Automated Phone Systems - EDD is the Worst

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???

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.

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!

SAme way on alot of places not just here justkeep calling try to be first in the morning ughhh and myabe luch time

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.

Blame the CIA, FBI, the latest weather disaster or President Obama! Seriously, that kind of beaurocracy is so frustrating - almost as bad as ours

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.

"It's all a communist plot!" No? Frustrating, certainly.

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.

......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!

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.

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...

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.

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

and now you know why I hate trying to call