Astoria Lab Charged $500 For Tardy COVID Test Results, AG Say

ASTORIA, QUEENS — An Astoria lab has been charging customers hundreds of dollars for quick COVID-19 test results they did not deliver on time, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday.

ClearMD Health — a private laboratory with locations in Manhattan and Queens — demanded nearly $500 for two-hour test results that failed to show up in the promised time slot, according to the Attorney General's office.

"Numerous consumers have now passed the timeframe in which they were promised test results," a news release from James' office says. "Even those who paid for expedited testing."

Some New Yorkers have paid up to $498 for a promised two-hour test turnaround, according to the press release.

ClearMD — which has seven New York City locations including an Astoria site at 31-78 Steinway St. — advertised "the fastest turnaround time in New York," promising PCR results in 12-24 hours, James' office said.

James warned ClearMD Health in a letter sent Tuesday that New York law prohibits false advertising and requesting the company contacts all customers who are waiting for test results to give a timeline for receiving results.

The Attorney General's office also demanded the company refund customers who paid for, but did not receive, faster test results.

Testing sites run by LabQ, Labworq, and Sameday Health received similar missives last week, the news release said.

"We appreciate that there is undoubtedly an increase in demand for COVID-19 testing due to the holidays and Omicron variant," the letter states.

"However, it remains important, especially during the holidays, to advertise and otherwise convey accurate information to consumers about when they can receive their test results so that they can plan accordingly."