EDD phone number Orange County - same number or different office?

That explains why I couldn't find a specific Orange County number online. Thanks for clarifying!

Yep, they consolidated everything during the pandemic. Used to be able to visit local offices but now it's all phone-based.

Huntington Beach here - finally got through last Tuesday after 2.5 weeks of trying. Called at 2:15pm on a Wednesday, took 43 redials to get on hold.

Wednesday afternoons seem to be the magic time everyone mentions. Going to camp out on my phone tomorrow.

Don't waste your time on manual calling anymore. I used Claimyr after burning through 200+ attempts myself. Got a callback in 22 minutes with an actual agent on the line.

Exactly right. I thought maybe the Santa Ana office had a direct line but nope, everything funnels through that central number.

The overpayment department is even harder to reach. Regular claims are tough enough but overpayments require getting transferred after you finally reach someone.

Wait, they ALL take lunch at the same time? That's insane for a government service.

Yep, complete dead zone from noon to 1:30. Found that out after wasting dozens of attempts during lunch hours.

The 833 number trick doesn't work anymore either. People think it's a secret back door but it's literally the same line.

The call dropping is the worst part. EDD's phone system drops 30-50% of calls even after you get on hold. It's a known issue they refuse to fix.

Two hours of my life I'll never get back, twice in one day. How is this acceptable for a government agency?

I felt the same way until I stopped torturing myself and used a calling service. Claimyr handled all the redialing and hold time for me - got connected in under 30 minutes.

All EDD offices stopped walk-in service during COVID and never brought it back. Everything is phone-only now unfortunately.

I tried the Newport Beach office last month - doors locked, signs saying call only. Save yourself the gas money.

That's disappointing but thanks for saving me the trip. Back to phone hell I guess.

Early morning is definitely better but still took me 89 attempts at 8:05am last Friday. The volume is just insane no matter when you call.

I've tried the early morning approach for two weeks straight. My phone bill is going to be ridiculous from all these redials.

Use wifi calling if you're worried about minutes. Most carriers don't count wifi calls against your plan.

Is Claimyr legit? I'm skeptical about paying for something when calling should be free.

Totally legit - they have thousands of reviews on Google. Think about it: your time is worth way more than $20. I was spending 6+ hours a day calling manually.

I used them too after seeing their video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 - they literally call for you and transfer the agent when they pick up.

This actually works! I was waiting for each prompt to finish like an idiot. Cutting the wait time helps when you're redialing constantly.

The real pros skip even the initial wait and just rapid-fire the whole sequence. Takes practice but you can get through the menu in under 15 seconds.

Exactly - treat it like speed dialing. The system recognizes the inputs even if the voice prompts are still playing.

Thank you for saying this! I wasted so much time looking for these mythical direct numbers that don't exist anymore.

The misinformation online is terrible. Half the 'tips' are outdated from 2020-2021 when the system was different.

Exactly. People are still sharing old tricks that stopped working years ago. Stick to current methods or use automated services.

Those statistics are depressing but probably accurate. The system is completely overwhelmed and hasn't improved since the pandemic.

Your dedication is impressive but that's exactly why I switched to claimyr.com after my first week of failed attempts. Life's too short.

I'm definitely considering it after seeing these numbers. My obsessive calling is clearly not sustainable.

Wednesday around 2-3pm has been my sweet spot. Still takes forever but slightly better than other times.

Avoid calling after 4pm any day too. They seem to stop taking new calls even though they're supposedly open until 5pm.

Good point about the 4pm cutoff. I noticed that pattern too - like they're winding down for the day.