How to talk to someone at Washington ESD unemployment - tried everything
I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for over two weeks about my unemployment claim and I'm losing my mind. Every time I call the main number I either get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours or get a busy signal. My claim is showing some weird status that I don't understand and I can't figure out what's wrong from the website alone. I've tried calling at different times, using the callback feature (which never calls back), and even tried the chat function but it's always unavailable. Does anyone know the secret to actually talking to a real person at Washington ESD? I'm getting desperate here.
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Andre Dupont
The phone system is absolutely brutal right now. I've had the most luck calling right at 8am when they open, but even then it's not guaranteed. Make sure you're calling the right number for your specific issue - they have different lines for different types of claims.
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AstroAdventurer
•I've been calling the main customer service line. Is there a specific number I should be using instead?
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Andre Dupont
•The main line is 800-318-6022 but if it's about weekly claims specifically there might be a better option. What exactly is the status showing on your account?
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Zoe Papanikolaou
ugh same problem here!! been trying for 3 weeks and nothing. the system is totally broken
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AstroAdventurer
•It's so frustrating! How are we supposed to resolve issues if we can't talk to anyone?
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Jamal Wilson
•Have you tried using Claimyr? I just discovered it last week and it actually got me through to someone at Washington ESD in like 20 minutes. They handle the calling and waiting for you - check out claimyr.com
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Jamal Wilson
I was in the exact same boat until I found this service called Claimyr that basically calls Washington ESD for you and waits on hold until they get through to an agent. I was skeptical at first but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ) and decided to try it. Totally worth it - I was able to get my adjudication issue resolved finally.
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Mei Lin
•Is this legit? Sounds too good to be true honestly
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Jamal Wilson
•I thought the same thing but it actually worked. They don't ask for any personal info upfront and you only pay if they successfully connect you to an agent.
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AstroAdventurer
•This might be exactly what I need. My claim has been stuck for weeks and I can't afford to keep missing work to sit on hold for hours.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Pro tip: if you can get through to the general line, don't hang up even if they say they can't help with your specific issue. Ask them to transfer you to the right department. Sometimes the transfer goes through faster than calling the direct line.
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AstroAdventurer
•That's actually really smart advice. I always just hung up when they said they couldn't help.
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GalacticGuru
•Yeah but half the time the transfer just drops the call anyway. Washington ESD's phone system is ancient
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Amara Nnamani
What kind of status is showing on your account? Sometimes you can resolve things online without needing to call, depending on what the issue is.
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AstroAdventurer
•It just says 'additional information needed' but when I click on it there's nothing there that I can see that needs to be filled out.
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Amara Nnamani
•That's a common glitch. You definitely need to talk to someone to get that cleared up. The online system doesn't always show what they actually need from you.
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Giovanni Mancini
Have you tried calling during lunch time? Like 12-1pm? Sometimes fewer people are calling then
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AstroAdventurer
•I'll try that today, thanks for the tip!
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Andre Dupont
•Lunch time used to work better but honestly now it seems like all times are equally terrible
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
The callback feature is a joke. I've been on the callback list for 3 days now and crickets.
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AstroAdventurer
•Same! I signed up for callback twice and never heard anything.
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Dylan Cooper
•The callback only works if you're lucky. I got one call back after a week but missed it and couldn't get back on the list
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Sofia Morales
Try calling exactly at 8:00:00 AM. Not 8:01, not 7:59. Set multiple alarms and have your finger ready to hit redial. That's the only way I got through last month.
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AstroAdventurer
•I'll try this tomorrow morning. How long did you have to wait once you got through?
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Sofia Morales
•Still had to wait about 45 minutes but at least I wasn't getting the busy signal
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StarSailor
Washington ESD is impossible!! I've been dealing with this for months. The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Totally agree. It's like they don't want people to actually get help
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Jamal Wilson
•That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist now. People got fed up with the broken phone system and found workarounds
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Ava Garcia
What I don't understand is why they can't just hire more customer service reps. The wait times are insane for something as important as unemployment benefits.
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Miguel Silva
•Budget constraints probably. Classic government efficiency right there
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AstroAdventurer
•Meanwhile people can't pay their bills because they can't get through to resolve claim issues
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Zainab Ismail
Have you tried going to a WorkSource office in person? Sometimes they can help with basic claim issues or at least call Washington ESD for you.
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AstroAdventurer
•I didn't know they could do that. Is there a specific WorkSource location that's better for this?
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Zainab Ismail
•Any WorkSource should be able to help but call ahead to make sure they have someone available who handles unemployment issues
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Connor O'Neill
Just an update - I tried the Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier and it actually worked! Got connected to a Washington ESD agent in about 30 minutes and was able to get my claim issue resolved. Definitely recommend if you're stuck in phone hell like I was.
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AstroAdventurer
•That's amazing! I'm definitely going to try this. Did they charge you a lot?
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Connor O'Neill
•The fee was totally reasonable considering how much time and frustration it saved me. Way better than burning vacation days sitting on hold
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QuantumQuester
•I'm still skeptical of paying for something that should be free but if it works...
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Yara Nassar
The most frustrating part is when you finally get through and they tell you to call a different number for your specific issue. Like why couldn't the automated system route me there in the first place?
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AstroAdventurer
•YES! This happened to me twice already. It's like they design the system to be as difficult as possible
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Keisha Williams
•At least when that happens you're already in the system and the transfer usually works better than calling the direct line
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Paolo Ricci
Keep a detailed log of every time you call including the time, how long you waited, and what happened. If you end up needing to escalate or appeal anything later, having that documentation helps.
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AstroAdventurer
•Good point. I wish I had started doing this from the beginning
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Amina Toure
•Also take screenshots of any error messages or weird statuses you see on your account. Sometimes those disappear later
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Oliver Zimmermann
Has anyone tried messaging them on social media? Sometimes companies respond faster there because it's public
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AstroAdventurer
•I'll try their Facebook page if the calling doesn't work out
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CosmicCommander
•I tried Twitter but they just told me to call the customer service line. Not very helpful
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Natasha Volkova
The whole system is a mess but don't give up. I finally got my issue resolved after 3 weeks of trying. The agent was actually really helpful once I got through - it's just the phone system that's broken.
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AstroAdventurer
•Thanks for the encouragement. I was starting to think it was hopeless
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Javier Torres
•Same experience here. The actual staff are helpful when you can reach them, it's just nearly impossible to reach them
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Emma Davis
Try calling from a landline if you have access to one. I heard somewhere that they prioritize landline calls but I'm not sure if that's actually true.
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AstroAdventurer
•Interesting theory. I'll ask my neighbor if I can use theirs
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Malik Johnson
•That sounds like an urban legend but at this point I'd try anything
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Isabella Ferreira
Whatever you do, don't stop filing your weekly claims while you're trying to reach them. Even if your main claim has issues, you need to keep filing to avoid additional problems.
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AstroAdventurer
•Yeah I've been keeping up with those. At least that part of the system works most of the time
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Ravi Sharma
•Good advice. I made that mistake early on and it created even more issues to resolve
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NebulaNomad
Final update: I used Claimyr this morning and got through to Washington ESD in 25 minutes. The agent was able to see exactly what was wrong with my claim (some kind of identity verification flag that wasn't showing up properly on my end) and cleared it up immediately. My next payment should process normally. Definitely worth the fee to avoid the phone nightmare. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Jamal Wilson
•Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. That identity verification thing is super common right now
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Freya Thomsen
•So happy you got it resolved! I might have to try Claimyr too if my issue doesn't get sorted out soon
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Omar Fawaz
•Thanks for the update! It's nice to hear a success story for once
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