EDD phone number to certify for benefits - can't get through after 6 days straight

4 hours?! I can't afford to spend that much time every day. There has to be a better way.

Unfortunately that's pretty normal. I've had days where I called 80+ times just to get the busy signal.

I actually tried that Tuesday morning - called at 7:57am and still got busy signals for 2 hours straight.

Ugh, it's getting worse. Even the early morning trick isn't working reliably anymore.

What's Claimyr? Is that some kind of calling service?

Yeah, it's at claimyr.com - they basically call for you and patch you through when they get an agent. Way better than doing it manually.

I was skeptical about paying for that but honestly after 3 weeks of failed attempts, it might be worth it.

I've been doing 1-1-*** but maybe I'm not waiting long enough before the second 1? How long do you wait after the first 1?

You have to wait for the full menu to cycle once. If you press too early it kicks you back to the beginning.

Wait, seriously? The WHOLE call center takes lunch at the same time? That's insane!

Yep, learned that the hard way after spending my lunch breaks for a week calling during that dead zone.

47 attempts in one day?! How do you even keep track? And did you have to wait on hold after getting through?

Yeah, I kept a tally on my notepad. Once I got through the menu I was on hold for about 90 minutes, but at least the call didn't drop.

This is so helpful! I was wondering why Monday was always worse than other days.

Good to know about Fridays too. I was planning to try tomorrow afternoon but maybe I'll wait until next week.

Thank you for testing that! I was wondering if switching between numbers would help but sounds like it's pointless.

I've been alternating between them thinking it might help. Guess I can stick to just one number now.

I work full-time so I can't dedicate entire days to calling. This is such a broken system.

Same here - I have to call during my breaks and lunch, which makes it almost impossible to get through.

Are you kidding me?! So even if I get past the busy signals I might waste 2 hours on hold for nothing?

Unfortunately yes. It's a known issue with their phone system that they haven't fixed.

How long did it take for them to call you back? And did you have any issues with the certification process?

About 25 minutes for the callback, and the agent handled my certification issue just like they would if I called directly. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 if you want to see how it works.

That's exactly what I'm worried about! How did you eventually get it sorted out?

I ended up using one of those calling services after that disaster. Wish I had done it sooner instead of wasting weeks.

I tried the *67 trick and didn't notice any difference. Pretty sure it's just superstition.

Yeah I heard about that too but it seems like wishful thinking. The problem is just too many people calling.

Good point. I've been glued to my phone all week like it's going to make a difference.

I set up a workspace with my laptop so I could work while redialing. Made the time slightly less miserable.

YES! The UI Benefit site has been down every time I've tried to certify online. That's why I'm stuck trying to call.

Same issue here. The site works fine until you actually need to do something important, then it's 'temporarily unavailable'.

I'll try Wednesday at 2pm tomorrow. Fingers crossed I can finally get this certification done.

Wednesday afternoons have been my sweet spot too. Still takes forever but slightly more likely to get through.

I made that mistake too! Called at 6am thinking I'd beat the rush. Felt pretty dumb when I got the closed message.

At least you didn't try calling on Saturday like I did. Sometimes desperation makes you do silly things.

I think I'm convinced. If I can't get through by tomorrow I'm going to try the Claimyr thing. Thanks everyone for all the advice!

Smart choice. I wasted 3 weeks being stubborn about paying for help. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses.

Interesting! I never heard that before. Hopefully I won't need to test it but good to know.

I'm not sure that actually works but it can't hurt to try. The whole system is so unpredictable anyway.

Definitely will! Hopefully I'll have good news to share soon. Thanks again everyone - this has been way more helpful than any EDD FAQ page.