BioLife Plasma Services
reviews and complaints

Two weeks in a row i had a bad experience at BioLife Mounds View MN. The first experience was the employee poking my left arm numerous times to hit the vein. I indicated pain but was ignored until she finally stopped. The second time the tech was in a hurry and did not get one of the connections sealed. Blood seeped on the bench and caused container to foam. There were no apologies for the incident. To add to the issue, the tech dropped the plasma bag and indicated "that's what happens when you go too fast". The bag was still sealed in the wrapper but my concerns are obvious. You are an extremely busy center but that's NO excuse for incompetence.

THERESA RUST'S BIOLIFE DONATION BONUS ISSUES

I have continued issues with donating Plasma, through no fault of my own, which will cause me to possibly lose my new donor bonus. Please consider the following information in regards to providing me with a much needed extension for the new plasma donor bonus.
Theresa Rust [protected]
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Donation timeline
8/21/21 gave Plasma
8/27/21 Phlebotomist messed up my veins
Attempts to donate but not allowed due to bruises from Phlebotomists and Biolife additional medical letter not reviewed by Biolife doctor. (17.4 miles round trip each time)
8/29/21, 9/3/21, 9/6/21, 9/10/21, 9/12/21, 9/14/21, 9/17/21, 9/19/21

Detailed summary

We finally decided to try donating Plasma on August 13th. We've wanted to do this good deed for years and now they have great bonus'. Facebook had $1, 100 posted all over. Both Gary and I started the process at 12:30 pm and 4 hrs later, he was told he could no donate because he was in the army in Germany in the 80s. I was told I needed a letter from my doctor to go over my medications and health needs. Also, they stated their office is only giving $900 for a bonus. ☹

I provided the initially requested medical letter and then was called stating I was clear to donate on August 21st. I then went for my 2nd donation on August 27th and went through 5 hours of waiting and testing, got to the chair and the phlebotomist's messed up both my arm's veins and stopped the process. I kept the bandage on for 2 hours, put ice on it constantly and then the next day I put heat but the left arm had a huge bruise. I kept up the heat and ice process for a week and then went in on my scheduled plasma appointment on the 29th and was told the bruise is too dark and try again later. I expressed my concern about being able to do the required number of donations to obtain my bonus.

Tried again on September 3rd and was told it was not yellow and green enough. I was worried about my new donor bonus but was told by a manager, that they might be able to extend it but she could not until it was closer to the end of the donation period (45 Days).

Then on September 6th I go in to donate and was told they now need "another" medical letter to explain my potassium use. This was VERY frustrating because of it being several weeks later after my original approval of my medical letter and they could have at least asked for it while my bruise was healing. I put in another process complaint to management to give staff the ability to extend the new donor bonus time because none of this was mine or my bodies fault.

My primary care medical doctor provided a letter with the additional information on Potassium, I picked it up the morning of September 10th, from Kaiser and had the front desk fax it to Biolife. I then took the physical letter to the Colorado Springs Biolife plasma donor location and spoke to a nurse who took my letter and said she would upload it to their system. She stated the doctor would have to review it that day and would call me but I was also told to cancel my appointment that day at 2:15 pm.

It is now September 12th, and no one has called me? I have an appointment at 1:35 pm. My husband. Gary, is now allowed to come back in for a physical because the FDA removed the denials for being in the Army in Germany in the 80s. (can a BIG problem getting his Biolife account corrected so it could be used. Helped with this by Jeremy Karstens). Gary's appointment is at 1:40 pm so we are going in together and I am "Hoping" I will be allowed to donate as well as obtain an extension for my donor bonus. Before we left I called the Colorado Springs location but no one answered. Left a voicemail to please have someone confirm my status for donating today. No one called me back before we left.

9/13/21 update, I was not allowed to donate yesterday and told the doctor will not be in the office to review my additional medical letter until the 14th. I provided the information above to the Colorado Springs office hoping a manager would call me. I have an appointment at 2:30 pm on the 14th.

9/14/21 2nd time I was told the doctor did not review my medical letter and I was not allowed to donate. I was told he would not be in again until Friday the 17th.

9/17/21 I had an appointment at 1 pm but no on called, sent email to manager.

9/19/21 never heard about my medical letter but Gary and I have appointments to donate at 10am. We will go in together to check.
9/19/21 update, 3rd time the doctor did not review my medical letter and I was "again" told they would put a note on my letter to make sure he reviews it. I told them it is VERY frustrating to feel like I am being blown off. All they could say was that the doctor will be in on Tuesday the 21st. I don't know what is going on and why I am not being contacted either way. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I AM LOSING OUT ON MY NEW DONAR BONUS AT NOT FAULT OF MY OWN!

I am a regular donor of plasma since feb 2021.. Its a disgraise to. Be waiting 1 hr to donate plasma at where im donating.. Now.. At. My other location i donate at im done in 1 hr... Seems to me every time i donate at the other center the people know what they are doing.. As u can tell im not to happy.. How do u correct crappy service..? By yout additude and training staff better thats all..

It is always a long wait to get in to donate ! Why even have appointments if it takes over an hour to get to a donation bed, never mind getting stuck! I'm berry disappointed in the service I receive here at Ankeny Iowa 50023. So I guess this is a short complaint so here goes I'm going to get picky the lady that works the front counter she has pore customer service and does not speed up when calling out people's names, she is not apologetic.

Well this place is the worst place to donate they never answer the phone but when you traveled hours to come there and they tell you there short staffed and it's plenty of people standing around I'm confused I went twice and nobody said anything about a crazy evaluation I have to do befor I donate because they said I was drunk and I don't even drink and how can you say that and we haven't had a long enough convo to determine that and I didn't reek of alcohol cause I don't drink I'm confused and donate at this place before and never was told this I need a crazy test cause of that incident how is that possible cause I wasn't being evaluated at the time so what makes it right to say that cause I'm black and I fell asleep one time in the lobby I never been told I need a crazy test in my life ever just by being in the lobby somewhere I'm confused it's wrong I was able to book appointment I called a million times nobody said nothing about this I waisted my time and money this is wrong and I pray y'all don't do nobody else like this but some need to be done

Biolife sent me a coupon for $200 per donation for the next 3 donations. Because of this the facility has been completely packed and I was unable to get in on several visits. Today I went at 6:00 a.m. to ensure I got in and could use my coupon. I was told that because I had donated 1 month ago I couldn't use the coupon and would be paid $20 for my donation which the front desk workers were very rude about. Why send me the coupon then? Apparently Biolife only values my time and my plasma if I don't donate, which won't be a problem now since I will never go back and will encourage others to not go as well. Absolutely horrible experience.

They changed the scheduling 2 weeks ago at the Birmingham location. Since then I have been unable to schedule a 2nd appointment for the week. Scheduling shows "No slots available" Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday when I donate on Tuesday. Before this change, I never had an issue - I was even able to reschedule appointments. NOT anymore! I've been donating at the Birmingham location since they opened. They've made it impossible as a Platinum member to receive your 2nd payment. Can't get a 2nd appointment. I won't be going back unless by some miracle they fix the scheduling.

In 11:15. Wait in room 30 min. Then wait 20 min - told need questionnaire. Nurse starts info & dob. You need bloodwork first.+ 20 min waiting 2nd nurse in office, donors mad. Other donor told her I was next.. She took him anyway. Asked for mgr, no +20min. 1st nurse back-10 min in - was asked dob 3 times you need a form filled out by your dr
I drive 47 mi one way!

You offer a promotion for great money, then expect all the donations to be in within a certain time frame, and THEN overbook to such a degree that NO ONE CAN GET THEM DONE IN TIME and then they don't get the promotional money they were offered on your over promise/underdeliver coupon.

You are wasting peoples time when we show up to scheduled appointments ON TIME and are told you are an HOUR (or more) behind.

The only reason for this is because you OPEN UP TOO MANY APPOINTMENTS for booking. Why this has not been changed is hard for me to understand.

I suppose us donors that you are soo thankful for, don't really matter since you "need us" yet we have to wait for you and spend 3-4 hours of our day due to your establishment overbooking.

It is RIDICLOUS and very disappointing and there are many others who feel the same way.

Tired of wasting my time!

I went as a first time donor to the Richmond, Va location on Wednesday, September 8th. The nurse Gregg is the one who was helping me. At a certain point I had to get him to switch arms because I felt a lot of pressure and it was getting uncomfortable. For the next 48 hours after that happened I could not move my arm it hurt so bad. And by the end of the 48 hours it started to bruise. I'm not sure if they blew a vein or gave me a hematoma but I can't go out in public with me arm looking the way it does. I went back in on the 12th to talk to the nurse and the manager, literally the nurse said "you can't donate today, I'm sorry that happened to you" then she sent me on my way and that was it. Attached are the different stages of the bruising with the last picture being what it currently looks like

I have been donating plasma for years, but recently wait time at the State College PA center has brought me to a complete stop. The typical donation time use to be 60-70 minutes from the point I enter the door. That includes getting screened, hooked up, the donation process, and leaving. Anymore it takes at a minimum 120 minutes. There has even been a time I was there for 2 hours to be told I could not donate because after an hour to get screened and an hour sitting waiting to get hooked up, they discovered my screening information did not save. Other times, I have waited 15-20 minutes after finishing to get unhooked from the machine.
I drive 50 minutes one way to the nearest center, so given it all, that is nearly 4 hours to donate plasma, and in some rare instances 4 hours to find out I cannot donate plasma. Something needs done with either staffing or appointment availability, even without the drive, 2+ hours is too much.

My name is Wendell Scales and I am filing a complaint regarding an incident that occurred at BioLife plasma's Shrewsbury location, address 7531 Watson Rd, St. Louis, MO 63119.

On the date of 8/28/2021, I was next in the queue to be brought onto the donation floor. A phlebotomist by the name of Dan(who, by the way, on several occasions I noticed tended to do his fair share of wreckless eyeballing at me in an attempt to create a hostile environment, I suppose. Which was highly discomforting) proceeded to bring myself, as well as the immediate donor next in line behind me to the floor to donate. Dan proceeded to skip me in the queue by assisting the latter donor whom was behind me in line, in spite of me being the next to be serviced. Once Dan approached my donor bed to hook me up to a plasma machine, I asked him why he did not honor the queue order, he told me that that was his section, thus his reasoning behind his actions. This excuse for me was unsatisfactory, not to mention unacceptable, which I expressed to Dan. So, out of frustration due to his lack of success to provide a satisfactory excuse for his wrong doings, Dan slammed his hand down on the arm cushion that was next to me on the donor bed and proceeded to lean in at a discomforting proximity violating my personal space in an attempt to intimidate me into concluding my inquiries. I felt threatened at this point, so, I responded to his actions by telling him to keep the proper distance (especially considering the fact that we were in disagreement regarding the matter at hand.). Dan then called for management. I was then assisted by a different phlebotomist. Upon concluding my donation, I was escorted into an office to discuss the matter with the manager on duty, Dave. Dave told me that I was using profane language, which offended other donors. I then apologized for my language immediately, I then told him about Dan's attempt at an intimidating gesture towards myself. Dave's response was "I will speak to Dan and see what I can do.", Which was quite appalling and unsatisfactory for me. Dave wanted to then continue to lecture me regarding my language even in spite of my apologies, I asked him if we could conclude this discussion since I was going to be late for work, Dave insisted on carrying on with his lecture, I decided the conversation at this point was inane. I digressed, told him to "have a nice day" then left. I later received a phone call from an employee from BioLife plasma services whom had left a voicemail stating that they had all of a sudden discovered an "issue with my account" and that I return their call as soon as possible. At this point, I knew that they were going to defer me. I attempted to schedule my next appointment to donate on 8/2/2021, which was to no avail. I then returned on 8/2/2021 To BioLife plasma services gain a better understanding as to what the issue was with me not being able to schedule an appointment. I was once again escorted to an office, where I was then informed that I had been permanently deferred. When I asked on what grounds, I was informed that there was no explanation listed in their computer system which provided an reasoning regarding my permanent deferral. I wanted closure on the matter, so I asked for management, I was told by Dave that even though there was no documented explanation behind the deferral, "the decision was made" and that I must vacate the premises.

Two weeks ago, I had transferred my records to a different Biolife in a different state. When I tried to schedule an appointment, I was told to call the Lakeland Biolife because I have a deferral there. On August 23rd (more than two weeks ago), I had a manager reply to my email and say we could figure this out and was arranging to call me. I haven't heard from him since August 24th. On September 1st, someone from the Lakeland location finally answered the phone but would not talk about my deferral and tried to push me back to my local Biolife. So my local Biolife called them and learned my deferral is permanent.
The lady that picked up the call at the Lakeland location lied to me to get out of having the hard conversation I had a permanent deferral. I emailed back that manager the same day how I would've been more understanding if someone from that location communicated with me and he never replied either.
I tried to move to Biolife because it's a little closer to home but I am very happy at where I donate now. They take amazing care of me and are very transparent with me.
I shouldn't have had to call more than once like that front desk lady made me do. I wish they had been more transparent with me as to the reason for my deferral. And I wish I was given reasonable expectations. I was told by someone in management we could figure this out only to learn my deferral at Biolife is permanent and my emails were never returned. I shouldn't have to be this vocal about my experience to receive some decent treatment.
I am happy where I am donating now. At this point I do not wish to do any business with Biolife. The way I was treated during this process was very poor. And I am VERY sorry I ever donated at this location when I moved to Florida.

After I finished all my vitals and passed for EVERYTHING but my pulse they offered to let me sit for 5 mins and retake it. I sat for 5 mins and obviously when I retook my pulse it was still high. The limit is 100 and my first go I was at 115 maybe and my second one was 123. I was told I could talk to a nurse and potentially be allowed and exception because I have anxiety and there's not much I can do. When I spoke to the nurse she said my pulse had to be under 100 no exceptions and said that I could "take anxiety medication" before I come. I don't take medicine for my anxiety cause I don't like how the ones I've tried make me feel. This is completely unfair for me to have to drive all the way to the donation center pass EVERYTHING and get deferred for something I can't control. You guys should put in your eligibility that you guys don't accept patients with anxiety because you don't!

The West Des Moines location has half it's sections shut down and is still being scheduled at full capacity. As donors we are expected to be here within 10 minutes of our appointments there's no reason at all we should have to wait two hours past our appointments to get started. Extremely unprofessional. With the daycare shut down some of us have allotted times for child care and can't afford this time issue.

Hello, my name is Amanda Buckmaster a former happy customer of biolife plasma at the mounds view location. Last week I went to donate plasma. It was utterly the most unpleasant experience for me. My appointment was for 6:05pm. I stood in line for almost 25 minutes to get my vitauls checked. 4 new donors got to be 1st in line, which made the wait even longer. I didn't get back to a seat until 6:35 pm. I waited about another 20 minutes for a nurse to come hook up the needle and machine. A male nurse finally hooked my right arm up, he had to adjust the needle because it was to far up on my arm.
Long story short, something didn't feel right with the needle. The machine started ringing and it's was almost 6 minutes before someone came over. I told the nurse it doesn't feel right and she said I had a hematoma and explained what it was. My arm did not hurt the first few minutes but the fact of the matter is she left the needle in my arm and was trying to get someone else to find a vein in my other arm.
The other nurse thought she found a vein, so she finally unhooked my right arm and it was I'm so much pain! The nurse said she wasn't sure about the "vein" she found so I told her I was done and wanted to leave. The two nurses apologized and told me to come back soon and follow paperwork, and that I would still get my payment even though I didn't get to finish donating which I did get the $65.00 but it definitely was no worth the pain. She unhooked me and the other nurse gave me a 25$ come back card and an ice pack for my arm. I left Biolife Plasma at 7:21pm. By the time my fiance picked me up I was balling my eyes out because my arm was in so much pain.
I took pictures of the first night. By the next day my right arm was black, blue and purple. My left arm, you canclearly see the needle mark but there is NO vein near where the nurse peirced the skin.
Now almost a week later my arm is still in pain when I move it certain ways. I am now making a doctor's appointment to see why my arm is still in pain.
I'm writing this email in hopes this will reach a supervisor or manager, to let them know that this kind of service is not okay, and I understand a hematoma can and will happen sometimes, but to have a nurse leave the needle in and then have another nurse try and find a different vein and it not even be a vein and still proceed to hook up the needle in my arm, is not right on so many levels! This experience truly ruined my donating experience. It's sad because donating helps with a lot of illness and donating was like me giving and helping the world.

Sincerely, Amanda Buckmaster