People are nice, but it is slow AF. And they don't offer appointments. You can complete their…read morequestionnaire online and then scan in, but it doesn't change the wait very much. Today, I watched as more than eight people had to come back and get re-wrapped because one individual, a short woman with glasses and very dark hair (either Asian or Latinx) failed to properly wrap them the first time after they completed their donations. That is a safety and health hazard. When I tell you that these people came back leaking blood all over the floor, I am not exaggerating... at all. I don't know if this girl was new or what but she was very slow, and not doing a great job. she also didn't arrange donors in order, so there were people who were assigned at bed, long after others, who were hooked up to the machines out of order. Super annoying when you've already been waiting nearly an hour. I would beware.

This place is as ghetto as it gets. No system in CSL works. They use a completely incompetent, but…read morecheap, third party SSN checking company with a ridiculously high error rate. They told me that the SSN I've been using for more than sixty years is invalid. Waste of time. I wish I could give them zero stars.

I've been coming to this specific Biolife location for 6 months and every time they're clean,…read moreprofessional and organized. The process is very straightforward and if you're new to it just remember they cannot rush a process that quite literally involves extracting something from a human body. You know how sometimes you walk into an office or store and there are very clearly employees looking unengaged and not into their job? I don't see that here. They always look like they're busy and it's probably because they are. Now the environment... It's the only reason I don't give this place a full 5 stars. While I understand it's meant to be a clean sterile environment I think the repetition of the same music and lack of atmosphere make it a very dreary place to visit. I don't expect rainbows and butterflies just some variety in the music and ambience sometimes to deter you from feeling like you're just being harvested.

Do not go here. I completed the physical and donation at this location on 7/11/25 and was never…read morecompensated. This location has not answered a single phone call or returned my calls despite me leaving at least 5 voicemails. I also submitted 2 contact requests from their website with no response. I will go to grifols instead now.

On January 1, 2021, at 830 pm it was pouring down rain in Oxon HIll, Md. Normally I love when it is…read morepouring rain and I can hear it hitting the window. I was sending out emails last one being sent at 802 pm, I thought to myself I am going to develop good sleep habits for the New Year, so I will get ready for bed. I was about to take my sleep medicine but was too lazy to get up so I just sit in the chair listening to the rain. Little did I know my laziness would someday pay off lol. Had I taken my medication and gone to bed, I literally would have lost my life in my sleep (from smoke inhalation). I had no idea that the building next to me was ablaze, and the apartment over me was completely engulfed in flames! As I was folding my computer and deciding to get in bed, I hear get out of the building there is a fire! My recliner was near the door I jump up with flip flops on and run to the door felt it wasn't hot so I opened it, and when I did I was hit in the face with thick black, smelly smoke! I closed the door and ran in the opposite direction toward my bedroom with my computer still in hand. I thought I would follow my fire plane and jump out the window! when I get in my bedroom I remember everything looking blurry I thought it was my sight without my glasses, but that was not the case it was smoke. I grab my coat jumped in my uniform pant backward and ran to the living room looking for another exit, my balcony was part of my fire plan, but I just didn't plan on jumping with gray smoke and fire falling. I could still hear my neighbor yelling get out!! I ran to the door again, and if I have ever heard the voice of God I heard it on Jan 1, 2021 when I was about to go out the door I heard put your shoes on, which allowed me to stop! and calm myself (not a grand voice just a whisper put your shoes on) holding on to the wall to put my shoes on finally made me realize I still had the computer in my hands so I dropped the computer put my shoes and open the door! That was a miracle #1. I know I can hold my breath for 47 seconds I swim:), so I still hear my neighbor so I thought I will just have to follow her voice, but in all the black smoke I look up at a window over the exit door and I see a gray hand waving to me to come out!! so I followed my neighbor's voice, jumped down the few steps! had I not seen what I thought was her hand I would have been frozen stiff! turns out she was outside of the exit door yelling but she was much to short for it to be her hand Miracle # 2, makes me shiver just to think about it!! had I not had on shoes, I might have had 2 broken ankles or landed on the wet pavement, had I not seen the hand I would have been frozen stiff! it was such an awful fire it looked like a red cross commercial you know the one (pouring rain raging fire) and the red cross there in the midst of it all. The fire raged from 830 pm until close to 11 pm even in the pouring rain. 63 to 65 off use lost our apartment homes that night, but there was not one life lost! There was a terrible accident, I believe a person had a heart attack and hit another car during all of this. At 11 the fire was still going on but under control thanks to the Oxon Hill fire department, Andrews Airbase fire department, and Alexandria Va fire department!, I was told that over 100 fire persons were working to put it out and I am thankful! without them, it would have been worse. At around 11 pm that night we all met in the recreation room and the red cross was there just like in the commercial. They handed out water and snacks and blankets. They interviewed us and made sure we had lodging for the next three nights although I have insurance that night I was so exhausted it was so nice not having to find a hotel, especially on a rainy night. We stayed at the Comfort Inn on Oxon Hill rd, check-in was so easy (remember everyone did not have time to get their wallet ie., Id or car keys and we were not allowed to go into the apartment that night to unsafe. So having the Red Cross pave the way was Miracle #3 I truly felt wounded. The lead Red Cross coordinator met us at the hotel, and arrange breakfast for the next morning! The next day we got a call telling us, lunch was ready for pick up and dinner was a very nice hot meal. Surprising how much you take for granted, I lost my very expensive progressives and was having a hard time seeing at night the Red Cross sent me a voucher to get glasses! All they did was without asking for anything in return. Readers we are living during a pandemic and all other types of emergencies and the one thing that is consistent in this world is that the Red Cross will always rise to the occasion! I depended on them in the Army to keep me connected to my family. That was in the 80s' and now in 2021, they are still a very relevant part of our society! If you want to make sure your donated dollars are put to good use you can not go wrong with the Red Cross, until next review; glad to be alive, to review, VJ

I think this job is going to a techs head that wear glasses and Afro American woman,I was in the…read moreRiverdale office to donate on Monday Dec.8,2025 between 11:30am 11:50 she pricked my finger and placed a cotton ball on it after ,seconds passed and I checked for blood on my finger and I wasn't bleeding so I put cotton ball on a napkin n she had placed in front of her on table and she said to me that the next time let her take the cotton ball from me ,which I thought was rude so to avoid a verbal conflict due to feeling disrespected verbally I just said I didn't know that you was to take it from me .I been coming there for 3 years and I'm always been told to lay the cotton ball on the napkin and then asked if I need a band aid or not. What was up with this rudeness Grady Terry

Not sure how it's possible to leave a 1-star review when the place is meant to do good and help…read moreothers -- donated a handful of times and every time it takes ~1hr to be processed and another hour to have blood drawn. A meaningful donation should not be such a painful experience. Try other centers before coming here.

It just takes way too long for them to process you. You make an appointment and inevitably you're…read morewaiting 30 minutes at a minimum and sometimes an hour before you're actually checked in and ready to give blood. It's way better to find a mobile blood donation location, or a blood drive location. The Red Cross really has to figure out how to make donating blood at the centers more convenient and more timely. It should not take a couple of hours. If it does, they're doing something wrong and actually discouraging more donations.

you'll be waiting in line forever then waiting for a carat even longer there's ever only one person…read moreat a desk all the time. People always have their hands in their pockets. even people who look higher management just walk around smiling more like hosts at a restaurant than any real assistance

Zanna made me feel so uncomfortable. She is the most unprofessional person I've ever come across…read more Zanna touched her face, her phone, dropped cotton balls on the floor and still tried to use them with me. When I asked her to change her gloves she got very upset and kicked me out. That's not behavior suit for anyone working with blood and plasma. She also smelled of marijuana. Zero stars if I could

I donated whole blood yesterday morning. I was in and in about half an hour. It was quick and…read morepainless. They have a new way of testing your hemoglobin now that does not require the finger prick. The last time I donated two months ago, this location was one of the trial donation centers for it. It's pretty cool. I passed even though I've been eating like crap lately. My phlebotomist was the same woman that did my intake. No pain either the prick. I got to hang out for 10 minutes, eat some Lorna Doones, then make my two minute walk home. I'll be back in October!

Told the phlebotomist to use my side vein because my middle veins are too squirrel-y, and warned…read morehim that my fear of needles would prevent me from observing. He didn't take me seriously, didn't line the armrest with a paper towel, and then decided to dig around for the middle vein anyways. I'd waited almost an hour to donate blood, so I requested a new tech to attempt my other arm. Much better bedside manner, but also unsuccessful. Traumatizing donation failure for a trypanophobe.

" Supposedly "this center take walks in, I walked in at 2:34 pm and they would not let me donate…read moreblood because they were closing at 3 pm. In this case, remove that you accept walk in !

I've been here several times, and the staff are friendly, personable, and caring. They're also…read morehighly professional and skilled, and the location feels calm and spacious -- never has giving blood been so painless, both literally and figuratively. Parking is easy, there is a solid selection of snacks and drinks, and donors occasionally receive gifts and merchandise. I would highly recommend coming here to donate -- it's a positive experience for a worthy cause.

Update: Super friendly and fast. Love how they don't care how much I snack afterward, because I…read moretend to get super hungry and eat a lot Tip: Do the rapid pass before coming--it saves you a lot of time.

I'm not going to say I was looking forward to or eager to give blood, but I'd signed up for a…read morespecific time (1:45pm), as required, and arrived in advance of my appointment. Only to find after I'd been sitting there 15 minutes already that the blood procurement team was delayed AT LEAST 30 minutes. I found this particularly frustrating as I had left work to donate, but I stuck it out since I was already there. Luckily when I was called back, the Red Cross person helping me fill out online forms was nice and processed me through quickly. She also set me up comfortably to have my blood withdrawn. She was able to find my vein and poke me with little pain nor fanfare. This whole process took maybe 20-30 minutes and wasn't bad - I just surfed on my phone. So overall, all the Red Cross folk I interacted with were great, but the time management was lacking. I will, of course, continue to give blood, however, next time I schedule an appointment, it will be first thing in the morning, not at 1:45pm on a workday.