This Red Cross center was always good to attend to. While finding the office or location could be a hassle, it has good staff and a good break room to reenergize and rest at after your donation. The staff are all extremely friendly and the overall atmosphere is comfortable. There are more than enough spaces and seats to go to whenever you donate and they make sure you're comfy. Even when doing platelets they'll do what they can to make sure your donation goes as smooth and comfortable as possible. If you'd like to take a nap while watching a movie, Netflix, TV Show anything you can. If you want to just rest and stay longer after you're fully finished you can. The one major complaint I had when going is that it could take a while to get your checkup even if you get there early. Sometimes there maybe delays because the staff could be busy with other stuff or finishing wrapping up on donors who are done. Which could lead to you waiting in the wait room longer than you'd expect. Just remember to have your rapid pass done before going for your donation. And also make sure you have enough to drink or eat after you're done so you won't get sick or feel weak after your donation. Go to this donation center whenever you're eligible to donate as it's worth attending and doing a good deed to save others. read more

I am a new donor and have been here 3 times in the past month. Pros: -location (easy to get to and they have a lot of parking no matter the time of day) -open floor plan (very spacious and inviting) -facility is well lit, very clean/sterile, and has fun decorations (currently Peanuts/Halloween) -very friendly, kind, and knowledgeable staff (I've had the pleasure of having Aireen, Eugene, and Michelle help me so far...I've watched the other staff members and they are all truly wonderful!) -drinks and snacks waiting for you after your donation -the ARC rewards you for your time and donation (swag, gift cards, points to redeem for prizes) -use the ARC app and you can track your donation and see where it goes Cons: -none but I do have a recommendation: make sure you wear layers because it's cold in there (understandable), but layer up especially if you are donating platelets because you will get very cold. They have thin blankets for you that they heat up in the machine, but I found bringing my own fleece blankets worked better for me. I saw a lady bring a beanie, scarf, and gloves too, which was very smart! *you can be turned away if you don't pass the health screening so just be aware of this possibility...it's nothing personal but they are looking out for you. However, don't be discouraged and keep trying. My friend has been donating for years (blood and platelets) and there are times when she has been rejected due to poor circulation. This doesn't deter her from trying again and continuing to do so to save lives! read more

They took such good care of me, shout out to Tammy who looked out for me after my first blood donation which my body reacted roughly to! Would recommend I felt very safe. read more

Best place to donate. A lot of attention, good vibes. I really feel like they take care of me. Special thanks to Michelle! read more

What would we do without these services? Blood donations, helping those in need when disaster strikes, leading aid during times of war. When your life depends on it, the Red Cross is there. read more

I am surprised to have a great experience here! It's an open layout inside, very clean and organized without feeling sterile. I signed up for a platelet donation (requires 1 needle in each arm and takes 2 hours), but I did a whole blood donation instead (1 needle in 1 arm and takes 20 minutes). The veins are stubborn like me, and of course my vein disappeared as soon as the needle went in. The team was quick to cut the cord, tape an ice pack over it, and then try my other arm. I felt well taken care of, and they chatted/joked with me the entire time so I would be distracted from any nerves. They are short staffed, but I was checked in promptly and it's faster when you fill out your Rapid Pass before your appointment. The first phlebotomist who found my vein said she wasn't confident sticking the needle into my side arm, so she asked someone more experienced to assist. Really appreciated the honesty and professionalism here! Pro-tip: Eat lotsssss of iron-rich foods 2 weeks before your appointment like red meat, chickpeas/hummus, and spinach. I didn't get to donate once because my hemoglobin level was below 12.5. read more

American Red Cross - Swanky location! - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Pleasanton, California

I have given blood here 5 times before. I am O+ and my blood can help so many people. This location always seems to have some stipulation for me not being able to give blood. They DO NOT accommodate larger people. There are no size or weigh limits noted anywhere until you waste your time showing up for your appointment. Then rhey deny you based on some stupid rule that they could have listed as a potential denial on their website. Oh well, I guess people will suffer because this fat girl has lots of O+ blood that the Red Cross refuses to let her give. read more

This Red Cross moved from the old plaza near cost plus market to this new location about a year ago and I much prefer it! The facilities is newer and I love how they decorated the place. It's more inviting and the layout is very transparent. Staff are always kind and very quick about processing paperwork, placing tags on tubes, and readily available if there are any issues. I've donated blood and platelets and haven't had too many problems. There was a time or two that the needle wasn't placed correctly and I came home with a swollen arm, but that's to be expected. My mom had cancer years ago and she got a blood transfusion since her red blood count was too low. That's my primary motivation for donating as much as I can. A little prick won't stop me from making a difference in people's lives. Donating platelets is a bit more challenging. They use both arms to receive the blood, take the platelets out, and then to give back you everything else. So that's a bit more arduous, typically 2 hours for me compared to less than 10 minutes for blood. I strongly recommend people to download the Red Cross blood donor app, they have all my donation history from back in high school! Also you can compete the Rapid Pass the day of your donation that makes the process even faster. read more

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I've been donating blood for years at the Pleasanton American Red Cross location. The staff is always very welcoming and comforting. I know that whenever I donate blood here it is going to be done well. The facility is very clean and always well stocked with snacks . If you are giving an amazing gift of blood I would highly recommend this location. read more

American Red Cross - Always festive for all different occasions. - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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I continuously get calls from ARC begging for donations. My wife and I donate at the same time for convenience. The website appointment application is useless for this type of scheduling. I've called every day and have yet to reach a human and must leave messages for them to call back; but haven't received a call. Atrocious customer service when they're desperate for donations. Also, their professional practice needs work. I always walk away with a hematoma from their poor techniques. read more

Super clean and friendly here. Two genderless bathrooms, and a really comfortable site for donating blood. It looks like a salon for blood donations. Was pleasantly surprised that it was comfortable to donate here. Had previously only done blood drives at work and the process was very uncomfortable when they switch between bags and blood sample vials. Here, Aireen was amazing and took care of me! read more

One star off for 30 minute wait even with appointment. They had to set up which I guess is reasonable since my appointment was at 7am. Very professional and quick. Came in to donate platelets but instead donated blood since I have too much blood. read more

This is blood donation facility in Pleasanton. It is not blood drive but permanent facility. Use their app for booking donation. Their phone numbers listed are either discontinued or no one responds. Also I had to face couple of cancellation as they were not having enough staff. When I went for donation, I had to wait for almost 20 mins past my appointment. Staff was not that friendly (but not rude either). I requested a photo while donating blood and he made couple of sarcastic comments. Not sure why. They don't follow waiting 15-20 mins after donation. I mean they just tell people to wait for 15 mins but I saw most of donors were leaving immediately after donation Still giving 4 stars as they have facility near home and serving towards great cause. Donate blood! read more

American Red Cross - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Avoid this place please. I have been there twice, fist time after waiting for half hour, they told me they had to close the center due to power outages. The second time I went there, they did terrible job, end up not able to donate my blood, looking at the pictures attached here, you can see how bad they handle this was! I had blood donation before, never had problems. read more

American Red Cross - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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Nice facility. Clean and comfortable. Friendly staff. Minus 2* for failed blood draw by technician Kelly. I have donated blood and had blood drawn dozens of times. I've never had any issue with my veins or clotting. Unfortunately, today was the first time I had a problem. Check in was smooth and quick. It took about 10-15 min for a basic vital signs check and some questions. I used the online RapidCheck system which sped things up. My phlebotomist was friendly throughout. However, she may have been a bit careless starting the blood draw which left me with a sore arm and a bruise. The flow never got up to an adequate rate and after the maximum time of 20min on the needle she had to pull the plug. The volume that was extracted was short of the minimum required amount and could not be used. The blood can't be used to testing of COVID-19 antibodies or blood type either. I can deal with the minor pain. It's the disappointment of wasting over an hour and come home with a only bag of trail mix to show for it. read more

I have donated for years (61 gallons, 495 units so far) and have donated in Pleasanton since it opened. The staff there have only been wonderful. Everyone I have dealt at all four locations I have donated at over the years have been very professional and very personable. They are all friendly and donating has been a very positive experiance. Donating, knowing I am helping saving lives is a source of pride for me and I am greatful that I am able to do it. read more

Friendly,efficient staff always concerned how I am feeling. Greets me walking in the door, excellent quality of care.

This is my first time coming to the new location. After months of them not having availability for me to donate blood, I was able to get an appointment three weeks ago. Fast forward to today when I come 20 minutes early to my appointment, the employee tells me they are too crowded even though I have an appointment. Don't waste people's time and step your scheduling game up! Especially if the Red Cross is going to call me every day trying to get me to donate. read more

I've been giving blood for the last 40 years. The process of donating blood at the Red Cross is getting more efficient every year. On the day of your donation: Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass* Read the pre-donation information Answer the health history questions Print your pass and/or email it to your mobile device** This saves at least 15 minutes of your time and makes donating blood that more efficient. If you use the Rapid Pass, donating blood takes about 30 minutes. Donation of 'whole blood' is the most common type of blood donation, but there are a few other types of blood donation. Donation types include: * Blood (or Whole Blood) * Power Red * Platelets * Plasma In addition, there are two special donation types that have to do with who is making the donation: Autologous Directed The best type of donation for each individual depends on their blood type, physical characteristics, personal preferences and the availability of convenient donation opportunities. I've been giving whole blood for the last 40 years and (platelets for the last 30 (takes about 2 hours). The folks at the Pleasanton facility are professional, courteous and friendly. This facility is pretty busy so I recommend you make an appointment and use the Rapid Pass. read more

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Just waited over 45 MINS with an appointment time. Second time this has happen. Totally understand how you can be short staffed or things outside our control happen. However, twice in a row!! My advice is revamp your mobile clinic supervisor, supervison, the process, are all the above - Red Cross is asking people to donate but doesn't seem to be in tune with how important people's time is and the value of it. Bet if I went to a paid blood donation center I'd be in and out, my next donation will be too one of these centers just to see if they are that more efficient. read more

This would be a 5-star review except for 1 thing. I've been donating at this facility for quite some time including when they were located near the mall. I rarely have a problem with the actual techs that do the blood draws. However, they now have someone trying to sign up people for platelet donations who just won't take no for an answer. She comes up to you while you are in the canteen trying to rest and recoup from the donation and she badgers you about platelet donation. Seriously, she hounds you to set up an appointment then and there. I've left the canteen early or just grabbed a water and granola bar and sat in my car for a few minutes just to avoid her. read more

Don't bother making an appointment unless it's when they open... 30 minutes into my appointment and Rapid Pass in hand I'm still sitting in the waiting area. Fun times... read more

It's the place I never knew was there. Why? Because it's next to everything else like World Market, Play it Again Sports, and JC Penny Home Store. Back to this location. I was blessed to be paired up with Linda. She explained everything from beginning to end. I'm not a fan of needles, but I got lucky she found my vein on the first shot and I didn't really feel it. Okay, I'm just a big baby when it comes to needles. After the process was complete, Linda made sure I got a good amount of juice and goodies at the end. During my recovery, she made sure others watched my condition as she performed other tasks. Thanks Linda! You're the best!!! read more

I've been here twice and the first time I waited an hour even though I had an appointment. 2nd time the girl who was doing the pre blood stuff told me I signed up for the wrong type of appointment for my blood type. She said did you do that on purpose so you could get in? Umm no I don't want to give blood bad enough that I would lie. I left work for this. It was a mistake I made. She said don't do that in the future. Well today my daughter had an appointment. They were so rude to her she had tears. We are there to do a good deed. Volunteering our precious time and blood! We aren't going through all this to take your abuse just to get a juice box and mini Oreos. Train your staff to have better bedside manners. read more

Location: This location is nice and clean, ample parking and near the mall. Staff: All the staff were friendly and seemed organized. I went on a Monday at 5:00PM and had no issues with wait times or anything; I gave Power Red so the process took an hour but the check in and setup was quick. Aireen was the person who assisted me, she was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. She explained the entire process and made sure I was doing okay through it and also set me up with a nice warm blanket. As I plan on using this location for all future blood donations! read more

The Red Cross is telling the world that they're in dire need of blood donations during the COVID-19 pandemic and, well, I'm happy to help. I've been giving blood once or twice a year for the last decade and normally give at blood drives hosted by my employer. With most non-essential offices closed right now, that clearly isn't happening. A few notable challenges. First, I had to look a few weeks out before I could find a day when they were accepting appointments for the type of donation I would be giving (this is based largely on blood types, I think?). The way the website works, it appears that there are days that they dedicate to certain donation types?? So like if I was giving AB Plasma I could get in ASAP and they only seemed to be seeking that donation type for many days/weeks at a time. That's why I had to wait - I had to look out beyond weeks of what appeared to be AB plasma donation appointments only. But when I was there, it was pretty clear there were 3-4 different kinds of donations going on. So, which is it? If they'll take any kind of donation at any time, why make the appointment process so complicated? This is probably more of a Red Cross problem than being specific to this location, but I have no idea. Second, the wait time - even with an appointment I made weeks in advance - was borderline unreasonable. It took over an hour of sitting around before I was taken in to a room to confirm the Rapid Pass info I had already provided. It was another hour until my station was set up and ready to go. By the time I finally walked out I had been there almost three hours. It's true that my donation took a solid 30 minutes, but it wasn't one of those multi-hour affairs (a certain donation type) so there's no real reason why this had to be a three hour visit other than that the staff was way under water with too many appointments. A huge part of the problem right now is that they're working very hard to maintain social distancing standards. It seems like they're probably short staffed, the waiting room has chairs removed so folks can be 6ish ft apart, etc. They're also not taking walk-in appointments at this time to reduce potential overcrowding. This in particular SHOULD make things move faster, but alas that obviously wasn't the case when I visited. We all had appointments and were all sitting around endlessly. I really applaud the staff for coming in and doing what they need to do to keep donations coming in, but they should reduce the number of open appointments per day if wait times are going to be this long. The phlebotomists were very professional and friendly, and they are clearly making the best of a really weird situation in the midst of a pandemic. I just wish my time had been respected a little more and I think there are things they could be doing (namely, reducing the number of appointments per day) that would really help make things work smoother. read more

I love this place! I've gone to this location 3 times and each time is a great experience. The staff are friendly and easy to talk to. Clean and roomy environment. Never waited too long either! Fun experience to donate read more

Made an appointment. Took time off work. Showed up to appointment Only to be told, when I arrived, that i no longer had an appointment and they had canceled a bunch of appointments.. Why, no answer, nor an email to let me know. I do not mind volunteering my time. What i had is having my time wasted. Good luck, will not be back. read more

The nurse there seems friendly but ignorant. She draws blood without first cleaning my arm area with antiseptic! I did not notice that and she already poke the needle on my arm! I know she could be a volunteer and it is almost 3pm on Sat and she is likely planning to leave, but it is horrible and I feel itchy for a week. She told me I have scar tissue on my arm due to my donations. Staff like her makes me do not want to donate again! Does she has enough training? read more

They can't keep an appointment to save their own lives. Considering you are there to voluntarily give blood, they have no respect for the time or effort you have put into keeping your donation appointment. Find somewhere else to donate blood. read more

My husband had an appointment at 7pm. I didn't have an appointment so we thought we would chance it and see if I could do a walk in. We arrived at early at 6:30 to see. When we arrived the waiting section was empty so thought the odds were good. Unfortunately they said no they couldn't take me, no big deal. What was frustrating was that the girl who took him back was extremely rude when she told me I couldn't even wait for him in the empty waiting room (okay I get it, Covid, whatever but she could have been nicer). And then as my husband was going through his blood donation he overheard the same girl talking with another coworker how she was happy the last two patients not coming so that she could get out of work earlier! So they could have taken me, and I was just waiting in the car. They always say there is such a need but when people are willing they are lazy about it. Good luck Red Cross! You just lost another consistent donor. read more

So after my bad experiences I pulled back and just donated blood to my local mobile unit but after speaking to them I decided to try this again. I guess I am just going to chalk those experiences to pandemic related issues although most of the same personnel are still there. Even Eugene who was my assigned phlebotomist again for the plasma donation. Props to him, he did a great job, I did not even feel the needle and we had great flow and everything went smoothly. I enjoy doing this and the location is extremely convenient for me so hopefully this can continue going forward... read more

Ok so here it goes...I was TERRIFIED to come here as I am extremely scared of needles and blood. As soon as I walked in I was greeted by someone who explained the process, gave me some hand sanitizer, and had me sit in the waiting room. About 5 minutes later I was called back to a room with a nurse to get my vitals, sign papers, etc. After that was the part everything was leading up to....I was so scared I was shaking. Eugene got everything ready while another nurse inserted the needle (I'm a very hard draw). Lickety-split the needle was in, blood was flowing, and I felt no pain. I started laughing internally as I overthought the whole thing. I was able to donate 650ml of COVID antibody plasma and enjoyed my time there. The staff was very professional, the center was very clean and well organized, and I felt right at home. I will definitely be back to donate blood or plasma in the future. read more

American Red Cross - Plasma blood machine. Sounds scary than it really is and doesn't hurt a bit. - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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Pretty nice location compared to SJ and Newark locations IMO; it has a few more machines than the other locations and the staff are generally nicer here. Everyone is suppose to be nice, but I had a nicer experience chatting with the staff than other locations I've been to. I'm definitely coming back to this location to donate in the future. *PLUS* it's right across the plaza from the mall (pretty awesome) read more

After giving blood here a couple times a year for a few years now, the time has come to go somewhere else. The staff at this facility are extremely impersonal and unfriendly. Your visit here used to come with a friendly greeting at the door amd some friendly conversation while you gave blood. Now there's almost nothing from the staff beyond talking and snickering amongst themselves. Giving blood is a noble and worthwhile cause. It can still be uncomfortable and it can make you a little nervous having a stranger put a large needle into your arm. With that in mind, if you're going to donate blood for the good of your fellow man, you might as well go do it somewhere where you can feel appreciated. This facility used to be one of those places, but those days are gone. From now on, I will take my charity and my veins somewhere else. From the current staff, the only smile you will see is exchanged between themselves. And for that matter the only thank you you will get will sound like a robot reading from a script... read more

This was by far the best experience I've had donating blood ever. Mona was so sweet and gentle. Also I was able to sign in using the rapidpass so this was a much shorter visit than expected. read more

The volunteers are always very prompt and friendly. I'm not sure what issues the negative reviewers had but I've been here several times and the nurses are always professional and personal, taking their time to make sure people are comfortable while they give their donation. read more

I don't mind being called when I'm heading to Norcal to visit family, but when I'm in LA, please refrain from calling someone whose address is in LA and whose area code doesn't match anything north of Bakersfield.... with that aside, the facility is clean and the people are friendly and actually smarter than the nurses and doctors from the usual facility I go to (as apparent by a phone call I made to them when I asked what kind of procedure they use to remove platelets...the doctor on the phone didn't know....) They have different procedures than my usual place, but I have donated here before and I respect their decisions and choices to do the things they do. I hope that next time I'm in Pleasanton I can donate double whole blood because I know that people need it. Till next time Red Cross. read more

High scores for this American Red Cross center. The staff are great and they truly appreciate your donation. With the new Rapid Pass system, they've managed to cut out a lot of the waiting. read more

This center is clean and in an easy location, but they definitely make you wait too long. Even with an appointment, I still waited an hour, which is discouraging when you want to donate blood. I find the blood drives to be much quicker. I think they just need to work on the appointment system. read more