EDD phone number customer service - which number actually works anymore?

Wait, they're the SAME line? That explains why I get busy signals on both! Why do they have two different numbers then?

Yeah it's confusing. They added the 833 number during the pandemic for capacity but it's just another route to the same agents.

73 times in one day? That's brutal. Have you tried calling right at 8am when they open? Sometimes you can slip through before the flood of calls.

Yes! I set my alarm for 7:45am and start dialing at 7:58am. Still can't get through most days.

Is that legit? I'm desperate enough to pay at this point but don't want to get scammed.

Totally legit. They have thousands of reviews on Google and there's even news coverage. They just automate the dialing and forward you the call when an agent picks up.

I was skeptical too but used them 3 weeks ago. Got connected to EDD in 35 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon. Best money I've spent in months.

Seriously? They all take lunch at the same time? That's insane for a government service.

Yep, complete dead zone. Also avoid calling after 4pm - they seem to stop taking new calls even though they're officially open until 5pm.

Thank you! I've been waiting for every single prompt to finish. No wonder each attempt takes forever.

The waiting period is exactly 1 minute 10 seconds, not 70. I've timed it dozens of times.

You're right, it's 1:10. I was estimating. Either way, press those menu options as early as possible.

Wednesday afternoons seem to be the sweet spot. Monday mornings are impossible and Friday afternoons are pointless.

Did your call drop at all during the hold? I've gotten disconnected 3 times after waiting over an hour.

Luckily no, but I've heard that happens to about 30-40% of calls. I was terrified the whole time it would disconnect.

Thank you for clarifying this. I wasted 2 days trying to find a 'secret' number that doesn't exist.

What about the disability line? I heard you can sometimes get transferred from there.

That's a separate department with different agents. They won't transfer you for regular unemployment issues.

You're more dedicated than me. I gave up after day 3 and used an auto-dialer service.

Which service did you use? I'm about to hit my breaking point with manual dialing.

Claimyr. Worked great - got a callback in 25 minutes and talked to an EDD agent. Way better than this manual calling nightmare.

Use Google Voice or Skype - they're way cheaper for long calling sessions like this.

Or just pay the $20 for an auto-dialer and avoid the phone bill entirely. Claimyr saved me hundreds in overage charges.

How early is too early? I tried calling at 7:45am and just got a closed message.

Don't call before 7:55am - their system isn't active yet. The sweet spot is 7:55-8:05am before everyone else starts calling.

I tried this and still couldn't get through. Maybe I need to be even more precise with timing.

Thanks for the video link. I'm still on the fence about paying but might try it if I can't get through by Friday.

Don't wait too long. I should have used it weeks ago instead of wasting all that time manually dialing.

Good point about the 4:30pm cutoff. I've noticed that too - after 4pm you just get busy signals.

What about holidays? Are they closed on federal holidays or just state holidays?

They follow California state holiday schedule, so they're closed on some days that federal employees still work.

This happened to me yesterday. 1 hour 52 minutes on hold, then suddenly silence. I wanted to throw my phone.

That's why I switched to using Claimyr. They handle the hold time and call drops, then just forward you a fresh call when an agent is ready.

Tuesday mornings aren't bad either, but you're right about Monday mornings being impossible.

I keep a log of my attempts and Wednesday at 2:30pm has been my most successful time slot.

Or just use an automated service and call anytime. I stopped worrying about optimal timing once I started using Claimyr.