How to get ahold of Washington ESD unemployment - phone lines always busy

At least yours is in adjudication - mine just says 'not payable' with zero explanation!

Try calling right at 8am when they open. I got through once after 47 minutes on hold but then got disconnected.

What callback feature? I've never heard that option when I call.

It's buried in the menu system - you have to press like 3 different numbers to get to it. But even then it doesn't always work.

How much does that cost though? Sounds too good to be true.

It's way cheaper than missing work to sit on hold all day. Plus they actually got me connected to someone who could fix my claim issue.

I'm desperate enough at this point that I might try anything. Did they actually help resolve your problem?

300 times?? That's insane. There has to be a better way.

That's what I thought too but apparently that's just how it is now. The system can't handle the volume.

Which app did you use? I'm willing to try anything at this point.

I used Auto Redial but there are several options. Just make sure your phone doesn't overheat from all the calling!

This is ridiculous that we have to resort to this just to talk to someone about our benefits.

WorkSource can help with job search requirements but they can't access your claim details. You still need to talk to Washington ESD directly for claim issues.

Figures. So we're back to the phone lines from hell.

I feel you. The stress of not knowing what's wrong with your claim is almost worse than being unemployed.

Exactly! At least tell me WHY my claim was rejected so I can fix it.

Is that a real Washington ESD number? I don't want to call some scam line.

It's legit - it's on the Washington ESD website. Just another way into the same system but sometimes has shorter wait times.

Washington's online system isn't terrible but you still need to call for most real issues.

That's the problem - the online system should be able to handle 90% of issues without needing to call.

Ok I'm convinced. Going to try Claimyr today. This is ridiculous that we need a third party service but here we are.

I was skeptical about Claimyr at first but honestly they saved me so much time and stress. Got my claim issue resolved in one call.

I'll try that tomorrow. At this point I'm willing to try calling at 3am if someone says it works.

Haha don't try 3am - they're closed! But seriously the timing can make a huge difference.

Good point. I should probably write down all my info before calling so I'm not scrambling when I finally get someone.

Also have your confirmation numbers ready for any documents you've submitted. Agents can look things up faster with those numbers.

I get the frustration but the agents I've talked to have been helpful once I actually reach them. It's just getting through that's the problem.

fair enough but the whole system shouldnt be this hard to access

I tried emailing 3 weeks ago and never got a response. Phone is really the only way for urgent issues.

That's disappointing but not surprising. Guess I'm back to phone torture.

That's awesome! I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow. Thanks for the update!

How long did the whole process take with Claimyr? From when you contacted them to when you were talking to Washington ESD?

Maybe 20 minutes total? They called me back pretty quick and then got me connected to an agent. Way better than spending all day calling myself.