Caveat: we have a complicated health scenario requiring frequent pediatric blood draws. When we started at this location, all was good; staff was pleasant and helpful and took the time to work with us and educated us when we needed to conduct multiple draws for a single order based on weight. However, over time, the quality of the staff has decreased: new employees every time we visit (2-3 months) and employees seemingly unconcerned about helping to manage a child's anxiety with blood draws. The focus seems to be on doing what's easiest for them, not what's good for a patient. If you need to do a pediatric draw, especially on an order with multiple draws, I recommend PAMF or Lab Corp as this scenario is too complex for these folks and they'd prefer to not make the time to work with you on it. read more

Until today, I did not realize there was such a thing as a rock star phlebotomist. But Eli (who helps train other phlebotomists, including at the Quest Diagnostics San Carlos location on Laurel Street) is exactly that. Bottom line, this blood draw (of 6 vials of blood) was painless. Yup. It was painless. And....I know this is weird to say, but it was actually kind of fun. He made me laugh through the whole thing. I was so relaxed; it didn't hurt at all. Eli even drew a little happy face on the Band-Aid he put over the spot where he did the blood draw (which, by the way, did not bleed a drop afterward). He is straight-up an expert, both at drawing blood and at putting people completely at ease in what can be a stressful scenario. Thank goodness Eli is there. If you have a choice as to where you have blood drawn...go to Quest in San Carlos and ask for Eli. [And he mentioned that he is also a firefighter in El Dorado County...which is to his credit, also.] The guy is really good at what he does. read more

Quest didn't have my doctor' s orders even though they said they would and the Dr.'s office confirmed they should. Waiting room carpet looked like it had never been cleaned. And to top it off, going out the door, I was given an invoice that was way more that the amount I actually owed (verified with Quest later). Fortunately, the phlebotomist did a good job and my results showed up quickly. read more

Nice people - fast service. Note that a face covering is Required these days - they will send you away unless you have one. Enjoyed the experience of having blood drawn :) read more

Aloini? and Eli (not sure about name spellings) this guys are so awesome! I love their cheerfulness and compassion. They are the best!!

They claim appointments have priority over walk ins. Don't believe it! They have kept me waiting significantly over my appointment time.

Avoid this place. I made an appointment then wasted an hour trying to get a TB test but no luck as they had not received the order from my doctor. When I asked the woman behind the desk whether I could email it to her, she said "we don't have internet." I walked back out into the year 2017 and had a quick and easy time getting the test done at Stanford. Oh yeah, you gotta like the employee taking a nap in full view of the 8 people in the waiting room. read more

Quest Diagnostics - Taking a nap in full view of 8 people waiting to be served - Laboratory Testing Near Me - San Carlos, California

Went in Friday morning at 8:00 a.m..there were several other people there already..no receptionist. I waited about a half an hour.Finally this man comes out and very feebly calls out "Zahn??Zahn?? A few times..I realize pretty quickly he means Me..my name is Kazan..like the director.He says really rudely..Ive been CALLING your name!!I apologized, and told him I didn't recognize the name as mine.,.Well,he says..That WAS your name,wasn't it'?I said,yes,but it didn't SOUND like my name.He said..well,..isn't this America???REALLY???I'm born and raised right in this town 73yrs ago,and am German and English.:HOW RUDE to insinuate that because I'm supposedly a foreigner,people will mispronounce my name...BEYOND rude..Talk to this guy,will you?My friends have had problems with him too.He obviously doesn't like his job. read more

Avoid this clinic, and Quest in general if you can. I know that is hard since they basically have a corner on the market, but do in home exam if you can. The full story is that I had originally booked an appointment at Quest through Exam One for a life insurance policy. I had something come up and could not make the original date, so I called Exam One to change the date. I showed up on the new date and signed in and everything seemed fine. After a few minutes wait, a man came in and called my name (by my last name and completely murdering it). In a very rude and condescending tone he said "You are 4 days early". I explained to him that I had to change the date and that this was the new date. His response was that "the system will not allow me to take you that early" and when I tried to ask if there was anything he could do, he responded very rudely with "You are not understanding, I cannot do anything because the system won't let me". I then proposed that maybe we could call Exam One and they could clear it up for us. His response to that was nothing, he just stood there with this A-hole stare on his face like I was some sort of imbecile. This man obviously was not interested in going out of his way to do anything out of the ordinary for someone. I decided to leave that clinic and go home and talk to Exam One about the situation. After discussing the situation with them, sure enough they confirmed that they should have accepted my appointment and could have been confirmed by a simple phone call. I then re-scheduled with a home appointment exam, which was flawless. I really great nursing student came to my home and completed the exam in about 15 mins. I have posted this same story to the Quest website with no response. I have never had a worse patient/customer than this in my life. It is obvious Quest doesn't care about their patients or training their employees properly. So I am spreading the word: avoid Quest at all costs! read more

I had always had a positive experience here: beautiful spacious waiting room that I DIDN'T ever have to wait in. Nice people at the front desk, etc. I thought I had found the only Quest Lab that "worked", well, until my last visit. I will still go back, but they had the rudest, most unhelpful, slowest person at the front desk. She kept asking me for info (even tho I have been in the system multiple times in the current year, she had my license and my medical card, so what the??), and then she had the audacity to change my billing address without asking. Wasted time! I had to make her redo everything, then finally get the test done, and go back out. I shoulda known she would muss up the billing, then it took me some time to get that straight. I feel bad about this review because every other time the place was 5 stars, so I'm going to get it another try and hope that the same person no longer works there. read more

I don't get why there's negative reviews without the names of the rude employees that were encountered. I visited this location for the first time with an appointment and within 5 minutes, they took me in and I got done in a timely manner. The tech Margie was nice. She greeted me when I came in, took my lab slip, copied my insurance card (as part of the procedure), and took me in. If they ask for a credit card, it's only in case there's a difference the insurance doesn't cover right away and I have gotten refund checks from Quest after the uncovered difference was later covered by my insurance. Anyway, I got my blood drawn from Margie that was it, no issues at all. read more

I came here on a Tuesday because the Quest Diagnostics in Daly City doesn't accept drug screenings no more. Wtf!! I would've went to the ones in SF but they were closed during lunch time &so I drove all the way here. The location was easy to find &there was plenty of parking in the lot. I expected a long wait, but once I got there I didn't see anyone in the waiting room &was greeted by the front desk. They were really nice &they took me immediately. I did my urine test in 15 mins! So quick! I'd go here again to do drug screenings because they stay open during lunch hour. read more

What a horrible experience. The technician working was extremely rude the minute I walked into the office. I didn't see an electronic check in so I stood waiting to check in with someone at the desk. The technician came to the front and asked me why I hadn't checked in yet with an annoyed tone to her voice. I was coming from Concentra Urgent Care for additional lab work, and wasn't aware I needed to check in. Once I got back in the patient room, she took 20 minutes to figure out how to print my patient labels. I could tell she felt bad about the delay, and started to act more pleasant. One of my labs was never drawn, and the remaining lab work took 3 weeks to be resulted. Quest finally, after almost 1 month, admitted to not drawing the missing lab. Horrible service. I strongly do not recommend getting any kind of lab work done here if you want it done correctly and in a timely manner. Absolutely horrible service. And don't even waste your time trying to call the clinic because it is all automated. I hoped I would be able to contact upper management to formally complain about the technician's behavior and poor job performance. read more

This place is horrible! They messed up big time on my daughters blood draw. After taking A LOT of blood and making her wait for 2 hours, they told her she needed to come back the next day. Not a good experience and not handled well at all! I was brave (or stupid!) enough to go back myself two months later. My doctor had written at the top of my order sheet "Spread Out Over Two Visits". Well, Rema (owner) didn't read this and was intent on doing it all at once. I almost fainted afterwards and had a huge bruise and pain at the needle insertion point for days. Save yourself the misery and avoid this place if at all possible. read more

I wish I could give two different ratings, a five-star rating for the staff at 1100 Laurel St and a two-star rating for the facility at Laurel St and for Quest's stupid ways of keeping records and billing. Staff: FIVE STARS. Rima is the greatest phlebotomist ever, she really cares and goes out of her way to help. For a while Rima was the only person there who could get blood out of me, but lately there are a couple of others who can do it. I almost never get a bruise. The rest of the staff isn't always as friendly as Rima, but I think it's because they are overworked and undertrained. Quest keeps changing the computer interface they have to use. Facility and Quest: TWO STARS. General notes: The draw rooms are fine. They have chairs that fit fat people. Short people will find that their legs are dangling. The facility used to be uncrowded in mid-morning but lately it has become quite crowded. Appointment recommended. Problems: (1) All the chairs in the waiting room are tiny and uncomfortable. I've been writing feedback to Quest for years asking them to put one or two armless chairs in the waiting room for fat people like me. For years they have been ignoring this feedback. How hard can it be? I'm sometimes tempted to send them a $15 folding chair from Amazon. (2) Quest has a really annoying database and billing system. Every time I go there, the staff has to make a paper copy of my insurance card, even though I'm already in the database. Today I was told I had to pay my outstanding balance (a whopping $20) or else the system would not let them draw my blood. I said that I had paid it online last night. "That isn't showing up in the system, so you have to pay it again. But you can call your credit card company afterward and decline the charge." Really?? I have an account on Quest's web site where I can see my results, but my bills aren't associated with the account. Every time I want to pay a bill, I have to go through a separate transaction where I enter a long invoice number from the bill and then have to input my name, address, and payment method. read more

I felt compelled to take time out of my weekend to give proper respect to the folks at Quest in San Carlos. After having one of my blood test "botched" by an unorganized lab in another city, I didn't have high expectations when I picked this lab for a retest. What a surprise. The office was bright, clean and a well-organized machine! They took my appointment right on time and even with paperwork processing, I was in and out in five minutes. Rima was god-like in her surgical ability to find a vein and draw blood effortlessly and painlessly! Hoping I don't need blood work for a few years but if I do, I'll be seeing the folks at Quest in San Carlos. read more

This place is horrible! I feel emotionally raped. The worst experience ever. I almost fainted, have huge bruises and pain at the 3 needle insertion points. They tried 3 times to draw the blood and could not do it. What a horror! Run out of there if you can, like i did. Wasted my time too, still have to get it done some place else :(. I do not looking forward to it :(. read more

When I walked in at 7am there was no one at the reception area. When I was greeted by the technician he asked me if I was here for a drug test? The place looks dirty. My blood draw went fine. It was quick and easy. read more

I'm definitely a fan of this place. Had to come to get a fasting blood test and was feeling a bit "off" since I hadn't eaten or had caffeine all day/previous night. The front desk worker was very courteous and professional as she signed me in. My appointment was at 2pm and I was taken back promptly at that time. The woman that drew my blood was amazing. Super fast and didn't have to poke around to find a vein. No pain, just a pinch. I have no bruising like my pale skin usually gets. I was so happy it was quick and painless since I'm normally apt to feel faint after. Clean place too, looks recently remodeled. I'd return here for sure! One less star since there was a huge crushed spider on the wall in the room I was in. When you're looking everywhere else around the room to avoid seeing the blood drawing process, my eyes constantly fell upon that nasty crushed spider. Made me uneasy, haha...sad but true. read more

TLDR: if you can, go to the PAMF lab instead for bloodwork. QUEST failed on all fronts. I'll give you a little comparison. Booked a blood draw for my daughter for allergy testing. Booking appointment: all automated -- nobody answers the phone. No confirmation after the booking. Just show up and hope for the best. Wait time: Long. Even though I had an appointment, wait time was at least 30 minutes. Self check-in. Nobody at front desk, no communication. Experience: Tech couldn't find the test panel indicated on the doctor's paperwork so entered each element individually. After I got the test results back, I found they entered one item wrong. Blood draw was very painful (I thought maybe it was kid drama, but later realized it was not). Results: Results were not forwarded to the MD as promised. I did some running around to figure out what was going on, and finally get a readout from the doc 2+ weeks later. Found that they entered the order wrong. We now need another blood draw to get the right data. Now, compare the followup experience at PAMF -- I had to get my now super-bummed-out kid another blood draw because QUEST screwed up. Booking appointment/Wait time: Walk-ins only, but only a 10 minute wait! Front desk staff super helpful and informative. Experience: Super kind staff. Daughter says, "Wow! That didn't hurt at all compared to my other blood test!" Results: Less than 12 hours later, the test results were available in the online portal. Big difference. For the record, we used QUEST about 5 years ago, and they were great. I'm not sure what has happened since, but it's not good. read more

So you are worried about getting your blood test because you hate being poked? well no need to worry, just go to Quest and ask for RIMA. She is the best Phlebotomist on the face of this earth. No one draws blood better than her not even trained hospital staff, in fact they butchered my arms recently and could not find my veins. I was screaming to get RIMA and they asked me who is RIMA? huh only if they knew, she would put them out of work! Not to forget that you will get your work done fast and no problem for parking. Also for the fasting ones, you have some great little cafes nearby in San Carlos to get your sugar rush after the test. Don't even think about another place. This is the place to get it done! I've been going there for more than 7 years. read more

After reading the reviews I was nervous about how much time this would take to get my blood work done. I made an online appointment and waited about 15 minutes. Rima , my phlebotomist was really nice and hit the mark on the first try. Thanks Rima! read more

5 stars to staff member Emily Medina who greeted us and kindly accommodated us despite the fact that they were closing in 20 mins. I told her how important that we get the test done and she went above and beyond to try and get it done. Things went downhill as soon as she called her colleague whose name I didn't get. Clearly not happy that she was made to work when they're about to close, she proceeded to draw blood from my 6yr old . I stepped back to let her and Emily do what they needed to do as I didn't want to crowd them and I was trying to keep my distance. A few seconds later she angrily tosses a vial on a table and glares at me and rudely tells me "of course not!" After I asked if the test was done. She then blames my son for twitching as she was doing the draw. I saw blood all over the arm rest of their chair and my son crying and upset. Emily and I suggested we try again and every suggestion Emily made, this lazy staff member shot down. How someone who works at a lab did not know better than to restrain my son is beyond me. She was rude, unprofessional and completely incompetent. When I asked that we try again, she then went on and on about how if she doesn't feel safe then they don't have to do the test. How a 400 pound grown woman feels unsafe around a 42 pound child is beyond me. When I ignored her BS and insisted we try again, she then said it's more for my son's safety because he is not able to sit still and would most likely hurt himself. I've never seen a child willingly submit to a blood draw. Almost always they have to be held. It was very clear she didn't want to do her job and just wanted to get rid of us. Worst part, I was charged $600 for a test that was not completed and I'm now having to chase the company for a refund, calling and being put on hold for more than half an hour without being able to talk to someone. Avoid this place at all cost! read more

The staff is friendly, the service is good, but the location is not great. Waiting room feels old and cramped. There's hardly any room in the parking lot, and the streets are full thanks to being in downtown. read more

Staff in this place is very rude. As a first time patient not a native English speaker, I came in with couple of questions, but the lady in front desk shows super impatience. Be careful before you visit if you don't speak English as well and fast as her. read more

I was sick over the weekend and my coordinator said it was a must that I got my labs by Monday ( was suppose to get them on Saturday), anyway I really didn't want to drive an hr into traffic and another 40 mins from San Mateo to Stanford (Palo Alto) so I located a lab near me asap. Made an appointment using their iPhone app that I thought was pretty cool. TURNS OUT, you really don't need an appointment. There is barely ever a line. You're usually in and out by 10mins. 15max. Parking is great! Street parking along with a parking lot. I still use the app as a locator in case I'm out of the area. Rima is so nice, I was somewhat in a rush and late for work so I was a bit rude when I told her I needed to leave. I wasn't literally rude or meant to be, I left while she was working on figuring out what my doctors wanted, and I felt completely awful. My doctors have a tendency to add stuff onto my lab slip that makes no sense to most phlebotomists(even to those who work in the hospital of standford haha.. (I think I may have butchered the spelling of phlebotomists.. oh well I meant the person who draws your blood.) Anyway, I half expected Rima to be cranky or irritated with me when I walked back into the office the next day to finish up my labs, but she absolutely wasn't. She was still her friendly self and helped me draw my labs and got me out within 10 mins! I'm so glad I found this place! read more

Fast and professional service from the team at Quest Diagnostics. I had made an appointment at 1 pm and was seen right on time. Karla was very thorough and knowledgeable as she talked me through the steps for completing a drug screening. It was a great experience! read more

Oh My God! The most painful blood draw of my life by a very strange man who gave no instructions and then blamed me for slightly moving my arm from the most awkward position he placed it in with no instruction or explanation. I've never had a problem with a blood draw before in my life. He made nonsensical inconsistent statements about putting ice on my arm afterwards, which was quite strange as well. The woman from the front desk who came up to discuss the issue of my last test results not having been forwarded to my doctor informed me angrily that my doctor is in Arizona, getting further escalated when I explained that Arizona was the Lab's national office address and that my doctor is actually local.. read more

I am in the office right now and will probably still be here tomorrow, because the placer is packed, people are standing, and only one person draws blood. Service is really bad, and the staff don't know how to handle insurance paperwork. I am not happy right now. I will go somewhere else next time. I have things to do and should not waste the entire day in a waiting room. read more

Quest Diagnostics - Laboratory Testing Near Me - San Carlos, California

Impossible to get someone on the phone to answer basic questions. Go to Palo Alto Medical Foundation and leave this place behind. read more

Tech was a old man on a power trip and couldn't communicate if it was written for him.

Unique location (inside a Safeway!) but excellent and efficient staff who handled a steady stream of Saturday morning visitors with aplomb. Small but quiet, comfortable and discreet waiting room. (Can't think of a better place to give blood and urine on a Saturday morning:-) read more

Had THE most painless blood draw I've ever experienced. Granted I don't draw blood often, but I've never had an experience where I felt nothing. Sweet lady with glasses, don't know her name. read more

I have been to Quest before with no appointment so thought to make an appointment at 8am to save time. Well, it doesn't matter if you have an appointment, you will always wait 20-30 minutes. I give the lady my ID to confirm all of my information. She kept asking my name, address, etc. I said, you are making me late, all of that is on my drivers license, I just gave it to you. All I want to do is save time. it does not matter to a robot. They say they must ask all the questions. Then she draws blood and asks me if the labels on the vials are with my name. My god, is there no common sense at this place? She had my ID, she has my requisition form, she has already verified my information. An exercise in futility. Are all labs so poorly managed? read more

I have to say I went in today for blood work and likes the way I was checked in and the way Jessica helped me. I was kinda scared because she hesitated to find my vanes but when she found it it tuck her one prick and got all 8-10 tubes of blood. She is a sweet person and caring for the patients. (Like me) read more

Very efficient check in process using an iPad. Jessica drew my blood samples painlessly, efficiently, in a very friendly and comforting manner. They open at 7am for early birds for me. Highly recommend. read more

Awful. Sent to this corporation for a series of blood tests. Only option in the drop menu was "routine blood test". Nowhere on site is this test specified as to what they will test. It's easier to get data on my tires on the Tirerack than to find out what the test they performed tests for! read more

Be prepared to wait. Lines are huge. Expect to wait 30 mins or more. If you do try to schedule an appointment then good luck with their automated phone system, especially if you are foreign and have an accent. You will need to keep repeating forever until the machine decides it is time to switch on to the dial option (it tries to understand what you are saying but the accent recognition is pretty poor- don't understand why they don't give a dial option right in the begging along with the voice recognition). Once in the lab, the front desk ladies will treat you as if they are doing you a favor. I guess they forget we are paying for it. I don't recommend it. There are other places nearby San Carlos which will value your business better than here. read more

I had an appointment at 1pm and it took me almost an hour just to finish my drug screen. OMG!

Went here on a very busy Friday morning for my Gestational Diabetes test at 25 weeks. I have an appointment at 9:15am. Even though they were really busy, I was seen exactly at my appointment time. They are well organized. The phlebotomist - Alex, who took my blood, was fast and professional he made me feel comfortable. The procedure was quick and almost painless. read more