What time can I call EDD without getting busy signal every single attempt?

Wait seriously? The WHOLE call center takes lunch at the same time? That's insane, no wonder I couldn't get through yesterday afternoon!

Yeah it's ridiculous. They should post this somewhere but they don't. Complete dead zone from 12-1:30pm every single day.

This! Wednesday around 2pm is when I finally got through last month. Took 45 attempts but at least I got on hold.

45 attempts isn't even that bad honestly. I've gone over 100 attempts just to reach the hold queue before.

You guys are spending entire days on this. I found Claimyr last week and got connected to an agent in 12 minutes. Worth every penny to avoid this torture.

I tried this but my phone plan charges me for every call attempt. I'm already over my minutes this month from all the failed EDD calls.

Yeah the phone bill thing is rough. That's actually why a lot of people end up using calling services - it's cheaper than going over your plan limits.

True, plus you can use wifi calling to avoid the minute charges if your carrier supports it.

Wait, you have to wait 70 seconds? I've been pressing the numbers immediately. No wonder I keep getting disconnected!

Yeah the timing is crucial. If you press too early it kicks you out. Too late and you waste time. 70 seconds is the sweet spot.

I've found you can actually press a bit earlier - around 65 seconds - to save time on each attempt. When you're making 50+ calls it adds up.

Really? I thought the 833 number was for specialists or something. I've been alternating between them thinking it would help.

Nope, complete myth. Same wait times, same agents, same everything. The specialist line thing ended during the pandemic.

Is that actually legit? Sounds too good to be true. How much does it cost?

I was skeptical too but it's real. Cost me like $20 but saved me literally days of calling. You can research them on Google - they have thousands of reviews.

My coworker used them too and got through same day. Way better than taking time off work to call EDD all day.

This is so true. I got through on a Friday at 4:30pm once and the agent basically rushed me off the call saying they were closing soon.

Exactly! They're thinking about the weekend, not your unemployment claim. Save yourself the frustration.

You're way more organized than me. I just randomly call whenever I remember and get frustrated when it doesn't work.

The data helps me stay sane honestly. At least I know I'm not imagining that certain times are impossible.

Your success rate is better than mine. I'm probably 1 out of 200 attempts over the past month.

I had no idea calls get dropped automatically. That explains why I waited 90 minutes yesterday just to get disconnected!

Yeah it's a known issue they haven't fixed. Super frustrating but that's why getting to an agent is such a big deal when it happens.

This is exactly why I ended up paying for a calling service. My time is worth more than gambling on 2+ hour holds that might drop.

They actually stop accepting new calls around 4pm even though they're open until 5. Something about processing time or whatever.

That makes sense. Probably finishing up people already on hold. Good to know, saves me from wasting attempts after 4.

Was it expensive? I'm getting desperate but money's tight because of the unemployment situation obviously.

I think it was like 25 bucks or something. Considering I probably spent more than that in phone overage charges, it was actually cheaper than calling myself.

That's a good point about the phone bills. I didn't factor in how much my manual calling was costing me in minutes and data.

15% seems low but I guess that's better than my current 0% success rate. I'll try the mississippi counting method.

15% is actually really good for manual calling. Most people are probably under 5% if they're being honest about their success rate.

Yeah I wasted so much time trying those supposed insider tricks. The basic menu path is the only thing that works now.

Exactly. People keep sharing stuff from 2020-2021 when everything was different. The system changed after the pandemic ended.

This is why I stick to current advice from people who are actually calling recently, not old forum posts.

That's exactly my problem! I can't spend 6+ hours a day calling EDD when I should be job hunting or taking care of other stuff.

Right? It's like they're punishing us for needing help. The whole system is backwards.

This is why automated calling makes sense. Let the robots do the waiting while you live your life.

Twice?? You're like the EDD calling champion. I haven't gotten through even once in 3 weeks.

It took me 2 months to figure out the timing. Lots of wasted days before I found what works. Tuesday 10am, Wednesday 2pm are my go-to times.

Oh man that's the absolute worst. All that work just to get transferred into the void. The transfer system is even more broken than the main line.

Exactly! At least with the main line you expect it to be hard. The transfers dropping feels like a cruel joke.

This is another reason services like Claimyr are worth it. They handle the transfers too so you don't lose the connection.

I'm in the same boat. Using all my break time for failed EDD calls. It's affecting my job performance honestly.

Yeah my boss is getting annoyed with me being on the phone constantly. But what choice do we have?

You could try a callback service so you're not actively dialing during work. They just call you back when they get an agent.

This thread has convinced me that manual calling is basically impossible. Might be time to look into those callback services everyone keeps mentioning.

Smart choice. I wish I'd done that from the beginning instead of wasting weeks of my life on hold.

Trust me, the callback thing is life changing. You get your time back and actually reach a human. Best decision I made in this whole unemployment mess.

I've been reading through all these comments and honestly feel like I've been doing everything wrong. Started calling at 8am sharp every day but sounds like I need to try different times and maybe consider one of these callback services. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this is way more helpful than anything on the official EDD website.