I like donating plasma. In fact, you might call me a plasma aficionado. Or a plasmado. (But please don't.) It's a great way to make, depending on the location, about 50 clams per hour of tax-free money while helping science discover and aid people with blood disorders. (Plasma is the liquidy part of blood, in case you're curious and didn't know.) And those of us who have donated regularly know that a lot goes into the donation process, not the least of which is how you're treated. And on that point, Biomat USA completely misses the mark. There are four big plasma donation players in town: BioLife, CSL, Octapharma (I know. VERY James Bond-sounding.), and Biomat USA. Even their name screams rocks and torture and summer reruns. The problem here is twofold. One, the staff is temperamental. Or, at least it was until I stopped going there altogether. They're friendly, even ribald, among themselves. But when it comes to the interaction between staff and donator, it's like the difference between night and seaweed. Between the bruising on my arm, the coldness of the staff, the basic overall indifference to the comfort of the people who make a place like Biomat USA profitable, I just found it too much trouble to bother returning, ESPECIALLY when you have a lot of other good plasma donation centers to choose from. Now granted, I'm not saying all Biomat USA's are like a tray of expired kale, but the one at 7150 El Cajon Boulevard is like Disneyworld minus the sexual predators but with ants. My other beef is their big, big violation of HIPAA. (See my blurry photo below.) You cannot ask people to display personal information like that! Oy! I cringe. And since you can't lie or you won't be seen, it puts its donators in the unenviable position of exposing themselves to strangers by being asked to sign in in such a public way. Yikes! (Personally, I just put my mononym, Prince.) But it's not all random scraps and metal and dog hair. They do pay fairly, they're highly organized - the onboarding process was seamless and professional, kudos to that R.N. - and they do a good job of getting you in and out. But it felt understaffed and overrun and their was this weird tension; it was as if the hole place could be raided at any moment by government officials. It's hard to explain. (Unless you've been through said raid.) I know there are some very upset people who wrote some understandably angry reviews. I would, too. But, for me, their offenses don't rise to the level where the energy spent on bashing them was worth the return in satisfaction. I just think they don't do enough to show their appreciation for the very people who make those private moments of laughter between staff possible. read more

Biomat USA - What? No column for social security numbers? - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Today, my spouse and I came to donate plasma for the first time. We had an appointment scheduled in advance for 11:00 a.m. Upon arrival, a staff member informed us that they were unable to accept us at that time and that we would need to wait approximately one hour before the registration process could begin. The staff member was polite, and I understand that the delay was not her fault and was likely caused by a staffing shortage. However, the branch management should pay attention to this issue, as appointments should be handled according to the scheduled time. read more

Bruh, they straight butchered me. Not worth the money at all. The needle slipped out of my vein and was pumping blood and saline straight into my arm. Worst day ever. read more

Biomat USA - Bruising from slipped needle. - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

There is no such thing as "customer service" here. The first time I had scheduled an appointment at 4:30 on a Friday as a new donor, I drove 20 minutes there, showed up, and they said "Sorry we're not taking new donors at this time". It would've been appropriate to communicate that before I wasted my time. The next day I had an appointment, showed up, donated, and everything went smoothly. The second time I showed up, while going through the screening process, I had a kind of odd reaction and almost fainted (I was wearing tight sleeves and as soon as I pulled them up, my blood pressure plummeted and I started sweating profusely, and nearly fainted. Like when you sit for too long and stand up quickly and get dizzy, but for my arm). I never lost consciousness and 10 minutes later I'm totally fine. That was on Monday. it's now Sunday, I've called probably 20 times since then, drove 50 minutes round trip to show up for a donation that was still booked in their app, but was turned away because the doctor hasn't "reviewed my case", even though the doctor was literally there walking around. A nice lady directly asked him to review it while I was there, but he said no. Apparently The doctor only shows up once a week for a few hours. I'm EXTREMELY frustrated at this point and I can't get through to someone today to ask if the doctor approved me yet. Starting from the first day, my experience is they don't communicate AT ALL with patients, their app is glitchy and led me to believe I still had a valid appointment when in fact I was still deferred, it's nearly impossible to reach them over the phone, and their doctor is hardly ever there. The fact that I was turned away the first time I came, now Ive had to wait 6 days for case approval, drove 50mins for an appointment that was still valid on the app , saw the doctor there, and he refused to see me or evaluate my case while I'm there to donate, is extremely disappointing. I understand it's probably not the fault of the normal staff, it's the management/Operations staff that are pathetic (judging by other reviews too). I've only donated once and ready to try somewhere else, because if there are ever any issues this place sucks. read more

Update: left a review on a different format and now all of a sudden I'm accused of trying to delete and multiple places. Homegirl not being able to tell me the correct dates told me everything I need to know just because I gave y'all a bad review. Don't come here They need to get it together professionally. Constantly understaffed. The staff gossips and talks too much leaving you sitting there waiting to be unplugged. Conversations we shouldn't be hearing are heard. It takes too long to even get hooked up because of all of this. Today I spent 30 mins waiting to get to get hooked and it's not even busy it's slow. I got walked away from 3 times. This wbe my last donation read more

I've had nothing but problems with this particular plasma center. After a total of three visits, I still haven't been able to donate, and it's all due to complete disorganization and poor service. On my first visit, I was told right away that they weren't accepting new donors and was advised to come back another time. On my second visit, I was finally brought in as a new donor but was deferred due to slightly elevated protein levels--this was only determined after waiting for three hours. When I was informed, I was told I could set up an appointment for my next visit. However, when I went to the front desk to schedule it, the staff member was too busy and simply told me to walk in next time. So, on my third visit, I returned as a walk-in and got to the front desk, only to encounter more issues. read more

Biomat USA - In the waiting room. - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Terrible customer service, waiting time, waste of time they took for a physical knowing they were going to defer me due to sniffles, deferring me again due to a horrible bruise they caused by bad vein syringe insertion. The list goes on. I recommend octapharma. Best experience. Don't waste your time here. It feels like they PURPOSELY waste your valuable time. read more

They dont honor appointments here. I set an appointment for the second time and spent more then an hour sitting waiting in the donor mat. Only stayed due to already spending an hour. This is the last time I come to this location. Spent a total of 3 hours. read more

Terrible place to donate. Slow, bad stick experience, and terrible customer service. Money wasn't uploaded multiple times. When calling, can't reach anyone. Had to go down there in person and fix the issues. read more

I went in to the La Mesa location. as a new donor on September 1, 2025. After the 2 hour intake and donation, it took another hour and a half to get my donation fee, and that was only after having to see a manager and wait for them to actually deposit it onto my card. I considered that a fluke and went about my day. I returned today for a second visit and lo and behold I wasn't even in their system. It took 2 hours before the staff could figure out why I wasn't in the system. Apparently there was a problem with the plasma shipping containers and my first sample was unusable. That meant that I would have to repeat the entire process of being a new donor again---and when I asked if I would be getting the new donor bonus since I am starting from scratch, they refused to accomodate me. Ins tead they offered a pittance for inconvenience, so I donated anyway. Two hours later I travel back to where I live, take out my Grifols Donation Card and the balance is $0 where $75 should have been. I should never have left the building without verifying payment, and by that time they had closed for the day. I arrived at 2:30pm, left at 5:pm with nothing more than a sore arm and an empty pocket. I confirmed with the receptionist-medical assistant that the same card I'd been given the first time I came would still be valid. She assured me it would be. We needed that money to eat dinner tonight. This La Mesa location seems incapable of living up to their advertisments regarding what they will pay and when. I am deeply disappointed and have never had this experience at any other plasma center franchise. Looks like I'll have to go back to CSL instead of being robbed for my blood. read more

Clean and well run. The staff is very knowledgable and accommodating. Easily the best plasma donation center I have worked with

The Girl didn't seem Confident on finding the vain. She didn't ask for help and still decided to stuck the Needle in my boyfriend's arm. Another lady had to clean it up and did it correctly. read more

Was a really painful first time plasma donating experience which I researched should not be the case. They lowered their payment to less than half since last year. Also bruised the tip of my finger which I didn't know was possible. Many weirdos in the parking lot too, they should have security. Wouldn't recommend going here as a solo female. read more

Moe was amazing she was real gentle and made it easy for me to donate, also she keep asking if everything was going well and indeed it was had a great experience at Grifol. Thank You Moe! read more

I was a customer there the one on midway by macdonals they are a bunch of unprofesional lobotomys my arm vein was oucture many times was defer also many times but the staff always believes their lobotomys even whent they are wrong & honestly they all they care about how many donors we can profit our selfs & the company did you know that evry bottle that is full they get $3000 dollars you do the math we.all need the mony but at what cost to jour help ?& to top it off the manager ?& assistant manager are very sensitive that's why I was remove from donating its ok I don't need them so if you want you're arm damage go there they are good at it good luck new donners read more

If I were you I would stay as far away from this company as possible, especially its plasma donation center located at 7150 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, CA. The nursing staff is unprofessional and passed me on my first physical, allowed me to donate, after which time the phlebotomist did an awful job leaving such a big bruise I would not use that arm again when I came back for my second donation two days later. At the time, I was informed that medically while I passed the first time the nurse made a mistake and did not ask what type of heart valve I had (this was a phone call after I left the center) or put down a diagnosis for one of my medications, which necessitated having my doctor complete a form saying I was ok to donate. I took the form to my doctor who in two separate places on their company's form indicated that based on my medications and health history I was cleared to donate plasma twice a week. He did not list my meds but obviously knows them and please note they accepted the list from me prior to my first visit. Based on his not listing my meds, which again they had, they indicated without that section completed the form was no good. I offered to take the form back to the doctor to have him add the list and they then said, sorry, he will have to complete a whole new form and this time do it correctly (like any physician will do that). To add insult to injury they then told me after they accepted the form I would have to go all the way back to square one and do the whole first 2 and 1/2 hour appointment again. I told them no way. I said they could make a copy of my doctor's form but I wanted the original back. After more delay, they said I would have to sign a release to get back the form I brought to them and they rejected .BYE!!! Save yourself a lot of time and hassle. Donate elsewhere!!! read more

Where should I start first of all? There are a few people they are really nice, but I will repeat, but they need to work on training. They do not know how to find people veins and when they do find a vein, they do not know how to put the needle in either far enough up or properly center it in the vein. And when they know that they're making a mistake, nobody comes by. Say my apologies. Let me correct this they look at you like you're crazy like you just some pig on a blanket ready for slaughter I will never return there. I have given blood plasma since I was 18 years old. This is truly the worst place I've ever been to. They need to work on speaking to the people that are lying on these tables giving them plasma to help others Nobody cares in there this doesn't make sense. Where is the Manager? I have no clue that's because they know it's so bad. They don't want to be made known as the Manager so they keep hiding so him or her don't have to really go out and confront anyone. Just get the plasma and send the people on your way. Totally sad. This place is going to hell in a hat basket. Let me say that they are some nice workers there, but I really believe that there are so many new employees that they have not properly trained them how to find a person's vein being it ain't only for me. it's for others that don't speak out this happens to loads of people there all the time something needs to change. I'm just saying. read more

Worst experience I wasn't able to donate because I somete at CSL and they say I have to wait time and is been 7 days already plus they told me that my kind are not welcome I'm Mexican and it felt bad another thing was that my address is a mall well there is were I love you know but yeah worst experience ever don't go to this site read more

This terrible-run facility that will waste hours of your life. New donor, called in advanced and they even confirmed. Traveled all the way down there and per policy my address is outside 50 radius. The issue is common courtesy and how they treat people. read more

The compensation structure is confusing, inconsistent and unacceptable. I started donating in October. I was told I would be compensated $100 for each of my first five donations and then $75 thereafter. I was NOT told this compensation structure would change month to month. It did. Now, in an attempt to get people to donate twice per week, they pay $40 for a first donation $90 for the second. The $40 is ridiculous and 100% not worth the time and getting stuck. So if something comes up later in the week you get gypped. And Grifols gets some cheap plasma. I'm sitting in there doing my second-to-last donation right now. Whomever is responsible for the 40/90 compensation structure is also responsible for losing this donor! read more

worst plasma center around!! was there for ever it's like the people working there don't care!

The staff was all wonderful.. my issues are with the policy and the advertising.. i am not saying they false advertised the fees because im sure i just miss read it all however i do feel it was purposefully layed out in a way to be easily miss read and i dont like when people act wierd about my blood, secondly i do not like the policy of giving more money to new donars like your trying to get people strung out on the money and it seems rather cruel to me. The whole program and policy i think is setup in a rather sneaky unnesessary way but this is all just oppinion and not fact .. i cannot say i would reccomend this like i was when i began because i felt the advertising about fees was very intentionaly missleading and just too sneaky for my tayste however just my oppinion.. why not just pay everyone the same ? Policy seems a lil dark read more

Wow is all I can say I ended up contacting corporate I went in today to attempt my first plasma donation I'm also hearing impaired I informed them wen I first signed in a gentleman who knew ASL checked me in no problem wen it was ready for the next step it was a different staff who didn't know ASL so I asked her to write it out ... please everyone view the obivous discrimination I'll be doing everything in my power to make sure this is handled appropriately discrimination is not ok at all !!! Supervisor and her assistant both need reprimanded for discrimination and I'll be contacting a lawyer read more

Biomat USA - Obvious discrimination - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Do not donate here in this center. They are very incompetent and unprofessional. Not only they destroy my sample for no reason, they keep asking for a physical examination when they already conducted one. When they took my sample of blood the centrifuge exploded in front of me. I had an employee going through my records then approached me on social media asking for a date. This center has giving me a false positive result on my blood work. I have waited more then 20 minutes to be seen, more than once. I'm so done with this place. I kept the evidence of some serious HIPPA violation. I asked to speak with a manager and I was told the manager is not here today. Giving one star rating, I'm being generous. read more

Just completed my 11th donation. Every visit has been easy & smooth process. There were a few times where my diastolic blood pressure was too low, but passed on the second try after waiting 10 minutes each time. All the staff are super friendly. Shout out to Dederick (sp?) for always making me feel welcomed and for the old school R&B music. Scheduling/rescheduling/canceling an appointment is also very easy on the website. Had a couple pay issues but the front desk fixed the issue right away. read more

Why, is it ok for the staff there, at Chula Vista BiomatUSA all say different thing's, and can't be on the same page with other staff, and donors, I've been discriminated against 3-5 time's by them, they also have installed my intelligence and my doctor medical degree of 27 years, at the hospital. Will, no matter what one medical staff at biomat chula Vista tells me what bring, and another tell me different, and they ain't fare, with all donors winning the Raffle, there, also i have witnessed several other done, short, cuts for some donors and not other, which with myself, they make sure 100% they go by the book and policy, but with certain other donor's they slide them through the cracks on favoritism, towards certain donors, me being white, and see this, i feel discriminated against in some ways. read more

I was told by a receptionist that I would receive the may pay rate of $70, told it was being added to a note on my file, but when they told me to remind the ladies that are in the donating area the blonde lady was incredibly rude and went out of her way to tell me I was wrong for simply RELAYING INFORMATION TOLD TO ME. She even raised her voice a bit and was so ugly for absolutely no reason. I stayed pleasant and kept a smile on my face because ugliness doesn't phase me in the moment. I mostly got angry When I went home and they still shorted me $30, I've tried calling and leaving a message and they still haven't gotten back to me, so I will be going elsewhere tomorrow. Please don't waste your time with such rudeness. read more

My first impression was that the employees hate their jobs. The head nurse was angry at life in general. The phlebotomist that was assigned to me was clearly "in training", and the manager stood and barked orders at everyone. Won't be going back. Good luck. read more

Horrible place to donate ever. All stuff members are not friendly, they don't know how to do injection. Always gave me Bruise. Never ever answer the phone. They don't smile at all. Always looks mean face and serious face. Even if you leave message to the manager, she/he wouldn't contact you ever. read more

Clean facility, easy check-in. The wait can be long in the back, and that's frustrating after you've already invested the time and blood (finger stick to test iron is the worst!), but overall a good facility. read more

Biomat USA - 2019 compensation schedule - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Weren't helpful and quite rude, said a bunch of policies changed within 2 weeks due to a new manager and payouts were less that advertised inside and online and not supportive or helpful to inform a RETURNING donator on how to without government orders saying I am who I say I am(not from here just stationed here) read more

This place is terrible. They have zero clue on how to staff the place, there is on person taking everybody's readings, when there is 20 people waiting to get checked. When you get to the back there is only like 2 people working. So expect to spend 2 to 3 hours waiting here, when it's a process that should take an hour. The managment here must really suck and have no clue what they are doing read more

One of the most dehumanizing and dismissive experiences of my life. It's taken me a while to leave this review because, honestly, I haven't wanted to revisit this memory, but I think it's important people understand stories like mine. In early 2022, I went in for a donation. I had been donating fairly regularly for almost a year and had never dealt with nausea while donating. During this visit, I started feeling nauseous a few minutes into the donation and alerted the team who then raised my legs, provided me with water, and gave me a cold pack. As I approached the end of my donation, the nausea got worse, and I started vomiting. Instead of immediately ending my donation, they kept me hooked up. Almost immediately after getting sick, I started to feel an intense pressure and pain in my arm. I looked down and my arm was swelling, like a balloon. I cried from the sheer pain. I felt incredibly weak and kept asking the staff if I was experiencing an infiltration, and they adamantly said no it wasn't and that it was a cramp... I requested to stop my donation and specifically asked for someone to take the needle out. But, instead they kept me hooked up, so they could finish the donation. They completely dismissed my pleas to end the donation and neglected to even ask me what I wanted. Thankfully, I was minutes from being done with the process, but those minutes I was still hooked up led to even more internal bleeding. I couldn't leave until someone picked me up because I could barely move. For weeks, I struggled to move my arm. The bruising developed quickly and didn't dissipate for at least a month. For those weeks, my arm was purple and covered in bruises. I ended up spending hundreds of dollars going to the doctor to ensure I didn't develop an infection. The day after the failed donation I called the donation center. When I got a hold of a staff member and asked what the next steps were after having an infiltration, like whether or not I needed to go to urgent care, etc... she seemed confused I was even calling and immediately started talking about how I could donate again whenever I wanted. I felt absolutely ignored and like a product for them to profit off of. I experienced despicable treatment at Grifols. I will never recommend or support this donation center, and it's an absolute shame. I used to really enjoy going in, donating, and knowing I was helping people in need. read more

Biomat USA - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Some staff is very unprofessional and apathy is a huge problem. The phone is never answered. I had to call 4 times to get through to someone after just leaving the site 10 Minutes prior. The phlebotomist need to understand they are messing with our bodies and if they mess up then take accountability. Not catch an attitude. I was also promised payment after I was forced to stop donating midway from a bad stick and never received payment. Will be contacting corporate and going to a different donating center. read more

Just an update, looks like I'll have permanent scarring on my bicep. The bruising on my forearm has practically healed up, it's still faintly visible read more

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Here all the time giving plasma! I love the people here, they are a concerned group of people's who care! Clean safe environment to give your plasma. Tell them I sent you! I will always return! read more

Biomat USA - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - San Diego, California

Now all of sudden for the 1st time in a year. I go to the new donor hub site, log in to make a appointment and the next available one they tell me is 5 days from today. Never had to wait 2 days for appointment, but somehow it's 5 days to get in for appointment? read more

Let me first start by saying that the nurses here are incredible! They are kind, they remember me every time, they're as gentle as possible.... unfortunately the management is basically non-existent there. I have been a returning donor for months and at first everything was fine. Now that I come on a regular basis, management couldn't care less about me. I donated for the second time in a week, which should have meant $100. Plus, I brought in a coupon they mailed to me which was supposed to earn me an extra $25. I was paid $50 for that donation instead of the $125 I was owed. The website has no area where you can contact a manager, so you have to call them to get in contact. Every time I have called, it always goes to voicemail. I have left multiple messages kindly reminding them that they have not paid me correctly and until they do so, I will not be returning. I don't get a single reply, then weeks later they have a nurse calling me asking to set up a new donation appointment since I haven't been there in weeks. Again, I relay to her that I was not compensated correctly and will not be returning until I get my correct payment for my last donation. She apologizes and says she will bring this information to the manager. It's been a week and I still haven't gotten any sort of response from management. Until the management at this location starts treating their returning donors with kindness and professionalism, this center will never truly succeed. The sneaky ways they falsely advertise their compensation amounts is incredibly dishonest and unprofessional. I will be taking my business elsewhere and recommending that my fellow donors do the same. read more

I really enjoy the staff and the facility. The staff are very professional and I had a situation where I made an appointment, but the hours changed and I went in the next day and the staff gave me a bigger compensation! Donating plasma is great way to earn a little extra income and it's fairly easy if you can tolerate needles. read more

Dr Kim, is unprofessional and snippy. I was in so much physical pain and that woman was rude. I don't plan on ever going back there again, it was a horrible first visit experience. Try another location because this one is being run by a cold, unprofessional and immature Dr Kim, who makes it apparent that she's very unhappy and doesn't love what she's doing...shame. read more