What time does Washington ESD unemployment office open for calls?

So I should be calling right at 8 AM sharp? I've been trying around 9 or 10 AM thinking that would be better.

Yeah definitely try right at 8 AM, but even then it's really hit or miss. The system gets overwhelmed fast.

I tried that yesterday and still couldn't get through. How long should I keep trying?

Sometimes it takes 30-40 redials in the first hour. The system is overwhelmed right now with all the claims.

That's what I've been doing but I never get through! Is there a better time to call?

I've had better luck calling right at 8:00 AM sharp or around 11:30 AM when some people take lunch breaks from calling.

That's what I was afraid of. This is so frustrating when you need to talk to someone about your claim.

Same experience here. The system is overwhelmed and they don't have enough staff to handle the call volume.

This is so frustrating! How are we supposed to resolve issues with our claims if we can't even talk to anyone?

I know, it's really stressful especially when you need the money and your claim is just sitting there pending.

What's your claim status showing? Mine's been stuck on 'pending' for a month now.

says adjudication in progress but no idea what thats even about

I tried calling exactly at 8am this morning and still couldn't get through. Is there any other way to contact them?

You can also try the online messaging system through your SecureAccess Washington account, but response times are slow there too.

That explains why I keep getting disconnected! Do they have any other contact methods?

You can try the SecureAccess Washington messaging system, but response times are usually 7-10 business days right now.

Is that legit? I'm desperate at this point but don't want to get scammed.

Yeah it worked for me. I was skeptical too but after weeks of not getting through the regular way I figured I'd try it. Got connected to an Washington ESD agent within a few hours.

Hmm never heard of this service before. How much does it cost?

Is that legit? How much does it cost?

Yeah it's real. I was skeptical too but it worked for me when I needed to resolve an issue with my weekly claim certification. Way better than spending hours redialing.

I used them too when my claim got disqualified by mistake. Got connected within an hour instead of calling for days myself.

That's exactly what happened to me last week! Finally got through after calling for hours and then the call dropped after 2 minutes.

It's like they don't want people to actually get help with their unemployment claims. So frustrating.

That sounds too good to be true. How does it actually work? Do they charge a lot?

It's legit. They basically automate the calling process and notify you when they get an agent on the line. Way better than sitting on hold for hours.

I was skeptical too but tried Claimyr last month when I needed to check on my disqualification appeal. Got connected to an agent in about 30 minutes instead of wasting my whole day calling.

Exactly! And then they penalize us if we don't respond to their requests fast enough.

The irony is that we're supposed to be actively job searching but also available to call them during work hours.

They do have that online messaging system but I never get responses to my messages either.

Yeah the messaging system is useless too. Takes weeks to get a response if you get one at all.

Good tip! I'll try that tomorrow morning. How long do you usually wait on hold once you get through?

Usually 1-3 hours if you're lucky. Sometimes longer. That's why I just let my phone sit on speaker and do other stuff while waiting.

Is that legit? I'm so desperate at this point I'll try anything but I don't want to get scammed.

Yeah it's totally legit. They don't ask for your login info or anything sketchy. You just give them your callback number and they call you when they get an agent on the line.

How much does something like that cost though? I'm already struggling financially.

Same here! Got through once and they hung up on me when I asked about my job search requirements.

That's why so many people are using callback services now. The regular phone system just can't handle the volume.

Good point. I have my weekly claim confirmation number but wasn't sure what else I might need.

Also have your Social Security number, alternate ID if you have one, and any correspondence from Washington ESD available.

That makes sense. I was calling on Monday mornings thinking that would be best but maybe that's actually the worst time.

Yeah Monday mornings are probably the absolute worst time to try. Everyone's trying to call about issues from the weekend.

Same here! It's so frustrating. My rent is due next week and I can't even find out why my claim is stuck.

Try calling the Tacoma office directly if you're in that area. Sometimes the regional offices have shorter wait times.

Good idea! I'll try that today. Have you actually gotten through during lunch?

Yeah twice actually. Still took like 45 minutes on hold but at least I got through to a real person.

I'll try those times tomorrow. Anything is worth a shot at this point.

I tried calling at 2pm yesterday and was on hold for 3 hours before giving up.

That's what I've been doing but my phone bill is going to be huge from all these calls.

Most phone plans have unlimited calling now, so that shouldn't be an issue unless you're on a very old plan.

200 calls?! That's insane. I don't have time to make 200 calls, I'm already spending hours every day trying.

yeah its ridiculous but thats what it takes sometimes. or try that claimyr thing the other person mentioned

Ok you've convinced me to at least check it out. My adjudication has been pending for 6 weeks now and I'm getting desperate.

I might try this too. Been calling Washington ESD for a month about my overpayment notice and can't get through.

Oh no, that would make me lose my mind. Did you have to start the whole process over?

Yep, back to square one both times. The second time I almost cried.

This is exactly why the system needs to be fixed. We shouldn't have to go through this just to get basic information about our claims.

Seriously, how is it legal to have a system where people can't access the services they're entitled to?

Right? And meanwhile people are struggling to pay rent and buy food while their claims sit in limbo.

My claim has been pending for two weeks already. I'm worried about missing rent if this drags on much longer.

In that case, definitely keep trying to call. A pending claim for two weeks definitely needs attention.

Ok you've convinced me to at least check out their website. This calling situation is driving me crazy.

Same here, gonna look into this Claimyr thing. Can't be worse than what we're dealing with now.

What number did you call? The main customer service line or a different one?

Main customer service line. I think there might be other numbers but I'm not sure what they are.

That's a good idea! I forgot about the WorkSource offices. Do they handle all types of unemployment issues?

Not all issues, but they can help with job search requirements and sometimes contact Washington ESD for you. Worth a try if you're not having luck with the phone.

I didn't know that was an option. What kind of help can they provide?

WorkSource can help with job search requirements and some general UI questions, but for claim-specific issues you still need to contact Washington ESD directly.

I'll try this sequence tomorrow morning. Do you know if they close the phone lines before 4 PM if call volume is high?

They're supposed to stay open until 4 PM but I've heard they sometimes stop taking new calls around 3:30 PM to clear the queue.

This is helpful but why is it so hard just to talk to someone about unemployment? Other states aren't this bad.

Makes sense since people probably have issues from the weekend to report.

Tuesday isn't much better in my experience. Wednesday seems to be the sweet spot.

My issue isn't something I can fix online though. Need to talk to someone about why my claim is pending.

oh yeah for that stuff you def need to call. good luck!

3 months?! I really hope mine doesn't take that long. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr tomorrow.

yeah dont wait like i did. the longer your claim sits the more complicated it gets to fix

Haha yes! At least the old music was more tolerable. This new stuff is torture.

I wish I could get to the hold music! I just keep getting busy signals.

847 times?! That's insane. How long did that take you?

spread out over like 2 weeks, calling whenever i had free time

This is exactly what I mean about the system being broken. No one should have to make 847 calls to get help with their unemployment claim.

That's actually hilarious. Maybe I should try that approach!

Please don't do this. It clogs up other departments and makes the problem worse for everyone.

This is super helpful! I've been calling at random times with no strategy.

Yeah timing matters a lot. But honestly even with good timing it's still really hard to get through without help.

Did they help resolve your overpayment issue?

Yeah the agent explained what happened and helped me file an appeal. Turns out it was an error on their end.

I've never seen that option when I call. What number are you using?

The main customer service line 800-318-6022. The callback option isn't always available - depends on current call volume.

I got the callback option once but they never called me back. Waited 3 days.

That's exactly why services like Claimyr exist. They handle all that repetitive calling for you.

might have to try that. cant spend all day every day just trying to call

That's even more frustrating! Getting through just to be told you need someone else.

Exactly! And then you have to start the whole process over again trying to reach the other department.

What's the technical support number? I didn't know there was a separate line.

It's mainly for website and login issues but sometimes they can help or transfer you to the right department.

2 hours on hold is still better than not getting through at all! I'll try your method tomorrow.

Yeah just make sure you have something else to do while you wait. I cleaned my whole apartment while on hold lol

I've started putting my phone on speaker and doing other things, but then I miss when someone picks up.

just turn the volume up really loud so you can hear it from across the room

Alright, you've sold me. I'm going to check out their website tonight and see if it's worth trying.

Let us know how it goes! I'm curious to hear if it works for other people too.

That's a scary thought but honestly wouldn't surprise me at this point.

I don't think it's intentional, just severe underfunding and understaffing. The pandemic made everything worse.

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'll try the different times suggested and look into that Claimyr service. Hopefully I'll have better luck tomorrow.

You got this! Just remember that once you do get through, the agents are usually pretty helpful. It's just getting to them that's the nightmare.

I feel you. I'm in week 3 of adjudication and running out of savings fast.

Have you tried contacting your state representative? Sometimes they can help escalate cases with Washington ESD.

I didn't know that was an option. How do you contact them about unemployment issues?

Okay that's two people saying good things about it. I might have to check this out.

Can confirm Claimyr works. Used them last month when my weekly claim got flagged for some reason. Agent was able to clear it up in 10 minutes.

I'll try the lunch time window. Never thought about that timing.

Lunch time calling actually makes sense. Fewer people probably think to call then.

Agreed. There has to be a better way to handle this volume of calls.

They say they're working on improvements but I've been hearing that for months.

That's great! I'm going to try Claimyr tomorrow. This is ridiculous that we have to pay a service just to talk to Washington ESD though.

At least there's a solution that works. The traditional calling method is basically useless right now.

What documents did they ask for? My claim might be stuck for the same reason.

Ok that's like the 4th person who's mentioned Claimyr. I'm definitely going to try it. Thanks everyone for the help!

Good luck! Hope you get your adjudication resolved soon. The waiting is the worst part.

Right? At least now I know I'm not the only one dealing with this. Makes me feel less crazy.

exactly! and now i have some actual strategies to try instead of just randomly calling

Good advice! I'll make a list of everything I might need before I try calling again.

Yeah and write down the agent's name and reference number if they give you one. Helps if you need to call back about the same issue.

Totally agree. It's like they're trying to make it as difficult as possible to get help.

Right? And meanwhile people are struggling financially while their claims sit in limbo for months.

Will do! Going to try the Claimyr service tomorrow and the early morning calling strategy. Fingers crossed one of them works.

Good luck! Really hoping you get your adjudication resolved soon.

Because they don't care about us. It's all about saving money on staff while we suffer.

It's definitely a staffing issue. They've been overwhelmed since the pandemic and never caught up.

That's amazing! I'm definitely going to try it. My situation sounds similar to yours.

Same here - used Claimyr yesterday and got my job search requirement question answered. So much easier than calling myself.

Good point! I learned that the hard way on my first call.

At least you got through! I've never made it past the busy signal.

This is why callback services are so popular now. You don't have to sit on hold for hours.

I think I'm convinced. Going to try Claimyr today since nothing else is working.

Smart choice. Would have saved me so much frustration if I'd known about it sooner.