better phlebotomists so that I can start donating my blood!!! read more

Do yourself a favor, and go to a different place for blood donation. This place is so understaffed that a blood donation, which generally is a 45 minute end to end job, can take 2-3 hours here. Yes that's multiple hours. They are so understaffed that they are happier when you say I am leaving and will come another day. I was just here on a week day (Wednesday), walked in without an appointment, got myself registered, read their literature on blood donation best practices, then stepped out for lunch and came back - and when asked the gentleman at the counter about the wait time, he said he doesn't know but the number of people ahead of me still the same as it was when I had left 20 minutes ago. When I asked the gentleman that I would like to cancel and come another day, the happiness on his face was indescribable. (He seemed like telling himself, Thank god, one less donor). Going by rough time estimation then, blood donation here is about a 2-3 hour activity. So, save yourself the effort (and frustration), have some mercy on the poor staff - go elsewhere! Or wait for 2 hours and burn some more blood while waiting - perhaps that will be counted as 2 donations. read more

Rude customer support. Long wait times. Why keep calling constantly asking for donation when you can't manage the organisation well keeping people's time into perspective read more

************* REVIEW 261 **************** I didn't know what to expect since this was my first time give blood. After the San Bruno Fire last Thursday, I called American Red Cross to make a RSVP for donating blood. They were busy but still able to get me in at 3:30PM appointment. All over Twitter San Bruno Fire victims need more type O blood plasma, so I figure, I will do it. I got turned down before for under weight, but now I'm qualified for over 110 lbs :-) all the food I've been eating, surely help haha! From the moment I walked in to the moment I left, everyone was so nice. The receptionist, I'm sure it was a volunteer, she was kind & showed me the book to read about the policy. To Shawna was the nurse register me in, she was nice. Then the nurse name Mark made me feel at ease & laughed while he performed the procedure. To the Chinese girl volunteers at the canteen, kept watching us to make sure we had our juices & snacks, & no one was fainted. The whole experience was nice, they even called me to remind me my appointment. Did you know that, only 38% of Americans are eligible to donate blood and of those only 8% do. That amounts to only about 3 out of every 100 people? So, lose weight, give blood, save a life! & we can do it 1 every 56 days ;-) I left the American Red Cross today feeling better than ever, yes I lost over 1 pound of blood, but oh man those Chezee-It & Cookies sure add it right back! read more

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This review is for the Babysitting training course. My 12 year old daughter took the all day class to earn her Babysitting certification. Her instructor Henrique was excellent. The class was interactive, and they got to practice handling emergencies and conflicts. They also discussed how to get jobs, and how to interview parents to get all the information needed for a successful job. She was armed with materials to bring home. I feel confident she'll be successful as a sitter, and hone skills that will help her in any vocation. As well as earn some pocket money to spend at Daiso or Cloud 9. read more

**This is for volunteering review** So I love giving blood but for some reason this year I have not had enough iron to do so. I am not anemic or anything but just a tad bit under to donate so I decided to become a volunteer for Red Cross. I applied to become a volunteer through the website and had to come in for a half hour to 1 hour orientation. Tami was the one that lead it and she's super nice and thorough. She explained that they want you to commit to at least 6 hours a month and shifts range from 3 to 4 hours so its like volunteering twice a month. We had to take our picture and we got our Red Cross Badges in the mail attached to a neat Red Cross lanyard. So Tami send out a schedule at the beginning of each month and you just say what shifts you want to take. You will either be at the front desk or canteen. Canteen is the waiting area that blood donors have to stay at in order to make sure they don't pass out on you or get sick. I had my first shift on a Saturday afternoon and it was 4 hours. Practically no one came in. I think it just happened to be a really slow day. Thankfully I had my book in the canteen area so I just read in between getting people juices and making sure they sat down for 10 to 15 minutes after giving blood. Smooth sailing. Its a very chill volunteering experience and American Red Cross does so much. Mind as well give back. read more

My wife and I thought long and hard before leaving this review because we believe in the Red Cross's mission. But honestly this center seems to be very poorly managed. On three separate occasions we have come to donate blood with appointments. Each time, the center did not call us back until at least 30 minutes past our appointment time. This was followed up by a wait in the donation room of 20-45 minutes (before a nurse even came to put in the needle). So, for appointment times of around 9am or 9:30 am, we would not get out until after 11:30am (each occasion). The actual blood extraction process only takes 5-10 minutes, so this is just nuts. This morning we had a 9:45 appointment. At 10:30, we still had not been called back. We asked the receptionist what was going on, and she reported back that it would be another 30-45 minutes before we would get called back, followed by up with another 60 minutes before they could actually start the extraction. Ridiculous! I want to emphasize that this is not just one bad experience, but multiple. We have been here several times and the experience was similarly poor. I do not recommend that you donate blood through this center. Find another center to do it through. Donating blood should not consume an entire morning. Finally, for those others upset about my unhappiness about wait times, my response is that blood donation should be something that is made as convenient as possible. We have small children so donating is not easy to begin with, and the poor service by this center has made it so difficult for us that I question whether we will try again. To be clear, the problem here is poor management and administration, not the volunteers. read more

I have donated here a handful of times... maybe two handfuls.. and I am always impressed! Although the routine of reading the material, going through the survery online.. getting my hemoglobin taken..etc gets old, it's great that they take their job seriously. I have never had to wait longer than 5 minutes to get seen and the staff at the desk is always so welcoming. They should be right? We are donating our blood here! Once I am in the donating chair the staff is always very attentive and makes sure to keep me comfortable. Most importantly they always ask me if I would like a blanket, to which I always answer YES PLEASE! I get cold easily and this makes me much more comfortable. Once the bag is full of my very healthy A+ blood.. I wander over to the little snack area where someone always offers me a tasty beverage, and they don't even roll their eyes at me when I ask for "half water, half apple juice." Now that's good customer service! Thank you American Red Cross for making donating a pleasurable experience. See you in 8 weeks! read more

I have done my last 4 blood donations here and I love this place. The volunteers are all friendly as are the phlebotomists who take your blood. I came in for the Alyx and Tracy stayed late just so that I could get the procedure done. Granted I was bumped from my appointment time, but still, rather that they get all they can then turn someone with an appointment away. The facility is clean, the staff are great, and I will keep coming back! read more

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I made an apt online to give blood. When I showed on time, up the waiting room was full and I was checked in by what appeared to be a high school student volunteer. If she is a paid employee, she needs better training. She took my ID and I sat down. The man next to me asked the girl from his seat how much longer it would be for him and provided his last name. The girl went to the back, asked someone, came back and told the man it would probably be another 45 minutes. Another gentleman said he had been waiting 75 mins for an appointment, as well. There were about 5 other people in the lobby; I presume a number of them had appointments, as well. Maybe some were waiting for family members, idk. The gentleman next to me said he had already been waiting for 30 mins and somewhat admonished the girl for her lack of transparency about lag times upon his arrival. He advised that she tell people when they check in that there is a backlog so they can make informed decisions about how to spend their time. I had another commitment at noon and was not prepared to wait for an indeterminate amount of time after scheduling an appointment. So I asked for my ID and left. This may have been a one-off since it was my first time donating blood on the west coast, but it was a real turn-off towards the organization and makes me question its ability to organize, mobilize, coordinate and deliver during times of disaster. I hope that by sharing my experience the Red Cross of Silicon Valley takes corrective action to ensure that appointment times are kept when made or at least communicate delays immediately upon arrival during the check-in process. Some people's lives really do depend on the service to aim to provide! read more

Been coming here for quite some time. Everyone is very nice, talkative and always will answer any questions you have! I try to give two pints when I come in because I have a negative blood type, see if you can next time you come in! Please donate! read more

I like to help save lives in any way possible. I came in for my 2pm appointment and everything from there on was smooth sailing. The clinic is clean and bright. They have about 8 donation chairs, from my visit yesterday I was the youngest donor. They have a resting area with refreshments (juice and individual sized snacks) and stickers and an updated bulletin board you can spend some time overseeing. I am a bleeder, so it doesn't take long for me to finish! I personally love drawing blood myself, it was the most fun category for me in m.a. school. I'll be back in January! read more

American Red Cross - I forgot the gauge size, bigger than normal, you have to be a tough cookie to allow it - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

This organization is completely disrespectful of your time! I made an appointment two months in advance (and received a confirmation email). When I showed up for my appointment, they informed me that my appointment was canceled. They couldn't even give me the courtesy to inform me. They do not respect nor appreciate the time people sacrifice from their busy schedules. Go to Stanford Blood Center instead. read more

I've been a regular blood donor for about 6 years now, and this Red Cross has always been my home donation center. The volunteers here are friendly and professional, as are the nurses that will end up doing your pre-donation screening and drawing of your blood. The whole process is smooth if you make an appointment. I have recently discovered that Saturday's are a great day to go in for an appointment, since not too many donors think about going in on the weekends. read more