Quest Diagnostics — Local services in New York

Normally I don't write reviews because I trust that even when I have a bad experience, it may be a one-off moment and not a fair reflection of the business. However, my experience today was awful and the only reason I'm giving two stars is to give credit for the fact that ultimately my blood did get drawn. Otherwise I would give one - or zero, if I could.

From the moment I walked in, I did everything the staff asked: I arrived on time and patiently sat in the waiting room 20+ minutes past my appointment time, checked in at the kiosk when directed, went to the exam room when called. Once inside, I handed the phlebotomist a print-out of my doctor's order, reviewed my contact information with her, and handed her my insurance card. At the end of this, she handed me a random sheet of labels without explaining why she was giving them to me and though I noticed that the name didn't match mine, I thought perhaps it was the lab technician who would run my tests. She then ran my credit card and only when she asked for the labels back did she verbally ask me to confirm my name...the wrong name, as it turned out. Startled, I gave her my actual name and it quickly became apparent that she had been updating the record of a different patient who had been in the waiting room with me.

Now listen, mistakes happen and had she simply said, "Oh, I opened the wrong record," I would’ve said no problem and readily given her my information a second time. In fact, I probably would've apologized because that's just what I tend to do when mistakes happen, even if they're not mine. But instead of acknowledging her error, OR that her coworker had called the wrong patient, OR that she had failed to catch her mistake even after literally handling three separate items with my full name on them (my lab order, my insurance card, and my credit card), she told me it was my fault.

I respectfully but firmly reminded her she hadn’t actually asked for my name until the very end, so she then reprimanded me for not correcting her when she handed me the labels (again, she had given me zero explanation about what the labels were or why she was giving them to me). A few moments later, she snapped at me for trying to sign my name too soon when she placed an e-signature device in front of me (…because apparently I should’ve magically known that she was only putting it there preemptively?), adding a personal jab that this was emblematic of how I “wanted to do everything too fast” (…even though I hadn’t complained that we had to redo the intake and I hadn't rushed the staff when my appointment was running late).

She continued to condescend and criticize me with little comments, and eventually I teared up because, well, it’s not like I was getting blood drawn because I was feeling great to begin with. If she noticed I'd started crying, she certainly didn’t acknowledge it. She did ultimately draw my blood (though not exactly gently) but I left as soon as she stuck the band-aid on and was so shaken that I cried all the way to the subway. Because guess what? It turns out it's nerve racking when you're already feeling unwell and anxious about your health to then be blamed for something not your fault by an irritated provider who’s about to stab you with a needle.

Needless to say, I will NEVER return to this location. Personally, I recommend the Quest on W 125th where at the height of NYC’s Covid crisis I was treated by a wonderfully compassionate phlebotomist who seemed genuinely surprised when I paused at the end to thank her for all the hard work she and other frontline workers were doing. “Of course we’re doing it!” she’d said, as if she didn’t need thanking. I beg to differ; she proves why those workers deserve to be thanked and thanked profusely. She also proves that there is zero excuse for the behavior I experienced from the phlebotomist today. By the way, I work in a health department supporting an incredibly vulnerable population, so it's not like these workplace demands and stressors are...

I am writing to formally express my concerns regarding the behavior of a female technician I encountered during my visit to Quest Diagnostics on [date] at 331 W 57st NYC My experience was deeply unsettling and far from the professionalism and courtesy I have come to expect after 20 years of receiving services from Quest Diagnostics.

During my visit, the technician exhibited behavior that was extremely inappropriate, including speaking at an excessively loud volume, to the point where her voice could be heard throughout the store. Despite a coworker asking her multiple times to lower her voice, she continued to shout. At one point, she leaned in close—less than three feet away—and aggressively raised her voice at me. Her instructions were inconsistent with the procedures I have followed in the past, and when I attempted to follow them, she reprimanded me harshly and insisted I was doing things incorrectly.

In the middle of checking me in, she told me not to come back, despite my having been a loyal Quest Diagnostics customer for two decades. I have never had an issue with any other technician, and in the past, I have had extremely positive interactions with the staff—so much so that I once gave Christmas gifts to the team to express my appreciation. The contrast in treatment from this technician was shocking.

One particularly troubling moment occurred when she required me to place a urine sample on her desk—an instruction that was entirely inconsistent with past procedures. No one in the lab had ever given me such an instruction before, which made me feel deliberately targeted and uncomfortable.

In an effort to de-escalate the situation, I even apologized—despite not having done anything wrong—hoping it would calm her down. Unfortunately, even after I attempted to smooth things over, she continued to raise her voice, repeatedly telling me she had "had it with me" and ordering me to leave. I simply wanted to finish my visit and get out of there as quickly as possible.

Upon leaving the store, I reviewed Quest Diagnostics feedback on the App Store and found that similar complaints about this technician’s behavior have been made by other customers. Her unprofessionalism and hostility create an environment where patients may feel unsafe, unwelcome, and unwilling to return for future services. I left the store feeling physically shaken, with my heart pounding—a particularly concerning response given my heart condition.

I urge Quest Diagnostics to take immediate action to address this matter and ensure that all staff members uphold the highest standards of professionalism, courtesy, and respect for patients. The behavior I experienced today reflects poorly on your company and should not be tolerated in a...

Been here twice and both times were a bad experience.

I was here in September and as my blood was getting drawn there was a roach crawling across the floor.

I just went there this morning and the two phlebotomist women working there were soooooo unprofessional. They couldn't make it any more obvious that they were bothered that they had to show up to work that day.

I got there a couple minutes after they opened and I guess there was already a disagreement between the girl who opened and two of the customers. No clue who started it but the phlebotomist did nothing to diffuse the situation. Instead, she was more concerned about one-upping the other person with snarky comebacks.

One of the elderly patients was struggling to sign in on the kiosk and was yelling over the partition that she could not figure it out. She was completely ignored and another customer in the waiting area had to help her check in. The second worker came in about 10 minutes after they opened (I'm guessing late for work) and the the first worker stopped what she was doing to walk over to her cubicle and talk about how the day was already off to a bad start and complaining about the two customers she had a disagreement with....mind you...every one of us could hear her complaining since there were only dividers separating us from them and not actual walls. Glad she got that off her chest though and could finally get around to calling back the first patient.

I was the third customer and by the time I was called back (20 min after they opened with 2 phlebotomists drawing blood) there were already three more guests waiting. I go back to the bathroom to give my urine sample and the entire time I was in the bathroom and even after I left the facility the two phlebotomists were in the back next to the restroom talking about their night out the night before while people were out in the waiting room most likely fasting and waiting to get their labs drawn before work. It wasn't even like a passing conversation. They were standing in the back leaning against the wall chatting as if there was no one waiting.

Even though this place is on my way to work, I will make every effort to use a different location. If it weren't for my insurance, I would quit using Quest...