Desperate for tricks to reach a live person at NY unemployment - been trying for weeks

I had the same problem last month and was ready to throw my phone through a window. The ONLY thing that finally worked was using claimyr.com - it's a service that waits on hold for you and calls when there's an actual human. Saved me from losing my mind! I got through to someone in about 2 hours and they fixed my issue that had been pending for over a month. Here's a video about how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

try calling exactly at 7:59am. That's when I finally got through. Have your phone ready to dial and hit send the second it turns 7:59. The trick is getting in right before the official 8am start when everyone else tries calling.

The whole system is designed to make it impossible to reach anyone. It's not an accident - it's by design. They want people to give up so they don't have to pay out claims. I spent 6 weeks trying every trick in the book before I finally got through.

Have u tried contacting your state representative? I was in the same boat and after 3 weeks of trying, I emailed my assembly person. Their office contacted unemployment for me and someone called me back within 2 days. Might be worth a shot!

Ok listen up cause I've been through this whole nightmare and finally figured out the system. After weeks of nothing, I finally got my back pay of $7,800 after doing this: 1) Don't waste time with the regular number during regular hours. Everyone does that. 2) Use claimyr.com - it's basically a service that waits on hold for you and calls when there's an actual agent. Talking to a real person changed everything for me. 3) When you do get someone, be super prepared with all your info. Have your claim ID, exact dates, and any correspondence numbers ready. 4) If you get someone who doesn't seem helpful, politely thank them and call back. Some agents can do more than others. 5) While waiting, also email your state assembly person AND state senator. Do both! Their offices have special contacts at unemployment. 6) Check your spam folder daily - some important emails from NYSDOL go there. I know how stressful this is, but keep pushing. The system is designed to be frustrating, but once you get through to the right person, it can all get resolved quickly.

Try the trick where u call, then when it asks for ssn, enter it wrong 3 times. system will think ur stupid and transfer u to a human lol. worked for me once but not consistently

i spent 2 months trying to get someone on the phone. finally gave up and hired an attorney who specializes in unemployment. cost me $600 but he got my $11,500 in backpay within 2 weeks. sometimes you gotta pay to play with this broken system.

there is no trick anymore. they've patched all the workarounds people used to use. its literaly just luck of the draw at this point. keep calling and eventually youll get through. took me 3 weeks of daily calls.

ugh same here! its been a month of trying. im starting to think these unemployment offices are just empty rooms with phones ringing and nobody there 🤣

Call right when they open at 8am or right before they close at 6pm. Middle of the day is the absolute worst time to try. Also, Wednesdays seem to be less busy for some reason.

yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄

If you have Twitter, try tweeting at NYSDOL with your issue (don't include personal info). Sounds crazy but they sometimes respond and help people who publicly complain.

I went through EXACT same hell last month. What worked for me was using claimyr.com - they have some system that basically waits on hold for you and calls when there's a real person. Cost some money but was worth it to finally get my claim fixed after 5 weeks of nothing.

The phones at ny unemployment are a joke. I had success going to my local career center in person. They have direct lines to unemployment agents. Might be worth checking if there's one near you.

So I was about to throw my phone after 3 hours on hold when my friend told me about claimyr. Tried it and finally got through to fix my issues after weeks of nothing. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast I almost cried. Best decision I made in this whole unemployment nightmare.

this is why i moved out of new york. the bureaucracy is beyond ridiculous. good luck man

wait hold up - does this actually work or is it just the usual BS?

I feel your pain! The system is designed to make you give up. After trying everything, what worked for me was using claimyr.com to get through to an agent. It's basically a service that does the calling/waiting for you. They call when they get a human on the line. Talking to a real person fixed my issues that had been pending for over a month.