RealTime Laboratories Reviews 188

In November of 2025 I ordered the Mycotoxin Test. I received the test in a timely manner and results were given in a reasonable time. The low rating is due to Real Time charging for the test twice. They were very difficult to get in touch with to correct the problem. Ultimately, American Express had to remove the extra charge due to the Real Time not responding to their inquiry. I need a follow-up test but, I will find a different company because I don't want to risk extra charges.

Last year I moved into a new apartment in a pretty humid area, and after a few months I started noticing I was getting frequent headaches along with random skin irritation/rashes that would come and go. Nothing extreme, but enough that it was bothering me and I couldn’t really figure out why it kept happening. I get yearly bloodwork done with my regular doctor and everything usually comes back normal... hormones and other basic labs are always in range, which made it even more confusing since I still didn’t feel great.

After doing some reading about toxins and seeing people talk about mold on social media, I decided to try the mycotoxin test kit from realtime labs. I liked that it’s an at-home test and only requires a urine sample. I’m honestly not a big fan of bloodwork and tend to faint pretty easily, so being able to do the test at home without needing a blood draw was a big plus for me! The instructions were easy to follow and the whole process felt straightforward. I mailed my sample in and got my results back in about a week.

I also appreciated being able to schedule a consultation to go over the results. I don’t know much about mycotoxins or things like binders, so having someone explain what everything meant was really helpful!! Getting my results helped me feel more informed about mold and gave me a better idea of how to manage my symptoms and manage moisture levels at my apartment.

My experience with Realtime Lab has always been great. I’m grateful that this company makes testing easily accessible. Years ago, being able to order the test directly made a huge difference for me, and I’m not sure what I would have done without that option. I appreciate having access to this kind of testing when it’s otherwise very difficult to obtain.

They have always been great to deal with. Of course, they cannot interpret results or recommend protocols ( which is normal and appropriate for a lab), and I wish more people understood that.

I can't believe these people are still in business. I also don't have enough words to explain the incompetence on every level here. I'm an international customer and it was an ordeal to simply get the kit ordered. They got my address wrong multiple times, and only shipped to the correct one after I called to make sure. None of the bored, indifferent employees taking the orders seemed to have any idea about the product, the process of ordering, or even how to enter an address correctly. The first THREE TIMES I called, they had the incorrect address in their system, despite what was in the order form/receipt. The one receptionist who got it right laughed and said, "Oh, sometimes the system just generates random addresses." Three times?! How can their system do this three times, and they don't consider it a problem? When I finally received the kit and sent it back, I anticipated the same customs clearance problem that other intl customers have had when ordering from them, so I made sure to have all my customs paperwork in order, and was in regular contact with Fedex, since Realtime wasn't doing so on my behalf. Despite this, my sample literally remained stuck in customs for 30 days. I understand that the customs delay is not directly Realtime's fault, but since they know this is an issue, why not provide actual help and guidance for your intl customers, rather than taking their money ($500) for nothing? I spoke with four different Realtime employees about the customs delay and was told something completely different each time, and none of them had knowledge of what the others were talking about. And, of course a 30-day-old urine sample that had been out in the heat (order was sent in August) was no good anymore, so I had to cancel, after the one semi-competent employee I spoke with finally admitted that the sample likely wasn't viable anymore -- but only after first trying to tell me that urine samples are good for 30 days. I've never heard of this and their site even says 7 days max for a viable urine sample. I honestly can't believe the level of incompetence, indifference and laziness in this company, especially from a lab. I don't know how these people get away with this; they must have a monopoly on the market for certain tests, leaving people no choice. Avoid at all costs, even if you're domestic. Just read the reviews here to see what you're in for.

absolute rip off, highly unprofessional time wasters.

their testing equipment was BROKEN and they tried to keep $2000 of my money saying they will test (in a month) when its fixed. keeping my samples for 4 weeks!!! absolute garbage

Unprofessional. Failed to send results. Required me to call them (after waiting more than 3 weeks) during my vacation, they then “misheard” my name and played dumb for 20 minutes presuming I was another person despite me stating I had no idea who the doctor was that she kept repeating since I was only a consumer and did not see a doctor. Finally at the end of the recorded call, the lady asked me to repeat my name. And then accused me of giving her a wrong name that I had never heard of. THEN she said my results had been sent to me. Absolutely not! Finally she sends them and they are from a random email that looks like an 8th grader signed up for on AOL.com with an attached PDF.

Do NOT use this company. Sure Dr. Horowitz recommends but he is likely getting some comp for it.

Unfortunately my experience has been bad with this company! I was deciding between Realtime labs and Mosaic Diagnostics. Unfortunately I had decided to go with the former.

I am based in the EU and made sure to read their international shipping instructions very carefully.

Ordering the kit was very straightforward and came quite quickly. You get charged additional $120 for UPS shipping, which is expected for fast shipping. Sample integrity is very important for accurate results. I have worked over 7 years in a GMP lab, have have experience with many analytical methods and sample handling.

First issue was when I opened the kit. Their online brochure gives details how to prep the sample and ship. It mentioned a freezer gel pack, which I found a great addition to keep the sample viable for longer, and is a bare minimum standard in sample shipping. When opened the kit there was no gel pack. Contacted customer care and they say "we don't do the gel pack anymore, the sample is stable for 30 days at ambient temperature". That's a major red flag. For someone who works in a lab, I have never seen any sample to ever be tested which was at ambient temperature for a month, unless it is a stability program sample or a stress sample. But I suppose they probably have a validated study for this, but I certainly have no confidence in such sample. To me that's a major sample handling red flag, not to mention that in the summer temperatures rise way above ambient. Believe me, you want your sample tested as soon as possible, within a week the latest, unless kept frozen. And 2nd issue was that their instructions were inconsistent. The brochure was outdated, according to them, yet it was still on the website. Frankly, the fact they decided to remove the gel pack is just stupid and greedy. The Urine sample should be kept cool as long as possible during shipping.

Another disappointment was the shipping priority. They choose UPS 3-5 working days. For the exact same money around $120, their competitor Mosaic Diagnostics uses UPS 1-3 working days shipping. From lab experience, samples are always shipped with very high priority and kept at specific conditions. So that's disappointing, another area where I felt they cheaped out.

Now the main issue. The package comes with clear instructions and already prepared envelope with required documents for shipment back. On day 5 I noticed that the shipment stopped moving. I even gave them tracking number and highlighted it. They kept saying their team is looking into it. They never replied or showed any effort to resolve it, unless I actioned it with them first. After 2 weeks I managed to get through to UPS and they told me it was on hold due to missing clearance paperwork and that Realtime labs were contacted on multiple occasions about it. Over 3 weeks and my sample was still sitting in a warehouse. After 4 weeks I managed to get a refund and my urine sample showed up at my front door delivered back by the UPS. Real-time labs refused any responsibility for the paperwork and said everything was in order.

I have to say my experience with this company has been terrible. But to be fair I got a refund and their customer care does respond to emails in a timely fashion.

- Their sample handling prior receiving is poor.
- They choose low tier shipping priority, even though they charge for a higher equivalent.
-Too greedy to give a lousy gel pack, which would keep the sample stable for an additional day.

I cannot speak for their analytical methods and GLP, which I believe are fine.

So if you're an international customer, just save yourself a headache 3 weeks of back and forth emails and just go with the other crowd. Needles to say I am quite upset, as I shipped my sample, prior to starting treatment, so I have basically no idea if I was positive or not prior.

This company needs to do better, much better!!!

So if you're an international customer be aware

This was my second time sending in the test.
They have my info already.
My sample got rejected bc I didn't label it.

They had my info on file for the first submission and had all my info they needed to fill out a rejection form.

Compré un test de orina para saber qué micotoxinas tenía en mi organismo a instancias de mi doctora de Madrid. Yo me resistí porque el test eran 400 euros y el transporte por UPS otros 100. La tarjeta ya me bloqueó el pago porque decía que era un sitio fraudulento, pero como me había dado referencias la doctora quité el bloqueo y realicé el pago. A la semana de comprarlo, me mandaron un correo de que tal iba el proceso y les contesté que ni me habían mandado el test. Ese día por la tarde, me llegó un email de que el test salía para Madrid. Tardó una eternidad en llegar y tuve que arreglar papeles de aduanas. Luego hice el test de orina y hasta tuve la precaución de coordinarlo todo para dejarlo una hora antes de que llegase el repartidor de UPS para que no estuviese mucho tiempo fuera del congelador. Todo eso para que después el paquete se quedase retenido en Barcelona durante días. Yo al principio pensé que era porque hacía muy mal tiempo, pero luego escribí a Realtime diciéndoles que el paquete llevaba retenido 10 días en Barcelona. Me dijeron que lo solucionaban. A los cinco días UPS me devolvió el paquete. Yo no podía hacer nada porque yo no era la que había solicitado el envío, sino ellos. Los de UPS al final de insistir mucho me dijeron que habían enviado un mensaje a Realtime para que rellenasen un papel y no lo hicieron. Les volví a escribir y me dijeron que me harían un reintegro por el importe del test. A día de hoy, sigo esperando el reintegro.
Incluyo fotos de la tarjeta bloqueada por sitio fraudulento y de que me hacían el reembolso del 12 de noviembre. Hace ya dos meses. He vuelto a solicitar el reembolso unas cuantas veces.
No caigáis en la trampa, ni aunque os asegure la doctora que es seguro.

Do not buy any product from this place. It's a scam. My doctor recommended it, but we had troubles in customs and they did not fix it. I did not understand why, now I see they did not have any interest. They told me they will refund me but they have not done it and it's been two months. Do not buy anything, they are a scam. They have not refund me the 500 dollars, which for me is a lot of money.

Compré un test de orina para saber qué micotoxinas tenía en mi organismo a instancias de mi doctora de Madrid. Yo me resistí porque el test eran 400 euros y el transporte por UPS otros 100. La tarjeta ya me bloqueó el pago porque decía que era un sitio fraudulento, pero como me había dado referencias la doctora quité el bloqueo y realicé el pago. A la semana de comprarlo, me mandaron un correo de que tal iba el proceso y les contesté que ni me habían mandado el test. Ese día por la tarde, me llegó un email de que el test salía para Madrid. Tardó una eternidad en llegar y tuve que arreglar papeles de aduanas. Luego hice el test de orina y hasta tuve la precaución de coordinarlo todo para dejarlo una hora antes de que llegase el repartidor de UPS para que no estuviese mucho tiempo fuera del congelador. Todo eso para que después el paquete se quedase retenido en Barcelona durante días. Yo al principio pensé que era porque hacía muy mal tiempo, pero luego escribí a Realtime diciéndoles que el paquete llevaba retenido 10 días en Barcelona. Me dijeron que lo solucionaban. A los cinco días UPS me devolvió el paquete. Yo no podía hacer nada porque yo no era la que había solicitado el envío, sino ellos. Los de UPS al final de insistir mucho me dijeron que habían enviado un mensaje a Realtime para que rellenasen un papel y no lo hicieron. Les volví a escribir y me dijeron que me harían un reintegro por el importe del test. A día de hoy, sigo esperando el reintegro.
Incluyo fotos de la tarjeta bloqueada por sitio fraudulento y de que me hacían el reembolso del 12 de noviembre. Hace ya dos meses. He vuelto a solicitar el reembolso unas cuantas veces.
No caigáis en la trampa, ni aunque os asegure la doctora que es seguro.

Do not buy any product from this place. It's a scam. My doctor recommended it, but we had troubles in customs and they did not fix it. I did not understand why, now I see they did not have any interest. They told me they will refund me but they have not done it and it's been two months. Do not buy anything, they are a scam. They have not refund me the 500 dollars, which for me is a lot of money.

Horrible experience. I accidentally purchased the wrong test - I needed urine - not household. On the web site it indicated a 21 day refund of 75% - ok. I made the mistake. Not gonna use it - I will use the money for the correct test - the person responding very rude - said no refunds /. I said it states on your website 21 day refund “oh we need to change that”. Now they will not even respond. Horrible company!

Lost everything due to mold- the word devastating doesn’t even begin to describe. Tried several months ago to get info on insurance with Realtime- awful experience. Finally saved enough to afford the tests out of pocket- after being homeless- infant in the hospital-been a rough 9 months…. and then to have the most horrible angry old man on the phone. Was promised my tests would ship by Friday if my order was placed before 3:30. They did not. They shipped this morning- and after reading the recent review from Sept 2023- I’m extremely skeptical this is going to end well. I’m in a lawsuit over this situation- everything I own is on the line and these people just want their money and could care less about the people needing their services. Unfortunately they are pretty much a monopoly in this business or else I would have used someone else months ago. I will provide a follow up review after I get the tests and turn them back in and get the results. Praying these people get their act together in the customer service department and the rest of my experience goes well.

Not impressed with the service. Sent a urine specimen and a check. They cashed the check and discarded the sample because they said it took too long to reach them. They sent another sample kit. I sent another sample, which they are holding because they want another check!
I ALWAYS have to initiate the emails. They never say whether they received my sample or that they are waiting for payment (which they already have). I emailed again and called twice…..no response.
The other lab my provider told me to use was in communication every step of the way!
I have lost time waiting to hear from them when they made no effort to get in touch with me. REALLY dissatisfied at this point!

Thank you for great customer service! Your staff is knowledgeable and kind. Turnaround time is prompt. I'm grateful there is a reputable lab like yours who offers these tests.

Mold is serious. These guys give you real numbers telling you your mycotoxin levels.

I am very pleased with the laboratory's work.

no one will return my call to help me interpret the results

Renu in Insurance Billing is a real problem solver.

I had a problem getting medicare to pay for a mold test and how to get the test done by my next Doctor's appointment. Renu called me back quickly and explained in detail how to accomplish these two goals. She is knowledgeable, competent and pleasant to talk to. Quess what, she returns phone calls, unheard of in 2022.

Don Bartek/New Jersey

Real Time Labs is amazing and rapidly shipped my test kit, which allowed me to get test results back in time to see my doctor