How to get contact with Washington ESD unemployment office - need help reaching someone

Right? Like how are we supposed to resolve issues if we can't even talk to anyone? This is so frustrating.

Try calling right at 8am when they open, that's usually your best bet for getting in the queue.

Never heard of that before. Is it legit? How does it actually work?

Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent picks up. Way better than sitting on hold yourself.

That sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?

Good to know about the timing! I've been calling randomly throughout the week.

I tried Tuesday morning last week and still couldn't get through. The system is just broken.

10 days?! That's not helpful when you need answers now.

The secure messages are really for non-urgent questions. If your claim is on hold you need to talk to someone directly.

12th try?? This is insane that it's this hard to get help.

I gave up after try number 8. My phone bill was getting ridiculous from all the calling.

The callback system is pretty unreliable. I've requested three callbacks over the past month and only got one, which came at 7pm when I couldn't answer.

Of course they call when you can't pick up. This whole system is a mess.

Okay you've convinced me to at least look into it. The regular calling method clearly isn't working.

I'm skeptical of any service that charges for something that should be free, but at this point I'm desperate enough to try anything.

Good advice! I'll make a list of everything I need to ask beforehand.

Yes! I made the mistake of only asking about one thing and then had to start the whole calling process over again for my other question.

That's a pretty cynical take but honestly it feels true sometimes.

I don't think it's intentional, they're just understaffed and overwhelmed. But yeah, the result is the same - impossible to get help.

I didn't know WorkSource could help with Washington ESD stuff. Is that really a thing?

They can't do everything, but they can help with some basic account issues and definitely with job search requirements.

That's three people now who've said good things about Claimyr. Maybe I should seriously consider it.

What kind of documents did they need for your adjudication? I'm dealing with something similar.

Mine shows there's an issue that needs to be resolved though, not just pending processing.

Oh if it shows an issue then you definitely need to talk to someone. Can't just wait that out.

Good point about keeping records. I hadn't thought about that.

Definitely keep records. I had to show my calling attempts when I appealed a disqualification.

That's great! What was the issue in the end?

They needed verification of my last employer's information. Something that could have been resolved in 5 minutes if I could have gotten through sooner.

Typical. Such a simple thing but impossible to resolve without talking to someone.

Alright, I'm convinced. Going to check out that video demo and see if it's worth trying.

Same here. At this point I'll try anything that might actually work.