American Red Cross
reviews and complaints

On 10/11/19 I had an appointment to donate blood platelets to the Red Cross location at the above location. The person who took my health information was unfriendly and had a difficult time locating a donor location on my right arm where the blood could be drawn. Since this was an apheresis procedure, blood needed to be drawn from both arms.

This person proceeded to inject a needle into my right arm for the procedure, even though during the initial health check, she was unsuccessful in finding a donor location to draw blood. As a result, I couldn't complete the procedure because of the discomfort in my right arm. When I arrived home, I needed to apply ice where the needle was inserted.

Because of the unprofessional nature of the above person, I may never give blood to the Red Cross again.

I went to my schools blood drive, Miyamura High School, on 09-24-19 around 2pm. The assistant responsible for actually puting the needle in my arm seemed very under trained from the begining. She never gave me her name but she was a tall blonde with a star tattoo on the back of her neck and a skull tattoo behind her left ear. After putting the needle in my arm, she asked me if she could rotate the needle inside my arm. I know this would cause the bevel of the needle fo no longer face down but she began to turn it anyway. After, with the needle still in my arm shed asked me to again squeeze my fist and she dug in my arm with the needle. After a few minutes she finally found my vein, and then never taped down the needle and left the tourniquet tight on my arm. I asked her to loosen the touniquet and she let it go one click and walked away. She neglected to losen it anymore and It was tight on my arm for the duration of the donation. The person she set up after me finished her donation before i did because the blood was running so slow. My arm turned purple and i couldnt feel my fingers, but after i brought this to her attention she did nothing about it. When i finally finished she told me i could leave as soon as i was ready instead of asking me to wait 5-10 minutes like she did with the other donors. I left as soon as she was done.

Regina Johnson my son grandmother have been sending disturbing messages to my phone about my disabled child, by her son Brian. Regina and Brian other child's mother Jasmine have been playing on my phone. Brian Foote' and I have broken up over this on going harrassment. I'm not understanding of how a women who works for the community can constantly engage in such negative activities. Regina is a manager at one of the St.Louis Red Cross locations. Just last week she tried to report me for child neglect, while I was in the Hospital. The police came to my home, and after showing proof of my whereabouts the police didn't file a report. I have witnesses of the situation to prove my case.

Good morning,
My name is Adriana Colon my husband and I was scheduled yesterday 9/10/19 @ 6:15 & 6:30 to donate blood at Oxford Valley Mall. My issue is I could not find them. I walked the whole mall asked employees at the mall to see if they had any idea of the location. To only be informed that's they themselves weren't aware that it was even happening.

Below are details confirming your upcoming donation appointment:
Sponsor Name: Eaton
Site: Eaton
Address: 695 Indian Hills Drive, Athens, GA 30601
Room Name: The Mez
Drive Date: 7/17/2019
Appointment Time: 05:15 PM
Procedure Type: Blood

have never been so insulted in my life. RED CROSS is flashing the immediate need and urgency for donating blood, everywhere. I am a regular giver. Today I go to give blood and I have a 5:15 appointment. I arrive at 5pm and the Red Cross has already packed up and I was unable to donate. Their posted time on the bulletin board was until 5:30. Go figure. A guy drives 15 miles to help others when the blood collectors just say, piss off donators, we are going home. What happened with customer service and doing your job right.

The sad part is I have a rare blood.

Called to set up appointment for blood donation 5/23/19 after the site would not allow me to register. Spoke with 3 employees, none of which were particularly friendly or very professional. I felt like I was bothering them by calling to schedule a donation. I first called and was disconnected (no problem). I call again and provide my information, was transferred to see if the medications I take wouldn't make me not eligible, and the employee again acted like I was bothering her. I'm then transferred back and provide my information, which I have to provide multiple times to because it wasn't correct.

If it's this frustrating to just sign up, I'm a bit worried if I should even worry with going from all the complaints on this page about the actual process.

I would encourage you to educate your employees on professionalism and courtesy, especially if you're wanting people to take time to donate.

An Alabama red cross car driver was speeding and driving recklessly and was on my rear end of my brand new car entire time driving on i110 between hwy 49 exit to cedar lake exit from gulfport, ms to biloxi, ms. I was already going 80mph on the left lane and the other lanes was open but he persistently kept riding on my rear end of the car. I even let go of my gas pedal to slowed down 5mph to hint to him to back off but he continues to keep riding on my rear end of the car. I do NOT appreciate the crappy driver he was. Driving recklessly near my brand new car. The other lanes was wide open and i was already going fast enough. I was not gonna speed especially when we already pasted 2 cops posted on the side. After i had completely and utterly slowed down to 60mph to give this nonsense driver the hint to BACK OFF, he continue to drive even closer. Eventually i sped back up to 75mph and got over. This guy slams on his gas pedal and gives me the middle finger. I took a picture of him doing so and the license plate. He should NOT be driving if he is going to drive recklessly and stupid. He had two other lanes open. If he didnt get up on me like that i wouldve gotten over politely but he persistently pissed me off so i stayed in the left lane til my turn was coming up. He needs to be fired or revoke his driver license or something.

Dear Customer Service,

I'm a regular donor (Donor ID W1954 477543K) and completed the Rapid Pass before arriving for my 12:00 appointment at the drive listed below. The check-in volunteer said they were running "a little behind". After waiting 20-minutes, I asked how much longer, and said if my donation could not be started in the next 10-minutes I would have to cancel and leave. In exactly 10-minutes at 12:30pm, the intake/review process was started.

At 1:00pm, after waiting for 10-minutes on the cot, I asked how much longer before the blood draw would start. The intake person apologized saying they have new equipment (bags) and are "running behind". I different nurse started my draw at 1:10pm, 20-minutes after laying on the cot.

I left the canteen area at 1:45pm, an hour and 45-minutes after my appointment time.

I understand problems can arise that impact each step of the blood donation process. However, I expect the ARC blood drive manager to monitor the floor of donors and move staff around as needed to improve timing and customer service, which impacts the number of pints collected. At a minimum, if there is a known delay, I would like to be told how long at check-in so I can decide at that time whether I can wait.

Sincerely,
Pamela Edwards

Sponsor Name: UCSC Staff Advisory Board
Site: Stevenson College
Address: UCSC - Stevenson College - Stevenson Event Center 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Room Name: Event Center
Drive Date: 1/30/2019
Appointment Time: 12:00 PM
Procedure Type: Blood

My wife as worked at this child care center for 7 years. Durning that time she has been "certified" in Pedi First Aid/CPR and has done several renewals. At no point durning any of these classes has the instructor provided actual mankins to practic skills on. The course consisted of them watching 20minute video and the the answers of the test given to the students while taking the test. Having become an instructor myself for a different organization i started to reach out to other daycares to solicit business for my cpr training. Spoke with 3 different directors and they all said that Tammy has come to there center and taught class with no mankins. I will also be reporting this to the State Licensure for child care centers

Very rude and were not qualified to take blood. I have severe bruising and my boyfriend has pooling under the skin. While my blood was being drawn, they sent a girl to the ER (not calling anyone to drive her even though she was drifting in and out of consciousness) because they ruptured her artery. I was there Monday the 15th at Columbus State campus. It is now Friday and my arm is still severely painful to move or touch in the bruised areas.

I was going to donate my blood for the second time with a blood drive event in Binghamton University today (10/8/2018). Even though I had an appointment I waited for one and half hours. Then, I complaint about my situation and they acted like nothing happened. When finally my turn came, they asked a bunch of questions to verify my name, age, address etc. which was totally fine. Then, I showed my RapidPass barcode on my phone via Red Cross app that showed that I already finished all questionnaires. They did not accept my barcode because there was no last name on the screen! Is it my problem? I showed all my information registered in the app, but because the app only shows my name alongside the barcode, they said they did not know whether this was me!

You must inform your employees about how the app works. You guys are asking my blood in return giving some gift cards and money. I wanted to donate my blood freely, and this is how you treat. Shame on you. Because of you, people who will need blood, will not receive it.

My best friend had her home burn down two weeks ago and in the fire her two daughters and 2 grandchildren perished. The fire occurred in Mitchellsburg, Kentucky. I'm quite sure your organization heard of it as it was all over the news. I am appalled by the fact that NO ONE from the Red Cross contacted her and her husband and offered any kind of assistance. There was some controversy and gossip over cause of the fire but in the end the state police investigation revealed it was an accident and nothing more. I believe that was the reason they were not contacted and I'm in total disbelief that anyone from your organization has the right to judge people who just lost their children and have been left with nothing. There was another fire a few days later somewhere else and it was on the news how the Red Cross helped them and they didn't lose family members. Back in 2010 I, myself, was the victim of a fire and left with nothing and the Red Cross was there for us. At first I was confident the Red Cross was the one who was putting them up in a hotel but she just told me it was their insurance company and she never heard one word from anyone from the Red Cross. What do you have to say for yourselves?

Wednesday September 4, 2018 I donated blood with our YSA stake blood drive. I have had 5 children and I am not the least bit bothered by needles.
But it really hurt when the phlebotomist inserted the needle into the bend of my arm. I said out loud to her that hurts so much. I almost told her to remove the needle so I could leave because it hurt so much and it hurt the entire time through out the procedure. It's a day later and I have a small raised area and bruising. If you touch it even barely it burns so much. I looked up my pain on line and it says the needle should have been removed immediately and pressure applied for 3 minutes.
I am worried about it being ok because I have never had an experience like this before. My friend who was also donating blood and was across from me complained of her arm feeling numb. The Flabotimist that took our blood donation had ( copper red hair, tattoos, heavier set, short pony tail).when I read online about my arm pain I also read that a numb arm is one of the complications described and you should contact your doctor. I am waiting to hear from my friend to see if she is ok. Now I wounder how qualified the phlebotomist was who stuck us. Now I am scared for the first time in my life and I don't want to give blood again. I have learned you can be severely and permanently injured if this is done wrong. I'm not sure it's worth the risk. How much training have the phlebotomist had who are working on these blood drives? Does the Red Cross care about this? FYI

I encountered the site leader ? at Hoggard High School, Monday, 9/24, between 11 and 12. She was loud, yelling, rude, sarcastic, unprofessional and was not in control of her emotional responses to cluents or volunteers. Her system for communicating expectations was not clear, effective or representative of the American Red Cross.

I was a member of the school team to assist with displaced students and their families. I feel really sad for people who are subjected to her disorganization and lack of personal relation skills.

She was an older Black female, hair weaves, medium build.

I recently participated in a blood drive at Northsise Christian Church in New Albany, IN on Saturday September 8th. The staff placed a blood pressure cuff on my arm for the blood drawal instead of a tourniquet. Once the needle was inserted, they let air out of the cuff. My blood had quit flowing out for a few minutes before the staff realized anything. They were too busy worrying about the lunch order. Once they inflated the cuff again, my blood flowed great until it just stopped due to a clot in the needle from the cuff situation. I did not get to do a complete donation and was very disappointed. I feel like the staff let me down and the lives I could have saved by a full donation. I wasn't thinking about the blood pressure cuff being used insted of the tourniquet but I will definitely never let them use it again on me to draw blood. Really disappointed!

I went to donate blood today at
Tech Credit Union
10951 Broadway
Crown Point IN

I've never donated blood before and noticed the blood donation sign on my way home. I definitely wanted to help out and donate. What was supposed to be (I thought) a good experience turned out to be horrible. There were 2 women working there taking blood. They were so unfriendly and rude. The one woman asked if I had an appointment. I said no. I didn't know I had to make an appointment. She was so unfriendly and telling me that there's other people in front of me. Ok that's fine! I didn't know I had to make an appointment! I'll make the appointment and come back! She didn't have to be so rude. Then she tells me to sign the check in sheet and read a form. Ok now I'm confused. She's telling me to make an appointment to not screw up their schedule but then she tells me to check in and read a booklet. Well I start reading. I'm standing up because there's no place to sit! Another worker comes out and opens a door and tells me to go wait. She was rude too! A woman waiting to give blood speaks up and says she's next. The worker says I know your next I just need to get her (me) out of the way. She was so pushy. I went into the small room and she slams the door shut. So I sit there for a minute to take a breather and digest what just happened. I was so unhappy. I got up, left the little room, scratched my name off the sign in list, and left. What a horrible experience. And from reading other complaints I see that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with rude staff! What is the deal!? Someone at the company needs to get on these people and tell them to be more friendly! Especially when the donors are here to help. If you don't like your job then leave. Don't make a bad experience for people trying to give their time, their blood, and help out.

Today (August 18th, 2018) I took the CNA Massachusetts state exam with the American Red Cross. Before taking the test, I was advised that the facility would be "fragrance free, " so I made it a point not to wear any perfume. Immediately upon checking into the exam with the instructor, who's name I never learned because she never introduced herself to my classmates and I, I was accused of "wearing a fragrance" and I politely declined, stating that I knew the rules going into the test and because I take them seriously, made it a point not to wear anything scented. After handing in my test, I was accused of this again, as was another classmate of mine. Throughout the entire test, the instructor had her phone out and was using it with my personal information (social security number, address, etc.) sitting right in front of her on my test application. She was also walking around eating while we were testing, and for all she knew one of us could have been seriously allergic. In addition, she was rearranging the test materials that were already set up for us by our class instructor, which was very distracting and concerning. When the time came for me to take the clinical skills portion of the test, she gave me a very vague "tour" of the test materials, neglecting to point out where the most important ones were, such as the call light which is an automatic fail if you do not acknowledge it. Immediately upon entering the test site, the instructor was very passive aggressive, condescending, and overall extremely unprofessional toward my classmates and I and I am concerned this may have affected our results.

upon being classified by a presidential disaster of fire in Shasta County CA several people were evacuees (38, 000 plus) and were housed under red cross authority in an evacuation center. I am speaking for several of those victims as well as what I have seen for myself.

The staff for red cross were rude and unsympathetic to the needs of these victims as well as those coming to donate, and being turned away.

there were very little if any amenities, i.e. sugar for coffee, soap, etc, even cups had to be sent out for.

where exactly are these donations going? you guys offer no information or help victims by leading them to the help they need. Im going to see that an audit is put forth on the donations from the Carr Fire Incident in Shasta County as i have directed many donations to that source. Shasta County needs some answers.