What is the fastest way to talk to an EDD representative - tried everything manual

200+ attempts in one week? That's insane. How are you even keeping track of that many calls?

I started keeping a tally sheet after day 3. Tuesday alone I called 67 times between 8am and 4pm.

Automated services? What do you mean exactly?

There's a service called Claimyr that dials EDD automatically, waits on hold, and then calls you back when an agent picks up. Got me through in 25 minutes versus the weeks I spent manually calling.

Is that legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly.

I tried Wednesday at 2pm last week and still couldn't get through after 40 attempts. Maybe I just had bad luck?

It's hit or miss even on the best days. The system is just overwhelmed beyond repair right now.

Wait, the ENTIRE call center takes lunch at the same time? How is that even allowed?

Yep, it's like a ghost town during lunch. They should post this information but they don't.

This explains why I never got through when calling during my own lunch break!

18 minutes?! How does that even work? Do they have some special connection?

They use software to dial automatically and detect when an agent picks up. Then they conference you in. Check out claimyr.com if you want to see how it works.

Just used this yesterday after seeing your comment. Got connected in 32 minutes and finally got my claim sorted. Best $20 I ever spent.

Good to know. I wasted all of last Monday morning trying. What about Friday afternoons?

Friday after 3pm is pointless too. They seem to stop taking new calls even though they're supposedly open until 5pm.

I've been waiting for each prompt to finish. Will definitely try this, thanks!

Yeah, the system accepts the inputs immediately. No need to wait for the slow voice prompts.

This trick alone probably saved me 2-3 hours over the course of a week of calling.

Really? I heard the 833 number was for specialists or something.

That's an old rumor from the pandemic. There's no specialist line anymore - they're identical.

That's devastating. Is there any way to prevent the drops?

Not really, it's a known issue with their phone system. They lose calls constantly.

This is exactly why I switched to using Claimyr. Can't deal with 2-hour holds that end in nothing.

156 attempts?! How do you have time for anything else?

I don't. This has become my full-time job. Considering the automated option at this point.

Does that actually work or do they just reject early calls?

Hit or miss, but I've gotten through twice using this method. Worth trying if you're desperate.

Tried this yesterday and got the 'we're closed' message until exactly 8:00am.

This is the third person in this thread who mentioned Claimyr worked. Maybe I should just bite the bullet.

Honestly, calculate what your time is worth. I wasted 80+ hours calling manually. The $20 fee was nothing compared to that.

There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that shows exactly how it works if you want to check it out first.

45 attempts just to get on hold? And then you still have to wait 2+ hours?

Exactly. And then pray the call doesn't drop. It's honestly not sustainable.

Which service did you use? The Claimyr one people keep mentioning?

Yes, Claimyr. Worked exactly as advertised. Wish I had known about it sooner.

Same experience here. 28 minutes to get connected after weeks of failed manual attempts.

That's good to know. I've been trying right up until 5pm thinking I had the full day.

Save yourself the time. After 4pm you're just burning phone battery for nothing.

You're making the smart choice @Ian Armstrong. I was in the exact same position as you and @Zachary Hughes - completely burned out from weeks of failed manual attempts. Used Claimyr two days ago and got connected in 22 minutes. The relief of actually talking to a human after all that frustration was incredible. Don t'feel bad about paying the fee - your time and mental health are worth way more than $20. Good luck getting your claim sorted out!

@Christian Bierman thanks for tagging me! This whole thread has been eye-opening. I ve'been banging my head against the wall for 2 weeks straight with manual calling and getting nowhere. Seeing so many people get through in under 30 minutes with Claimyr while I m'still making 50+ failed attempts per day is pretty telling. I think it s'time to admit defeat on the manual approach. Going to give the automated service a shot today too. Appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - saved me from wasting even more weeks!