People might call the California Department of Employment Development to apply for benefits, check the status of payments or get help finding a job. When I called 800-229-6297, a customer service number for the California Department of Employment Development, I assumed I could get information on job training programs.
When the voice response system answered the call, I heard a greeting identifying the agency, followed by instructions to press 1 for English and 2 for Spanish. The system indicated that this customer service number was a fraud hotline and would not answer any questions about applications, claims or benefits. The voice emphasized again that this was a dedicated line to assisting the public with inquiries regarding fraud. Hearing this might be a reason for a caller to hang up immediately, especially if they are not concerned with fraud. I stayed on the line to see if the automated system might offer additional guidance.
Next, the system told me to select one of the following options: 1 for unemployment claims, 2 for disability claims, 3 for paid family leave, 4 to reach the Tax Branch with tax-related questions and 5 to report fraud. The voice said I could press star (*) to hear the menu again. I listened to the menu again to see if I missed a prompt for what I wanted to know, but the system repeated the same information. The voice then offered alternatives for reporting fraud, including filing a complaint online or visiting the fraud office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
I hung up but called the number again to see where the system would take me if I pressed 1. It told me if I had applied for benefits, it could take up to three weeks to process the application. It also offered a website address to check the application status online.
The response from this customer service number confused me because the voice response system stated emphatically that the line was for reporting fraud. However, it offered a menu of options a caller could select to get information on issues unrelated to fraud, including unemployment claims, disability claims, paid family leave and tax-related questions. The system provided a web address for filing a complaint.
Since this line appears to connect callers to services in addition to fraud reporting, I don’t understand why the system focused on it being a fraud hotline. Callers like me, interested in other services like job training programs, might expect the agency to provide a menu option for that information.
Many customer service numbers invite callers to stay on the line if they have other questions or offer a number to press for inquiries about other issues. This system did neither. It would have been helpful if I could have spoken to a person who could have answered my question. Someone should look at ways to make this customer service number more user-friendly.