How to reach Washington ESD unemployment office - phone keeps hanging up
I've been trying to get through to Washington ESD for over a week now and it's impossible. Every time I call the main number (833-572-8400) I either get a busy signal or it hangs up after being on hold for 20+ minutes. My weekly claim got flagged for some reason and now I can't certify online until I talk to someone. Has anyone figured out a way to actually reach a human at the unemployment office? This is ridiculous - I need to resolve this issue before I miss my certification deadline.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
The phone system is completely overwhelmed right now. Best times to call are usually right when they open at 8am or during lunch hour around 12-1pm when call volume drops slightly.
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Sydney Torres
•I tried calling at 8am sharp yesterday and still couldn't get through. How many times do you usually have to redial?
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
•Sometimes 30-40 attempts before connecting. It's brutal but persistence pays off eventually.
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Caleb Bell
same issue here, been calling for 3 days straight with no luck. my claim went into adjudication and i can't get any info about why or how long it'll take
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Danielle Campbell
•Adjudication can take weeks unfortunately. If it's just a routine verification issue, you might be able to upload documents through your SecureAccess Washington account instead of calling.
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Caleb Bell
•checked SAW already, no document requests showing up there either
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Rhett Bowman
I actually found a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Washington ESD last month. You give them your info and they call repeatedly until they connect, then conference you in with an agent. Saved me literally hours of redialing. Check out claimyr.com - they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.
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Sydney Torres
•Is this legit? How much does it cost? I'm desperate at this point.
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Rhett Bowman
•Yeah it's real, I was skeptical too but it actually worked. They don't ask for sensitive info like SSN or anything, just basic contact details. The video explains their process pretty well.
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Abigail Patel
•Never heard of this but might be worth trying if the regular phone system keeps failing us.
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Danielle Campbell
Have you tried the callback option when you do get through to the automated system? Sometimes that works better than staying on hold.
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Sydney Torres
•What callback option? I don't remember hearing that when I called.
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Danielle Campbell
•It's not always available but sometimes after you navigate through the menu options it'll offer to call you back instead of waiting on hold.
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Daniel White
THE PHONE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! I've been trying for TWO WEEKS and can't get through. Meanwhile my rent is due and I have no idea when my benefits will start. This is completely unacceptable.
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
•I feel your frustration. The system is definitely overwhelmed. Have you considered contacting your state representative's office? Sometimes they can help escalate issues with Washington ESD.
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Daniel White
•didn't think of that, might be worth a shot at this point
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Nolan Carter
try calling right at 8am when they open, keep hitting redial. took me about 45 minutes of constant redialing but finally got through last tuesday
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Sydney Torres
•45 minutes of redialing sounds insane but I guess that's what it takes now.
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Nolan Carter
•yeah it's ridiculous but better than sitting on hold for hours just to get disconnected
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Natalia Stone
I had the same problem with my weekly claim getting flagged. Turned out it was because I reported some part-time work and they needed to verify my earnings. Once I got through to an agent they cleared it up in about 10 minutes. The actual issue resolution is usually quick - it's just getting to talk to someone that's impossible.
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Sydney Torres
•That's probably what happened to me too - I did some gig work last week and reported it. So frustrating that such a simple thing can freeze your whole claim.
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Natalia Stone
•Exactly! The system flags anything unusual automatically but then you need human verification to clear it. It's backwards.
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Tasia Synder
Someone mentioned Claimyr earlier - I actually used them about 3 weeks ago when my claim went into adjudication hell. Took them about 2 hours to get me connected to a Washington ESD agent and we sorted out my issue same day. Way better than the endless calling myself.
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Sydney Torres
•2 hours sounds way better than what I've been dealing with. Did you have to pay upfront or after they connected you?
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Tasia Synder
•I think you pay after they successfully connect you, but check their site for current pricing. Worth it for the time savings alone.
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Selena Bautista
Have you tried using the live chat option on the Washington ESD website? Sometimes that's less congested than the phones.
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Sydney Torres
•I didn't know there was live chat! Where do you find that on their site?
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Selena Bautista
•Look for the 'Contact Us' section - though honestly it's not available all the time and has limited hours.
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Danielle Campbell
•Live chat is usually only for basic questions, not claim-specific issues that require account access.
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Mohamed Anderson
i feel you on this, the phone system is completely broken. i started keeping a log of my call attempts and times, called 67 times over 4 days before finally connecting
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Sydney Torres
•67 times?! That's insane. I'm definitely going to look into that Claimyr service people mentioned.
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Mohamed Anderson
•yeah definitely check it out, wish i had known about it earlier
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Ellie Perry
Just an update - I tried the Claimyr service that was mentioned earlier and it actually worked! They got me connected to a Washington ESD agent this morning and I was able to clear up my weekly claim issue. Took about 90 minutes total but way better than the days I spent trying to call myself.
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Sydney Torres
•That's great to hear! I'm going to check out their website right now. This phone situation is driving me crazy.
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Ellie Perry
•Yeah definitely recommend it. The demo video on their site explains the whole process clearly.
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Caleb Bell
•might have to try this too, still haven't been able to get through about my adjudication
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Landon Morgan
Another tip - if you do get through to the automated system, write down all the menu options so you can navigate quickly on future calls. Every second counts when the lines are this busy.
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Sydney Torres
•Good idea, I'll do that next time I call.
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Landon Morgan
•Also try using the keypad shortcuts if you know them instead of waiting for all the menu options to play out.
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Teresa Boyd
This whole situation is exactly why I keep detailed records of everything. Every call attempt, every time I certify online, every piece of correspondence. When you finally do get through to an agent, having all that info ready speeds up the resolution process.
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Sydney Torres
•That's really smart. I should start doing that too in case this happens again.
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Teresa Boyd
•Definitely helps. Agents appreciate when you have your facts organized and it shows you're taking the process seriously.
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Lourdes Fox
has anyone tried emailing instead of calling? i sent a message through the secure portal but haven't heard back yet
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Danielle Campbell
•Email responses can take 5-10 business days right now. If you need immediate resolution, phone is still your best bet unfortunately.
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Lourdes Fox
•ugh that's way too long, guess i'll keep trying to call
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Bruno Simmons
The whole system needs an overhaul. It shouldn't take 67 phone calls to reach a government office that's supposed to help unemployed people. We're already stressed about money and then have to deal with this nonsense on top of it.
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Sydney Torres
•Absolutely agree. The irony of having to spend all day trying to reach unemployment when you should be job searching is not lost on me.
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Bruno Simmons
•Exactly! And if you miss your weekly certification deadline because you can't get through, then what?
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Aileen Rodriguez
Quick success story - finally got through this morning after trying the 8am sharp strategy. Agent was actually really helpful once I connected and cleared up my issue in about 15 minutes. So it is possible, just requires a lot of patience and persistence.
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Sydney Torres
•Glad you finally got through! I'm going to keep trying the early morning approach.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•Don't give up! The agents really do want to help once you reach them, it's just the phone system that's the problem.
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Zane Gray
For what it's worth, I was skeptical about using a third-party service like Claimyr but after seeing multiple people here say it worked, I gave it a shot yesterday. They got me connected within about 2 hours and I finally got my adjudication issue resolved. Sometimes you just have to try different approaches.
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Sydney Torres
•That's really helpful to hear from someone who was initially skeptical. I think I'm convinced to try it.
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Zane Gray
•Yeah, I figured the time savings was worth it since I'd already wasted days trying to call myself.
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Maggie Martinez
just wanted to add that if you do eventually get through, be prepared with all your info ready - claim number, SSN, dates of the issue, etc. The agents can't hold the line forever while you look stuff up
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Sydney Torres
•Good point, I'll make sure to have everything written down before I call.
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Maggie Martinez
•also have your calendar open in case they need to schedule a callback or appointment
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Alejandro Castro
Hope this thread helps others dealing with the same phone nightmare. It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one struggling with this. At least there seem to be some viable solutions whether it's the early morning calling strategy or using a service like Claimyr to get through.
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Sydney Torres
•Definitely helpful! I'm going to try both approaches and see what works. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.
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Alejandro Castro
•Good luck! Update us on what ends up working for you.
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