Need to speak to a representative at EDD - tried everything, nothing works
I've been trying for 2 weeks to speak to a representative at EDD about my claim issue. I've called the 800-300-5616 number probably 200+ times. I know the menu pattern (1-wait-1-1-***) but I either get the 'too busy' message or sit on hold for 2+ hours just to have the call drop. I'm starting to panic because my benefits got stopped and I need to speak to someone ASAP. Has anyone actually gotten through recently? What am I doing wrong?
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Maxwell St. Laurent
Same boat here. Been calling daily for 3 weeks trying to speak to a representative. The hold times are insane and then they just disconnect you. I've wasted entire days on this.
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Talia Klein
•It's so frustrating! I can't keep taking time off work just to sit on hold and get nowhere.
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PaulineW
•The worst part is you never know if you'll actually speak to someone or just waste your whole day
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Annabel Kimball
Don't call between 12pm and 1:30pm - the entire call center takes lunch and nobody answers. Also avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.
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Talia Klein
•Wait seriously? They ALL take lunch at the same time? No wonder I never get through during lunch!
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Chris Elmeda
•Yeah it's not posted anywhere but it's definitely true. I learned this the hard way after weeks of failed attempts.
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Jean Claude
I was in the same situation last month - couldn't speak to a representative no matter what I tried. Finally used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in 15 minutes. Worth every penny when you're desperate.
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Talia Klein
•What's Claimyr? Is that some kind of service that helps you reach EDD?
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Jean Claude
•Yeah it's at claimyr.com - they dial for you automatically and call you back when they get a representative on the line. Saved me from going insane.
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Charity Cohan
•I was skeptical about paying for something like that but honestly after 50+ failed attempts to speak to someone myself, it was the best money I spent
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Josef Tearle
The key is calling right at 8am when they open. I set my alarm for 7:45, have coffee ready, and start dialing at 7:58am. Got through twice this way but still took 40+ attempts each time to speak to a representative.
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Talia Klein
•I've tried early morning calling but my work schedule makes it really hard to dedicate that much time
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Josef Tearle
•Yeah it's basically a part-time job just trying to reach them. That's why some people use calling services now.
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Shelby Bauman
Pro tip: press the menu numbers before the prompts finish. You can save 30 seconds per call which adds up when you're making 100+ attempts to speak to a representative.
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Talia Klein
•I'll try that! Every second counts when you're redialing constantly
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Quinn Herbert
•This actually works. I press 1 as soon as I hear the first word of the English prompt
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Shelby Bauman
•Exactly! Most people wait for the full prompt but you can interrupt it and save time
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Salim Nasir
Wednesday afternoons around 2pm seem to be the sweet spot. I've had better luck getting through to speak to a representative during that window.
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Talia Klein
•I'll try Wednesday afternoon next. At this point I'm willing to try any time that might work better
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Hazel Garcia
•Tuesdays and Wednesdays are definitely better than Mondays or Fridays in my experience
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Laila Fury
I got through last week after 85 attempts but then the call dropped after 1 hour 45 minutes on hold. I wanted to throw my phone. Never did speak to a representative that day.
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Talia Klein
•Oh no! That's my worst nightmare. All that time wasted and still no help
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Geoff Richards
•The call dropping is so common. EDD's phone system drops like 40% of calls even after you get on hold
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Laila Fury
•That's when I decided to try Claimyr. Got tired of the Russian roulette with their phone system
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Simon White
FYI the 833 number and 800 number are the exact same line despite what people say. Don't waste time switching between them thinking one is better for reaching a representative.
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Talia Klein
•Good to know! I was planning to try the 833 number thinking it might be less busy
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Hugo Kass
•Yeah this is accurate. I tested both numbers and they connect to the same queue
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Nasira Ibanez
After a month of failed attempts to speak to a representative, I broke down and used Claimyr. Got connected in 22 minutes and resolved my issue the same day. Sometimes you just have to accept that manual calling isn't realistic anymore.
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Talia Klein
•How much does Claimyr cost? I'm getting desperate enough to consider paying for help
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Nasira Ibanez
•It varies but honestly compared to the hours I was wasting calling myself, it paid for itself. Check out claimyr.com for current pricing
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Khalil Urso
•I used them too after reading about it here. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that shows how it works
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Myles Regis
Don't call after 4pm on any day. They stop taking new calls even though they're supposedly open until 5pm. Learned this after weeks of failed evening attempts to speak to a representative.
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Talia Klein
•That explains why I never get through when I try calling after work! Thanks for the heads up
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Brian Downey
•Yeah they wind down operations early even though the official hours say 5pm
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Jacinda Yu
I've been tracking my attempts in a spreadsheet. 147 calls over 12 days, got on hold 4 times, spoke to a representative zero times. The system is completely broken.
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Talia Klein
•Wow you're keeping detailed records! That really shows how impossible it is to get through
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Landon Flounder
•Those stats are depressing but accurate. That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist now
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Jacinda Yu
•Yeah I finally gave up on manual calling and used an auto-dialer service. Got through the same day
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Callum Savage
Make sure you're calling M-F 8am-5pm PT only. EDD doesn't answer on weekends obviously but some people don't realize the Pacific time zone difference affects when you can speak to a representative.
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Talia Klein
•Good point about time zones! I'm on East Coast so I need to adjust my calling times
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Ally Tailer
•Yeah if you're calling too early for their time zone you're just wasting attempts
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Aliyah Debovski
Update: Finally spoke to a representative today using Claimyr after weeks of failed manual attempts. Got my issue resolved and benefits restarted. Honestly should have done this weeks ago instead of torturing myself with endless redialing.
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Talia Klein
•That's exactly what I needed to hear! I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow. This is taking over my life
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Miranda Singer
•Same experience here. Claimyr connected me to a representative in under 30 minutes after I'd been trying manually for 3 weeks
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Aliyah Debovski
•The peace of mind alone is worth it. No more sitting by the phone all day hoping to speak to someone
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Aisha Hussain
I feel your pain! I've been in the exact same situation - spent countless hours calling EDD trying to speak to a representative with zero success. The system is absolutely broken. After reading through all these comments, I'm convinced that using a service like Claimyr is the only realistic way to actually get through anymore. The fact that so many people are having success with it while manual calling fails repeatedly says everything. At some point you have to stop banging your head against the wall and try a different approach. Hope you get your benefits sorted out soon!
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