Great company! Have had our sons cord blood stored since…read more2004. Our niece & nephew use them And in September our daughter will use for our granddaughter!

I signed up with them in May 2003 and they sent me a kit that my doctor would use to collect the…read moreblood from my son's umbilical cord immediately after he was born. My son was born July 3rd, 2003 at 4:50pm. The doctor successfully collected the blood and packaged it for pick-up. I called the telephone number I was given and "reported the birth" to the person on the phone. They said someone would call me back. No one called me back for 4 days. At the very least I expected an apology. Instead I was ignored, lied to, and left with a bill. This so-called "highly innovative and ethically-driven Laboratory" promised me that my son's blood would be picked up immediately to ensure that it would arrive in their lab within 48 hours of delivery. They promised that they would handle all communication with their local courier personally, and that my baby's blood was of the utmost concern to them. "...all you have to do is enjoy your newborn, and the wonderful afterglow of the miracle of birth. No fumbling for numbers, no additional charges to your credit card, no confusion over laboratory destination, no worries at all..." The New England Cord Blood Bank was certain to caution me about using one of the other cord blood banks. If I used one of their competitors for example, I would most certainly be responsible for contacting a transportation service myself. They urged me to question the other cord blood banks directly about what services are included in their posted fees. "...informed consumers make the right choices when it comes to the well being of their family." I contacted some of the other cord blood banks and played the role of an informed consumer who was trying to decide which bank to choose. I asked about their policies, and I asked specifically about the viability of my new baby's cord blood. Most of them said the viability of the blood and its stem cells would decrease significantly 36 hours after collection, and to be safe they should really receive the blood within 32 hours after collection. None of them said they would be able to accept and process blood that was sitting for 3 days. In fact, not one of them would even consider accepting blood from me that was sitting for more than even 48 hours, no matter what kind of preservatives were being used. Yet on July 7, 2003 at 3:54pm, more than 95 hours after my son's cord blood was collected, I was called and told by someone claiming to be from the NECBB: "we got the blood, and everything's fine." During those 95 hours, my entire family was traumatized. We placed more than 30 calls to the New England Cord Blood Bank (NECBB), and never, ever got a response. We later learned that we weren't calling NECBB at all, but our phone calls were being transferred to "Global Response", an answering service in Florida. As they watched my wife cry staring at her son's blood as it quickly expired, the hospital staff tried and tried to make something happen. Nurses, doctors, and some of the top administrators in all of Boston medicine attempted to contact the New England Cord Blood Bank. No one ever called anyone back. Finally on the evening of July 6th, the hospital called and said there was nothing they could do, and they'd send the blood upstairs to be destroyed. When "Judy" from NECBB called July 7, and asked me "so where's the blood?" I wanted an explanation. I wanted her to tell me why this happened, but she "just works in the office" "she's not responsible" and "doesn't know anything." I wanted answers, but I got absolutely nothing. When she called back later to say they "found the blood at the hospital" (it apparently wasn't disposed of yet) and "everything's fine" I wanted proof. She said someone would send me proof, but of course I've still received nothing but a bill for $598.00. I've been told there is nothing I can do, and that I can't file a lawsuit against a company for "making you feel bad." But, we had a deal, and they didn't fulfill their part of the contract. They also made promises of "no worries" and "no confusion", but did the exact opposite. "Emotional distress damages are not available in a breach of contract case" lawyers have said but this was a once in a lifetime chance, and they screwed it up. How many other packages of newborn babies blood in "storage" at NECBB arrived via FedEx on July 3rd, or on any holiday weekend, or even a Friday afternoon? How can a company that promises you they would take the utmost care with your child's blood - and then act so carelessly - possibly be trusted with the most important thing in your life?