Been going for a while now, have been to other centers and the good vs needs improvement…read more Good: people friendly and knowledgeable New building Very clean Bonuses and incentives pretty good Needs improvement: Speed- which would be improved with the items listed below Get more equipment! More hand heads, more than heat sealer and more TVs! In each bay you should have 2 people working together- one sticking one unhooking. Six chairs one person- slows it down! Calling system for screening needs work, either a screen or display with donor number or an intercom system. Often in waiting room cannot hear your name being called by screeners.

They have had 2 people who can stick on the floor for weeks. Taking 4+ hours to stick.. today, it…read moreis 6:35. I had a 6am appt. I was screened in less than 10mins. No one has been called back to the beds to be stuck. 2 individuals who have stuck me many times are in screening and just making jokes. I have had to leave multiple times because of backlog was just unacceptable. Called numerous times to corporate. They don't care. As I type this, still hear lots of setting up in the area. Do NOT waste your time. 6:47 and still waiting.

After being told by Red Cross customer service that seating accommodations could be made, I…read morescheduled an appointment at this location hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately, it was even worse. When I politely asked if I could donate while seated, explaining that lying down made me uncomfortable, the staff not only refused my request but also spoke to me in a hostile and condescending manner. In front of other donors in the lobby, I was questioned aggressively about why I didn't want to lay down, making me feel embarrassed and unwelcome. I had come in willing and ready to donate, simply asking for a basic adjustment to make the process more comfortable. Instead, I was treated rudely and left feeling like I was a burden for even asking. This is not the way donors should be treated -- especially when Red Cross constantly stresses how urgently they need blood donations. This experience makes me wonder how many willing donors are turned away not because they can't donate, but because they are treated with so little understanding and professionalism. Very disappointing.

I donate my platelets at this facility twice a month, and the quality of care that I receive at…read morethis facility is high. The ladies pretty much know me pretty well, and they're so kind and generous with care. I always feel like I am being pampered every time I come in.

Rose the receptionist, Alyssa and Margie are the best. Highly recommend this LS location and as I…read morehave been here numerous times. I hope this company treats them well. Rose thank you for your helpfulness. Alyssa and Margie thanks much for your care and service today! Much appreciated!

This is regarding the Cumming Facility. One of the…read moretechnicians was coughing like they had TB. I provided my phone number 3 times and they still got it wrong. I question the infection control as they were touching everything. We had tablets to answer questions that were not wiped down. They missed my vein - I never gave blood as the pain of multiple attempts caused me to become congested and shooting pain in arm.

They have a hidden list of things that will disqualify you from donation among them of questionable…read morenature is if your on opioids at all for pain care. What was not Ok and what is discriminatory is if you have a history of mental illness being told they require you to produce a letter to prove your stabe to give plasma. Sadly staff seems to be doing there best even if how I was treated is wrong and discriminatory.

Everyone is friendly and the process is quick and they are very persistent with checking in u and…read moremaking sure the center is runnning efficiently

Be sure to scroll down and check out original / previous review for tips on what to expect as a…read morefirst time donor. Background I started off donating as a way to honor my Dad's death. I also joined the "Be the Match" registry, donated blood and bone marrow previously. I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to find a site that will allow me to donate platelets. Exterior Lots of parking, but parking lot is full of pot holes. Lol. Not their fault so no stars deducted. The anchor stores are Goodwill and Food Depot. Interior A little dated, but well lit and clean. Compared to Biolife and ADMA Biocenters (both on Barrett Parkway), this spot definitely looks like it needs some updating and modernization. And CHAIRS. I still can't believe they don't provide chairs like every other competitor facility I've visited. Customer Service There are some really sweet, empathetic people working here. And there are some people who work here who will not only NOT speak to you or greet you, but they will blatantly ignore you if you say 'hello, how are you today?' Sometimes its rudeness, sometimes its social awkwardness I think. For example, the other day, one young lady in vitals expressed shock and confusion that I'm allowed to donate because I have several small, old scars from mosquito bites. (When I say old - I mean some of my scars are DECADES old.) She also made a HUGE deal about me not looking my age. And while I guess you can call it flattering, she was carrying on like I'm old enough to be the crypt-keeper. And she was just so LOUD. I did my best to play it off, but It made me super uncomfortable. Fortunately, most of the super rude folks don't seem to last long. This industry has a huge turnover. Derricka (sp?) and Chastity are consistently efficient, welcoming and friendly and make the entire process less daunting. I say all that to say - if you encounter a rude staff member, don't let it deter you, chances are they will quit or be fired within a few weeks. Price / Value The last time I checked, the normal donor payout - after you are no longer in 'new donor' status, is the same as Biolife and ADMA. Overall Overall, I like this place. The only negative I can think of, aside from the fact that there is no waiting room / no chairs - so you will have to sometimes stand in long lines waiting for vitals, and again, when waiting for donor beds - is the fact that some of the donors are really wild and rude / inconsiderate. Despite the signage, there ARE donors who will have LOUD, inappropriate dumb conversations riddled with profanity. (And I curse, I just don't go around dropping F bombs and cursing around strangers.) Several times I've witnessed donors who sang LOUDLY or rapped or watched movies or listened to music (without headphones) DURING THEIR ENTIRE TIME IN THE DONOR BEDS and the staff (including security) did nothing to quiet them. I'm assuming because they're trying to avoid confrontations. A few weeks ago I witnessed the security guard reprimanding a guy who was cussing like he was channeling a 90's Eddie Murphy comedy stand-up and I wanted to clap and cheer. Donors who have 'main character' syndrome just make the entire process exhausting. The other thing I've noticed - and this is not exclusive to CSL, is that a lot of the donors REEK of weed when they come in. It's weird that marijuana somehow doesn't show up in the plasma donations. If you found this review helpful, be sure to use my donor referral number: 14079133.

Horrible experience trying to get a "sample" i have a bruise and get this they didn't take enough…read moreto send the sample off. WHAT A JOKE. I usually don't leave bad reviews but this was ridiculous. For a sample to have complications

The staff honestly doesn't care if you live or die here. There seems to be an ever changing list of…read more"protocols" that depends on who's actually working that day. Very inconsistent. Also I've called many many times and only once was I ever able to get someone to answer the phone. Plus just be aware that if you ever have a doctor's order to give blood, that's not enough. You must obtain a form from LifeSouth and have your doctor fax it to their home office. Then it'll take at least 2-3 business days to process but forget trying to call to verify if it's been processed because nobody ever answers the phone. Most likely you'll just waste time going in. Terrible operation in my opinion.

Always receive great service here, the welcome is real, feel confident in this location to give…read moreblood. Will give Double Red Blood next time for sure!

This place is absolutely awful they are out of order as hell but say "we go in order" no they in…read morefact don't then the "manager" threw the arm rest at the table and it hit my leg because I cussed and called them out for pushing 3 people that came after me in front of me I get one person had a fast pass but the pushing people who came after me before me and expecting people to not be outraged when they have stuff to do is insane because yall take yall sweet time and have no consideration for others.

I've been going to KEDPLASMA for almost a year at this point. The last time I donated the tech blew…read moremy vein out. Left my arm bruised and swollen for two weeks. I couldn't return until I got the bruising to go away. I returned today and was told I wasn't quite there yet. I asked to speak with the manager and she was great. Told me she'd speak with the director about setting me up with an inconvenience fee for dealing when the injury and not being able to donate for two weeks. The director denied my fee for whatever reason. This is unacceptable, I was injured through no fault of my own by one of the company's employees and as a result was unable to donate for two weeks. I am going to be fully honest here. The manager was great and most of the staff are too but when one of your employees injures one of your donors, it's good business to ensure that your donor is compensated to some extent. I don't think I'll be coming back. I'll be posting this on the Better Business Bureau and I'll be contacting corporate. If the director sees this he knows who I am and can reach out to provide justification for his decision.

I've encountered one person who was less than friendly here. Otherwise staff is always…read moreprofessional, kind, and patient. There are facilities closer to my home, but I choose to come here because I am treated well.

I think this location has good employees who try to do their best with the situation they are…read moregiven. The problem I had is that after years of being a consistent donor, I was disqualified from being a donor because of a false positive on an HIV test. I understand the safety aspect, but once they hit you with one false positive, you are disqualified FOREVER from all blood product donations. I have been to a clinic for a rapid blood and saliva test and went to my primary care doctor for a more thorough lab test. All negative for HIV. I understand that this is because of laws that they did not make, but it is because of their error. I had over 250 donations logged with Grifols and now I can never donate again because of an error they made.

For my third time donating platelets, I wanted to check out LifeSouth's Northeast Georgia Center in…read moreGainesville, which is actually much closer to my house than the Greater Atlanta Center in Dunwoody (18 miles north vs. 34 miles south). After you donate at least once to LifeSouth, an employee will call you at least once a month to see if you can make time to come in to donate again. Since there is a high demand for platelets yet a small number of willing donors, they want regular donors to be able to supply blood and blood components to local hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. According to LifeSouth's website, "Platelets help patients with bleeding disorders caused by leukemia and cancer treatment, or open-heart surgery." This time, I made a 10 am appointment for a Monday for me and my sister (Yoomee H.) to donate platelets. I specifically wanted us to have the same time slot so that we could start and end around the same time. Unfortunately, things did not occur as planned for my third time donating platelets... We arrived a couple minutes before 10 am, and we were checked in by a very friendly woman at the front desk. She told us that they were happy yet surprised to have us there to donate platelets because they "weren't expecting us," even though I had made the appointment the previous week. To make a very, VERY long story short, we both waited over an hour before we were able to even have our initial blood test and interview, which must be done every time before you donate blood, platelets, or other blood components. After we finally had our interviews, we had to wait another hour or so to get started with the donation process. This was incredibly frustrating. When we checked in, we were warned that they were understaffed that day, but they did not indicate that we would have to wait THAT long! The phlebotomist who performed the platelet collection on both me and my sister was very sweet, but it was obvious that she was incredibly flustered about being the only person taking care of us as well as a whole blood donor. She had difficulty locating the vein in my left arm, which I usually have the donation done through, and even punctured it in the wrong spot. So eventually, she drew the donation through my right arm - and both of my arms had to be bandaged at the end. =( Arghhh... Like the donor center in Dunwoody, the platelet donor seats are pretty comfortable, they provide you with a blanket and heating pad under your arm (because it gets cold), and you get your own TV and remote to occupy your time. And unlike the Dunwoody center, this one has a decent library of DVDs if you want to watch a movie while you're donating, or you can bring your own! I picked a DVD to watch, but the phlebotomist forgot to turn mine on for me. Fortunately, I brought a book to read while I was donating for about an hour and a half. Overall, this LifeSouth Community Blood Center gets 2.5 stars - minus 2.5 stars for the ridiculously long wait to even get started because they were so understaffed. I was not happy that I had to spend over 4 hours at the donor center and get punctured in both arms. I have to mention, however, that the staff was super friendly, welcoming, and apologetic, and I really appreciated this. Although they assured us that they usually don't operate this way, I'm sorry to say that I simply can't bring myself to return to this location. I will drive further to the Dunwoody location, which is the main location in Atlanta, for my future donations to LifeSouth. [Review 107 of 366]

The staff was fantastic. I came in with my mom for my first time donating and they were so…read moresupportive. They interviewed me and I told them about a disorder I have that can make you pass out during things like this. They sat me down and found the proper vein very quickly. When the woman stuck me it barely hurt, she definitely knew what she was doing. About 4 minutes later I started feeling dizzy and passed out. Once I came back I was covered in ice packs and the entire staff was around me seeing if I was okay. They handled the situation so well, I was impressed. They had me sit and wait to leave for about an hour so that I wouldn't faint on the way home. Great job lifesouth Gainesville!