I recently had an unusual experience with a third-party TTS draw facility here in the northeast that I wanted to share in case it helps anyone.
Thereās a location near me that always has had test kits in stock and has allowed me to get tested multiple times without an appointment, same day, and without ever having a long wait.
I went to book a test on the TTS website as I was walking out the door to drive to the facility and got an alert that the location has no test kits in stock and that Iād need to book the test for 3 or more days out to ensure enough time for a kit to arrive. I called the draw facility to ask if this was going to be the new norm and was told it was temporary, that theyāre expecting a shipment of kits the next day, but that they actually still have one in stock, which they said theyād use for the first person to show up with a valid order in the system. So I went back to the TTS website and tried to ignore the message about waiting 3 days, but it wouldnāt let me book the test for earlier than that. I then called TTS headquarters in Miami and explained the situation. I was told to book the test for 3 days out and then call them back so they could backdate it in their system. I booked the test as instructed, called TTS Miami back and within a few seconds, I had a valid test showing in the system for that day. I showed up at the draw facility a few minutes later and everything went as expected from there.
Since Iāve had issues multiple times in the past where test kits and ice werenāt available even though the TTS website said they were, and since I know of a few facilities that always show a message about not stocking test kits and telling me to book days in advance, I guess the moral of the story is that you shouldnāt always trust the TTS website. Call the facility to check availability beforehand. Sometimes a little perseverance goes a long way.
