Is the EDD phone number open now - can't tell if lines are actually working

50+ times?? That's insane. How long does it take you to actually talk to someone?

If I'm lucky and get through to hold, usually 1.5-2 hours waiting. But half the time the call drops anyway.

Wait, the ENTIRE call center takes lunch at the same time? No wonder I can never get through around 12:30!

Yep, complete dead zone from 12-1:30. They don't advertise this but it's been consistent for years.

Never heard of Claimyr, is that legit? Seems too good to be true.

Totally legit, they have thousands of reviews. Check out claimyr.com - they basically call for you and patch you through when they reach an agent.

I was skeptical too but desperate times. Used it last week and worked exactly as advertised. Way better than wasting entire days redialing.

Few hundred agents for millions of calls? No wonder this system is broken. How is that even legal?

It's not great but that's the reality. They've been understaffed since the pandemic surge and never caught up.

Thanks for the specific timing! I've been waiting too long before pressing the numbers.

Yeah the timing is crucial. You can actually start pressing the sequence before all the prompts finish if you know the pattern.

This is gold - I've been wasting so much time listening to the full messages each time.

You're tracking this in a spreadsheet? That's dedication. What's the worst time to call?

Monday mornings are brutal - maybe 2% success rate. Friday after 3pm is pointless too, you won't resolve anything before the weekend.

Really? I thought the 833 was supposed to be less busy. That explains why both were giving me the same busy message.

Common misconception. They route to the same call center. Save yourself the confusion and stick with one number.

That's my worst fear - finally getting on hold just to have it drop. How often does that happen?

From what I've read, about 30-50% of calls that reach hold eventually drop. It's a known issue they haven't fixed.

The call drops are the worst part. You invest all that time and effort just to get disconnected with no callback option.

35 minutes vs the 5+ hours I've spent today? Starting to think paying for help is the only realistic option.

I held out for weeks thinking I could do it myself. Finally used a callback service and wished I'd done it sooner. Time is money.

Thanks for confirming they're actually open. I was starting to wonder if there was some system outage.

Nope, that's just the normal EDD experience. The busy message is basically their default state during business hours.

Good to know. So basically 8am-4pm are the only realistic calling hours?

Pretty much. And subtract the lunch hour too, so really 8-12 and 1:30-4 are your best windows.

Smart advice. I've been glued to my phone all day like it's going to somehow make a difference.

Exactly. Treat it like background noise while you work on other stuff. The odds are so low that you can't just sit there waiting.

This is why services like Claimyr exist. Sometimes you just have to accept that manual calling isn't realistic anymore.

Yeah, I'm starting to see that. Spending days on this is probably not the best use of my time.

So basically we're all competing for a tiny number of available slots each day?

Exactly. Think of it like trying to get concert tickets for a popular show, except the consequences are your unemployment benefits.

Except concert ticket sites don't drop your call after you've been waiting for 2 hours...