Automated Phone Systems - EDD is the Worst

@dawnald (85129)
Shingle Springs, California
January 4, 2013 1:51pm CST
So back in August I applied for unemployment after my last paid date of 8/24. And I filled out my claims like a good little girl and got paid. Then when I got work I continued to get the forms, not quite sure why. But a couple of times I made a mistake on the form, and got set up for a phone call. Well, the first time I had to change the phone number they wanted to call me on. It was my home number, and I was going to be at work. That's when I discovered how truly annoying their phone system is. You go through the usual stuff, if this push 1, if that push 2, etc. But if their phone lines are busy, which they often are, you will sometimes get a message that their call volume is too high, and their system will simply hang up on you. Yup. Or even worse, you get through the menu to the very last option, and THEN you get the message that there are too many people on hold, and the system hangs up on you. I've been trying to call the idiots for 2 days now due to a letter I got that says I must call immediately. Something wrong with how I filled out the last form. Why do I need to call when I'm not getting paid anyway? I don't know. But I call, I get hung up on, I try again. Repeat. Your tax dollars at work.
4 people like this
15 responses
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
5 Jan 13
Thankfully, I don;t know much about the unemployment rules these days. All of those automated systems are annoying but that one does sound more so than most. Is the office local? If so, I would not mess around with calling, I'd go right in there. I recently got a letter from Welfare stating that because I recieve EBT, I qualify for a free cell phone and to please contact them. I was so puzzled as I am not on welfare and I do not get EBT. I called the number given and questioned them on this. Their computers are automated and at one time, I qualified for a stupid 14.00 per month on EBT which I did not get but because I am in low income housing my name is in their system. It took me forever to get to the bottom of it. I wasn't hung up on but I was on hold forever. I put it on speaker phone and went about my stuff. Its ridiculous and just why are we offering free cell phones to everyone that qualifies for EBT?? That is a lot of people and a lot of money. We survived just fine without cell phones in the past...now it is a necessity???
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
Local probably= Placerville, which is 20 minutes each way, and I have a job. If I go up there on my lunch hour, they'll probably be closed or something.
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
6 Jan 13
ok so 20 minutes is not exactly local in my opinion. Where I live, I can see the unemployment office out my window...that's local. And it doesn't matter, If I worked days, I'd still probably not find it easy to get to them without missing time at work. Ya know what? It is them that has an issue of some sort. I would not even bother. Let them figure out how to contact YOU if it is that important to them.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
6 Jan 13
It's not as if I"m going to get paid unemployment whether I contact them or not. I'm working. lol
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Jan 13
There are too damned many people in the world now. Automated phones are so stupid. Whenever my daughter or I call H&W for info or help they make you leave your info in a message and they will call you back. Inverably we have to leave for some reason so we miss the call cause it sometimes takes several hours to get a return callback. The office is a ways away but I usually just go into the office. They have it set up so cool in the office that you can get right in and be helped. You first go to a poliminary person who you tell what you need and they either give you the paperwork or direct to one of two other desks where they will call your name and you talk to them. Its no waiting in a long line for each one to be helped. We had a situation recently(Novemember I believe) where my daughter had gotten her Annual Medicaid Paperwork, filled it out and immediately sent it back in as she does EVERY YEAR. THen about a month later they sent her a letter saying they had not received her needed paperwork and to call them. (I thought it might be one of those computer generated letters but I didn't want her to lose her medicaid which pays for her and my grandson's medications which are imparitive.) So she did and explained the situation to the lady who answered. The lady looked and said no, her paperwork had not been received. So she said she would send my daughter more paperwork to be filled out. My daughter only had about two weeks to get it in. I said no, lets just go in so we weren't worried that it might not be received again. I took her into the office, went through the line, poliminary person told her which person, she waited, spoke to this other person, I had her just opt for the paperwork be given her again. We set there and I helped her fill it all out(about 10-12 pages). THen we went back to the lady and she scanned the paperwork so my daughter would be sure to get credit for getting it in on time. SOmetimes manually works better than their automated systems now days.
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
Tempting - I wonder where the local EDD office is...
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
probably in Placerville, and if I try and shlep up there on my lunch hour, they will probably be closed....
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Jan 13
Probably in some inconveniant part of town. lol
2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 13
I dread these kind of systems, however for me the worst is BT, whilst I have no problem or issue with Indians I am sure they are lovely people when you have one at the end of the line who doesn't understand you and are reading from a script, it can be very very frustrating, that is part of the reason why I switched from BT to Sky for my internet connection. At least Sky operate in my country. There's nothing worse than jumping over hurdles, push 1, push 2, then finding when you have finally got through to someone, they cannot help you and put you through to someone else, or you've pressed the wrong button, the computations are too high when given too many choices!
2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 13
Oh yeah ain't that the truth, especially when the problem is convoluted and not an easy one to relay, I go cold just thinking about it.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Jan 13
And, when they put you through to somebody else you get hung up on and have to go through the whole thing all over again.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Jan 13
right, and if you do get through to the next person, you usually have to do the explanation all over again...
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
5 Jan 13
SAme way on alot of places not just here justkeep calling try to be first in the morning ughhh and myabe luch time
2 people like this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
6 Jan 13
DIdnt think about that but probably you are right
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
6 Jan 13
First in the morning is the worst. I think maybe next week will be better. I bet a lot of their people are on vacation.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Jan 13
I understand that you WERE on unemployment after August 24th last year. But why did you continue to get forms-were you underemployed? By that-your bills were far greater than your income? I think that they're trying to verify that you are, in fact, working. But there are so many people filing every day that the systems are overwhelmed. I'm not defending them, just stating a fact. I detest automated phone systems. I will keep hitting 0 until I get a live person on the line; or else let them call ME back.
2 people like this
• United States
5 Jan 13
I don't know that the type of job makes a difference. I know that I have a friend that was laid off from his sales job-he went from making over $60k a year and having a company car to $15 an hour part time. His bills were significantly more, and that's why he was eligible to receive unemployment in addition to working. Unfortunately, he did lose his home as a result and had to move back home.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
I don't know either, but next time I get these idiots on the phone I"m going to ask...
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
Heck no, I make good money. I am not certain, but it may be because it's a contract position as opposed to a permanent position.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
4 Jan 13
Blame the CIA, FBI, the latest weather disaster or President Obama! Seriously, that kind of beaurocracy is so frustrating - almost as bad as ours
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
It's obviously a muslim plot...
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
5 Jan 13
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
6 Jan 13
Isn't the final option "if you wish to speak to an operator, please press 9." A lot of our automated phone systems have this option now and it does make life easier and the wait a bit shorter. These days, I don't bother pressing the number for my option to go on hold, I wait to hear all the options first then I opt for an operator...saves time and my sanity.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
6 Jan 13
Nope, it's one of two things. Either you get the message right away that they are too busy, and you can go visit their website (only if it were something I could handle on the website, I'd already be there), and then it hangs up, or you go through all the menu options, and then they tell you they are too busy and hang up. Occasionally you actually get through to a person.
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
4 Jan 13
"It's all a communist plot!" No? Frustrating, certainly.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
More like a capitalist plot!
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
4 Jan 13
That too.
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
4 Jan 13
I am not impressed by them either....give me a human to talk to....not buttons to push....I usually am one of the pains in the behinders that wait to talk to a real person....they shouldn't hang up on you though..that is just rude.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
It's not them. It's their phone system.
@cotruelove (1016)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Jan 13
......it is called governmental red tape and they do it well. Automated phone systems are the nemesis of many corporations and government offices. But call centers in my estimation are even worse. I hate talking to "Peggy" who doesn't speak the same English I do, and obviously hasn't a clue how things work in America. If it is a call center the odds are not in your favor that you will EVER talk to the same person twice if you get disconnected, and they definitely won't be in the same city as the first person. I usually wade through all the trash they put on the call, like with Medicare, and when I get a real person, if I'm lucky, they won't be the right person and the automated system disconnects you so you can start all over again. Or I get a real person, and they tell me they are sorry but they are on a time limit for each call. Imagine how the employee of these nutty places feels. Unfortunately, I doubt we will be rid of the automated systems anytime soon, even if it would help if we were with them with the unemployment issues. It is a amazing that so long after you are not drawing money from them that they are interested in how you dotted the i's or crossed the t's. The best one I get is from my doctor's office who tells you on the weekend to leave your phone number and they will get back to you within 24 hours after they re-open, but if it is an emergency........call 911. ....911.....can be another automated system. Just remember to type your letter, half the people cannot read handwriting!
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
Yeah, if I do a letter it will be on the computer...
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
30 Jan 13
hi dawn I hate it when I have to give bank number to a robot voice and somehow I had a cold so I guess my voice did not track anyway I repeat this string of number." I am sorry that does not match our files p lease try again." So this time I repeat each number very slowly and loudly so then it drones a list of options and finally I ask " Please let me talk to customer service" so finally I get to talk to a real live person who helped me in two seconds and my call was done and my problem solved but getting to the right person took some time.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
30 Jan 13
Oh I hate the ones that ask you to speak. They never have the options that you need.
• United States
4 Jan 13
Don't you just love stuff like that? It isn't any better dealing with companies such as DirecTV. Oh, they won't hang up on you. No... They will, however, take forever fixing known issues; of course, they won't tell you that they are known issues. It will take half-a-dozen phone calls before they say that it is a "known issue." Um... Not that I'm irked at DirecTV at the moment or anything...
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
I had much better luck with them than I ever had with cable.
1 person likes this
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
4 Jan 13
Is there an address where you can write to them? If so, write a letter to them, making a copy for yourself, and explain you've called per their instructions and they keep hanging up on you. If they want any correspondence with you, they can do the calling. You might also want to make a copy of the letter they sent to you so they will know what you're talking about. Or you could do nothing and see if they get in touch with you again.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Jan 13
I was thinking of doing exactly that. Write, that is...
@missybear (11391)
• United States
5 Jan 13
You think you're angry...I got my check yesterday and it was $25 short, they raised the social security tax from 4.2 to 6.2, now I'm out of $50 a month and that was my raise in October
2 people like this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
5 Jan 13
You and me both sister, and in my case I took a pay cut with the new job...
• United States
9 Feb 13
and now you know why I hate trying to call