What's the best time to call Washington ESD unemployment office to actually get through?
I've been trying to reach Washington ESD for over a week about my pending claim and I literally cannot get through. Every time I call the main number I either get a busy signal or sit on hold for 2+ hours before getting disconnected. There has to be a better strategy here. What time of day are you guys calling to actually reach a human? My claim has been stuck in adjudication for 3 weeks and I really need to speak with someone about what documents they need from me.
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Natasha Orlova
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings right when they open at 8am seem to work best. Avoid Mondays completely - everyone calls then after the weekend. Also try calling around 11:30am or 2:30pm when there might be a lull.
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Oliver Schulz
•Thanks! I'll try the 8am thing tomorrow. Do you dial right at 8 or a few minutes before?
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Natasha Orlova
•Start dialing at 7:58am and keep hitting redial. The lines open exactly at 8 and fill up fast.
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Javier Cruz
Honestly the phone system is completely broken. I called 47 times last week and got through once, only to be told they'd call me back (they never did). There's gotta be a better way than this insanity.
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Emma Wilson
•I actually found something that helped me get through faster. There's this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helps you reach Washington ESD agents by phone. They have this demo video https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. Saved me hours of redialing.
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Javier Cruz
•Wait really? How does that work exactly? Is it legit?
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Emma Wilson
•Yeah it's totally legitimate. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when an agent is available. Way better than sitting there hitting redial all day.
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Malik Thomas
I've had the best luck calling around lunch time - like 12:15 to 1:00pm. I think some agents go to lunch and the call volume drops a bit. Also Friday afternoons after 3pm sometimes work.
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NeonNebula
•Friday afternoons are hit or miss though. Sometimes the agents seem rushed to get off calls before the weekend.
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Malik Thomas
•True, but at least you get through! I'd rather deal with a rushed agent than no agent at all.
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Isabella Costa
The whole system is a joke. I've been calling for TWO MONTHS about an overpayment notice and can never reach anyone. How is this acceptable for a government agency?
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Ravi Malhotra
•Two months?? That's insane. Have you tried the online messaging system through your SecureAccess account?
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Isabella Costa
•Yes! I've sent like 8 messages and gotten generic responses that don't address my specific situation at all.
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Natasha Orlova
•For overpayment issues you really do need to talk to someone directly. The online system can't handle complex cases like that.
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Javier Cruz
UPDATE: I tried calling at exactly 8am this morning and got through in 15 minutes! The agent was super helpful and explained exactly what I needed to submit for my adjudication. Thank you for the timing advice!
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Oliver Schulz
•That's awesome! What did they say about your adjudication? I'm still waiting to hear about mine.
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Javier Cruz
•They needed verification of my last employer's contact info because the company moved locations. Once I faxed that over they said it should resolve within a week.
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NeonNebula
Another tip - if you get through to the wrong department, ask them to transfer you instead of hanging up and starting over. Most agents will help you get to the right place.
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Freya Christensen
•Good point! I made the mistake of hanging up when I reached the wrong dept and had to start the whole process over.
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NeonNebula
•Yeah never hang up if you actually get a human on the line! Even if they can't help you directly, they can usually point you in the right direction.
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Omar Farouk
I keep a call log and my best success rate has been Thursdays between 10-11am. Called 12 times during that window over the past month and got through 4 times.
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Chloe Davis
•That's actually a pretty good success rate compared to what I've been experiencing. I might try Thursdays.
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Omar Farouk
•Yeah 33% isn't great but it's way better than my Monday success rate which is basically zero.
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AstroAlpha
Has anyone tried the callback option? Sometimes when I call there's an automated message offering to call me back instead of waiting on hold.
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Diego Chavez
•I tried that twice and never got called back. Maybe it works for some people but didn't for me.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•Same here - requested a callback and waited three days. Nothing. I think that feature is broken too.
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AstroAlpha
•Ugh that's disappointing. Was hoping it might be a viable alternative to sitting on hold forever.
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Sean O'Brien
I actually used that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier and it worked great. Took about 45 minutes total and I was connected to an agent who helped me with my weekly claim issue. Definitely worth it if you're tired of the runaround.
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Zara Shah
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already stressed about money which is why I need my unemployment sorted out.
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Sean O'Brien
•It's way cheaper than losing out on weeks of benefits while you're trying to get through on your own. Plus the time savings alone made it worth it for me.
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Luca Bianchi
Pro tip: Keep calling even if you get a busy signal. Sometimes it goes through on the 2nd or 3rd attempt even when the first call was busy.
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GalacticGuardian
•Yes! This happened to me yesterday. First call was busy, second call went straight to hold music.
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Nia Harris
•The phone system definitely has some weird glitches. Sometimes it acts like it's busy when it's really not.
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Mateo Gonzalez
For anyone still struggling to get through - I found calling the technical support line first and asking them to transfer me to claims worked better than calling the main number directly.
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Aisha Ali
•That's clever! What's the tech support number? Is it less busy than the main line?
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Mateo Gonzalez
•It's usually less busy because most people don't think to call that number for claims issues. But they can still transfer you to the right department.
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Ethan Moore
•Just tried this and it worked! Got transferred to a claims agent in under 20 minutes. Thanks for the tip!
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Yuki Nakamura
Wednesday mornings have been golden for me. Called at 8:02am last Wednesday and was connected in 8 minutes. Best success I've had in weeks of trying.
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StarSurfer
•Wow 8 minutes is amazing! Was that just luck or do you think Wednesday is genuinely better?
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Yuki Nakamura
•I think mid-week is definitely better. Mondays are swamped and Fridays people are rushing. Tuesday/Wednesday seem to be the sweet spot.
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Carmen Reyes
Another vote for that Claimyr thing. Used it last week when I was dealing with a job search requirement question and it was so much easier than the regular calling nightmare. Actually talked to a knowledgeable agent who knew exactly what I was asking about.
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Andre Moreau
•I'm getting desperate enough to try anything at this point. My claim has been pending for a month and I can't get anyone on the phone.
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Carmen Reyes
•Definitely give it a shot. A month is way too long to be stuck in limbo like that. At least with Claimyr you know you'll actually reach someone who can help.
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Zoe Christodoulou
I've noticed if you call right after they come back from lunch around 1:15pm, there's sometimes a brief window where it's easier to get through.
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Jamal Thompson
•When do they typically go to lunch? Is it a set time or does it vary?
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Zoe Christodoulou
•Seems like most agents go between 12-1pm, so calling right after 1pm might catch them when the queue is lighter.
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Mei Chen
Just want to confirm the early morning strategy works. Called at 7:59am yesterday and got through to an agent in 12 minutes. She helped me understand why my weekly claim was showing as incomplete.
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CosmicCadet
•What was causing your weekly claim to show incomplete? I'm having the same issue.
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Mei Chen
•I had forgotten to update my availability for work status after recovering from an illness. Small thing but it was holding up my whole claim.
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CosmicCadet
•Thanks! I'll double-check all my availability settings. These little details can really trip you up.
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