the owner, jorge, is rude and mean for no reason. I don't know why he works the front desk when he has 0 customer service skills. He likes to act out on a power trip and likes to tell people he's the owner. Quizzes people when he's not the instructor you came to see. Just an old mean guy. read more

Took my BLS renewal here after the woman I normally went to no longer does it. I didn't have a hard time locating the place or parking like the other students said they did. The instructor was friendly and knowledgeable. The class was very informative I actually learned and had a manikin to myself unlike the other location I use to go to. Only thing I would have like to be different is to be given a 10-15 minute break, having a 3hour session you may need to use the bathroom or go out to drink water. Keep in mind you can't bring food or drinks into the classroom. Hope to go back in two years to renew. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE, UNPROFESSIONAL Went for a BLS renewal class on 12/20/21. It has been 1 month and never received the e-card. Called the customer service number numerous times, left many voicemail, Nobody answered, nothing was sent to email or spam. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! NEVER AGAIN read more

Avoid at all measures. I paid for 3 in 1 ACLS/BLS/PALS combo book. When I opened the e-book, it was only the ACLS book. I called and spoke with George who told me that they sent me the wrong one and they would not correct it and now I have to spend another $50 To buy the same book - that I already paid for- again. They admitted to a mistake and it's still on my dime?? Real nice way to treat medical professionals during a pandemic. read more

"Organization" is extremely well run and organized. They have a tremendously wide availability of all the necessary "Life Courses" that you need. I recently visited the Valley Stream location for PALS recertification - my instructor - Jacques was very good. Pleasant and understanding and tailored the course - specifically to my needs. In summary - very professionally run outfit - facilities are a bit shabby, could be better - was a bit warm and they weren't' able to control the A/C - But, I can't complain. Parking was available - accessible. As promised - my PALS card was delivered to me - immediately - electronically; It honestly could not have been more easier and convenient. Do your do diligence - shop around - these guys offer a discount coupon; - Will save you a few bucks off the price of your course enrollment. This organization enforces the American Heart Association Policy of - You must have your course text book prior to entering the course. So - plan accordingly! - Otherwise, you will be compelled to purchase a text book on the day of the course; which is pretty much a waste of money - I'm wondering if they sell those pock cards separately - those are awesome. Good Luck! - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and breath . . . . . . . . ;-) read more

Heartstart Training - PALS Training - CPR Classes Near Me - Valley Stream, New York

Had a terrible experience! I will never go back and I will not recommend this place to any of my colleagues! I arrived at 9:50 for a 10:00 class. There was a class in session and the instructor of that class took time out of his class to tell me to wait until the other instructor arrived. I kept checking my cell phone for a phone call, an e-mail or a text to notify me if the class was cancelled, but there was no communication. I had to interrupt the instructor again, who was teaching and ask him for assistance. The instructor stopped teaching his class and did the best he could to help me. I spoke with someone on the phone and was offered an ELearning class. I didn't have an account with ELearning and became frustrated by the lack of support from The HeartStart Administration. Before I sat down to write this review, I called and filed a complaint with The AHA. read more

I took a CPR/AED class at the Valley Stream location a couple months ago. Upon entering the building, I was surprised by how old the facility was. That said, I understand the building was undergoing renovations at the time. The class itself was pretty good. It was a small group of about 6 people & the instructor, Alecia Jones, was very helpful and made the hours fly by. Before the class started, the receptionist told everyone that our CPR/AED cards hadn't arrived in the mail in time for the class. We were told that we'd have to make a trip back a week later in order to pick up the physical copy, but we'd be getting an e-card sent to our emails. When the next weekend arrived, I called to find out if my physical copy was ready to be picked up. The woman who I spoke to, Josephine (turns out she was the administrator) was EXTREMELY rude & told me that they don't give physical copies. I explained what the receptionist had told me on the day of the class, expecting her to be a little apologetic for the wrong information I received, but she continued to speak to me with a nasty attitude. To add fuel to the fire, I had never received my e-card in my email. When I told Josephine this, she said everyone gets it right after taking the class. You can guess what I found in my inbox right after that phone call... I'm sure I would've never received that email had I not called. I will never take a class through this company again & I would never recommend this company to anyone else - not because of the instructor, but because of the terrible management. read more

Valley Stream location-0 stars--AVOID this place at all costs!! They are highly unprofessional and nasty to their clientele. I paid $100 to take the ACLS skills portion here after being advised by THEIR snippy receptionist to do the online portion with AHA. The code was run very differently than the AHA online simulations.They do not use an AED!! It's a machine from 1960! I mentioned that to the lead instructor/manager- George and he told me that AHA online is not recommended and that I have to come back tomorrow to sit through an entire course. His exact words were "You were horrible..I don't need your $100".(he wasn't offering a refund though) During my first attempt he used me as a guneia pig to retrain his junior instructors. I felt very intimidated.This not a learning environment. They take pride in failing you and will literally berate you for questioning their protocol. read more

Get your certification literally anywhere else. They are so rude and unprofessional. Disgusting business practices, they'll call an hour before your appointment to reschedule and lie about the reason- claimed it was because of "building maintainence" but really, they are trying to shove as many students as they can into the same time slot. Why bother allowing sign ups for time slots you won't even honor? Plus, my instructor didn't know anything but whatever, at least I got my cert. read more

I signed up for a PALS course with them that worked around my schedule of working in the hospital during the initial months of the covid pandemic. They took my $275 and sent me the materials for the class. Three days before the class, they called to tell me they didn't have an instructor available, and they would need to reschedule my class. Due to my work schedule during covid and their limited class schedule (also likely due to covid) there were not any times that would work to reschedule; the person on the phone told they were just going to assign me to a new date and then I could reschedule it later on. I asked instead for a refund and I was told that I only the manager could issue refunds. I asked when I could speak to the manager and was told that they weren't in and it wasn't known when they would be in the office. As the limited times did not work with my work schedule I again called later that week to ask for a refund for my class that was canceled by HeartStart, the receptionist was extremely rude and condescending on the phone and told me that it wasn't HeartStart's fault they had to cancel, and blamed their instructor saying they didn't plan to have their instructor cancel; I explained that it was fine, but I wanted a refund since they canceled my class. I was told on the phone that when you purchase from HeartStart you are purchasing the right to schedule a class within a 3 month period, not the class itself, so I couldn't have a refund for my canceled class because the fee was for the ability to schedule not for the class and they weren't the ones preventing me from scheduling the class. I asked if there was any way to get my refund and was told to file a complaint with the credit card company, but HeartStart would not issue a refund. I followed their advice and filed a complaint/dispute on the payment with my credit card company. HeartStart fought this complaint with two rounds of dispute paperwork and this process took an additional 4 hours of my time and in the end I did not receive my refund. If all goes well, then maybe this is a fine place to renew certifications/training, but if anything goes wrong, like they cancel your class, then don't expect any help from the people who work at HeartStart; not only did they insult me, they wasted much of my time and took $275 from me without providing me with a course. They also spent more time filing paperwork and fighting to keep my money than they did trying to help me find an alternative course option for the class they canceled on me. I personally gauge companies not on how they do when things go right, but on how they handle things when they go wrong, and based on my own experience and the other reviews on here, HeartStart will take your money, but will not take responsibility for getting you a course/training. Would recommend staying away from them if at all possible. read more

Ignore the bad reviews, I've been coming here since 2018, never had a problem, Instructor Miguel A Arroyo one of the best, the previous instructors were helpful as well. I've learned and gained so much knowledge in one session, thanks Miguel read more

Rude and arrogant owner, pretends to know everything but... 1. Does not know new EtCO2 monitoring equipment. 2. Not familiar with common drip dosages 3. Knows NOTHING about the online portion. Claimed to make over a million a year but... 1. Bathroom is completely disgusting. 2. Majority of the equipment is old, some broken. 3. Insisted on buying his books. read more

The owner or employee idk who he is either way is the most rude and condescending person I've ever met in my life. Telling him I haven't received my BLS card in a month and claims " well it's hard to believe". He then tells me he can't stay on the phone with my to confirm if I have access to it because he's "too busy with another call on the line." I go to Pilates in the same building and that floor is always empty, be for real. I wouldn't come here because first of all he's just a terrible human secondly he is Incompetent to be an educator. I took the ACLS course as a nursing student and would try his hardest to be able to put you down, luckily my actual professors were competent. Why go into the educating field if you don't like it. Made the mistake of going back to renew my BLS-my teacher was great, however when he answered the phone today he was the WORST. Do not want to fund any business affiliated with a person like that. LOSER read more

Avoid this place at all cost. I have yet to receive my Bls card from them after a year and am filling a complaint to the BBB, the AHA and will discriminate based on how Josephine (the miserable one) feels that day. They are arrogant, rude, and down right miserable and will make you the miserable trying to get what is rightfully yours. I dont know how this place is still in business. read more

Received my BLS certification from their Manhattan location last week for $70 after a coupon code. Which includes a textbook from AHA. Multiple classes offered daily. Conveniently located a few blocks from Fulton St station. Informative and attentive instructors. I had the pleasure of dealing with Carissa and another gentleman from a previous class, both were extremely knowledgeable and confident in what they teach. The only downside of the experience was that the small suite amidst the business offices there was too small to accommodate all the classes that they want to offer. Half the duration of my class was held right in the waiting area. read more

I drove an hour in bumper to bumper traffic only to find the place closed. I went into the Driving School next door and she said that they were frequently closed. I called HeartStart and they had no record of me. They said when I signed up I was supposed to get an email from AHA referring me to HealthStart's Website. I never got an email to contact HealthStart directly. I needed the class for a nursing clinical. I can't attend clinical without it so I had to drop the class. The gentleman at HeartStart said I could come back the next day. I told him it was MemorialDay weekend and I couldn't make it. He said "Oh, I guess having fun is more important." I said no I have a commitment. I am attending a fund raiser for military charities. I thought he comment was inappropriate. Was I the only person taking the class? Didn't anyone else sign up for this class? If the class was cancelled why was it still on their website? read more

Putting this review for their Manhattan location. The location was readily accessible and convenient to a lot of subway lines. Upon entering their office, I had to check in on a touchpad screen, entering my name and how I wanted it to appear on the BLS card. The facility was small (a couple of classrooms and a waiting area), but clean and they had enough materials and mannequins for practice. The instructor Carissa was helpful yet thorough, and emphasized the main points we needed to remember. Was able to finish the entire session in approximately 2 hours. read more

My instructor Josephine was great in the Seaford location. The class began with a different male instructor who seemed new to teaching. My only complaint was that he refused to wear his mask properly. He began teaching the class wearing his mask as a chin guard. I asked him to put his mask on properly and he did. About 45 minutes later he had his nose out and did not wear it properly for the rest fo the training. It was upsetting and distracting. Considering the that we are a pandemic and in a class of health care workers, I cannot even believe that I need to complain about this. It is disrespectful and ignorant to not wear mask especially in a small room with strangers, To be clear Josephine did wear her mask and I greatly appreciated it. If I didn't feel upset and uncomfortable during this class I would have given five stars. read more

Very unprofessional and rude. I signed up for a BLS renewal. I had informed the training center that I did not sign up for the class with the new 2015 book because I'm picking up one that was left there for me. When I arrived George said I needed to buy a new book because the one I was holding in my hand wasn't sufficient, which was the EXACT same book I would be paying $15. George was very rude, hung up on someone calling the location saying "he doesn't have time to talk" while raising his voice and hung up the phone, it's just a mess at the Valley Stream location. He said to me "do you think I need your $15 dollars? I make a million dollars at this location..I'm not trying to take your money" If that's the case and I had a 2015 book why did I need to pay the additional $15 dollars? I went to the website because it stated as long as you have the 2015 book you should be fine and did not have to pay an additional $15. and like I remember the website said: "2015 BLS BOOK IS REQUIRED FOR THIS COURSE AND MUST BE PRESENT ON THE DATE/DAY OF THE COURSE." So the owner means to tell me the 2015 book that I was holding in my hand did not meet the requirements and he wanted me to pay $15 for the same book within the span of 5 minutes. Never again. This review is probably going to go "not recommended" because that's what this company does. Hides their bad reviews. read more

Excellent place to certify or recertify for AHA PALS, BLS, or ACLS. Accomodating in terms of schedule for skills test. Friendly people. Low pressure and high learning yield environment. I recommend it to my friends. Large parking lot for the building. read more

Very unprofessional. They had no instructor for class and location I was scheduled for 10 min away from my home. She tried to convince me that another location which I didn't want was closer and more convenient for me. No refund policy. Beware! read more

I did the online AHA Heartcode ACLS and separate BLS courses for providers. I needed to do the skills portion and Heartstart at Valley Stream found a weekend time slot for me easily within a few days. Given my busy clinical schedule they were very accommodating and helpful over the phone. When I arrived my instructor Scott was very welcoming. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. Clearly he is an experienced instructor and the skills portion went very smoothly and was just like the online simulations I had done on the AHA site. I would definitely come back here again for my re certification and highly recommend this location. read more

I went to the Manhattan location for my BLS renewal. FYI - The class is held in a conference room at OPMI Business School. When i registered for the class the website said that the textbook was included in the price of the class. However, when I went to the class the instructor said that they do not provide textbooks for renewals so I had no book. Luckily, we did not touch the book. The instructor was good and sped up the parts that were repetitive. We were done in less than 3 hours. Overall, not bad. read more

WHY DO I KEEP GOING BACK??? The positive: I grew up in Valley Stream so I know how to get there. It is also close to my current home and they offer several courses a week. The negative: The owner George. Period. He is extremely rude and unprofessional. I have renewed both my BLS and ACLS certifications there and have had a problem each and every time with him. As Monika said in a previous review, he will charge you $15 for a book each time you go, even if you already have a current one. However, the bigger problem is that he interrupts every class and takes over the teaching. I understand that he needs to audit certain classes for new instructors. However, that does not give him the right to put down other professionals in front of a classroom full of people. He also does this with classes that are being taught by instructors who have, by their own account, worked at his company for several years. He gets upset with students who can't answer his questions, yet, he is not specific in what he is asking. When I tried to point this out to him, he became very defensive and said I was the one "confusing myself." I was confused- yet I passed the exam with flying colors. Hmmm. At another point in the conversation, he tried to turn it into a race issue by stating, "Sorry, I just came to this country two years ago." I wasn't confused by his accent- and being a culturally competent nurse who has worked at several different hospitals with people of all races, all genders and from all walks of life, I found this to be extremely offensive. This man even had the nerve to offend me two years ago when I was pregnant! Anyone even thinking about giving this man your hard-earned money should reconsider. I have already started researching other places to renew my ACLS this summer! read more

The instructor was late for the appointment. He then told me he would not hold the class as I was the only student there, and he had to be somewhere 4 hours before our class was scheduled to end. I had to take off from work. He then refused to refund my money. read more

What can you expect from a place where the owner introduce himself as a "man that only cares about money". My advice: if you can make an extra effort and go somewhere ells...do it! ...if not...good luck and I hope you don't cross paths with him. The staff is good until he appears in the scene. read more

I Took a class with them. They lost my paperwork and wasted my money and time. Stay Away!

This training center is a rip off. I signed up for the online BLS class,paid the $80 for the class & skills session, only for them to fail me twice. I work in the healthcare field and have taken CPR classes for over 12 years, and I have never had a problem. During my skills assessment each instructor asked ridiculous questions, it appeared as if they wanted you to fail in order to spend more money. I spoke with the owner (George) both times who said i could continue taking the skills or pay an additional $40 on top of the $80 I just gave away to them to sit for the 4 hour class. He had the nerve to discount the class by $5 to get me to sign up. Why would I pay a cent more to a company that is clearly scamming the public.The Admin is rude, and asks as if she has a chip on her shoulder. Take my advice and RUN!!!!! Or just read the other reviews for this hole in the wall. Save your money and find a place that deserves your hard earned money.I wish i could have given zero stars, or negative one star!!! read more