This post will teach you how to get a person and human being on the phone when you call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
Surprisingly, it is actually quite easy to talk to a human on the phone when you call the USPS 1800 number.
I recently shipped an item through the United States Postal Service and the package was lost. But I had the tracking information, which was not working.
To make a long story short, I could not get a real person on the phone to help me with the situation. All I heard were repeated automated messages, which were not helpful.
usps hold mail
Then, I decided to try a few things to get a human on the phone since I had already wasted an hour using the automated system.
UPDATE 11/19/2016
Getting a USPS human now seems to be a bit easier than past methods.
Here’s what I did today and tested a few times and it worked, although it told me all agents were busy.
Call the phone number.
Enter your zip code and confirm.
Say no to the privacy policy prompt.
Wait a few seconds until the voice starts giving options.
Say “agent”.
You will then be prompted to say what you need. Either say “tracking”, “stamps”, or “something else”.
That’s it! You will probably have to wait on hold for some time or request a call-back, but this is currently what seems to be working.
FYI, the info below does not seem to be working anymore. But I keep it here as archived information.
Thank you everyone for visiting this page to try and get a human on the phone at USPS. Today I tested my other methods listed further below, and they didn’t seem to work anymore.
It seems like they are constantly updating their system to make it more automated and make it more difficult to get a person on the phone.
So I tried another method. Sort of a brute-force attack on their system.
I tried it a few times and it worked each time. The automated voice did say all reps were busy, but that’s better than the crappy looping system they have.
Here’s what I did. Blast the automated system with zeros!
usps com
Seriously
I called the number. And after the Spanish prompt, I hit it with zeros.
PLEASE DON’T TRY THE BELOW 00000000000 METHOD. SORRY FOR THOSE IN THE COMMENTS SAYING IT DOESN’T WORK. I ONLY KEEP THAT TEXT HERE BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RANKING IN GOOGLE AND TRAFFIC THIS PAGE GETS. USE THE METHOD ABOVE. NOT THE ZERO METHOD. IF YOU SEE A GOOGLE SNIPPET WITH THE ZERO METHOD, GOOGLE IS INCORRECTLY SHOWING THE CORRECT METHOD. I CAN’T CONTROL WHAT GOOGLE DISPLAYS IN SNIPPETS BECAUSE THEY ARE SCRAPING CONTENT LIKE MINE TO DISPLAY AS THIER OWN.
So DON’T…
Call the phone number.
After the Spanish prompt, hit zero about ten times in a row, very quickly. Like this: 0000000000
Listen to the automated voice. It will skip and get cut off because of all the requests you made.
If it asks you to do an action after it finishes, hit zero about 15 times in a row, very quickly, like: 000000000000000
Listen to the automated voice again. It will skip even more because of the amount of requests.
If it asks you to do an action after it finishes, quickly hit zero about 20 times in a row, like: 00000000000000000000
Then it should hopefully send you to the part that can connect you with a person, or at least schedule a call-back.
I hope this helps! The call-back message seems to usually say ‘about 40 minutes’, but it only takes a couple of minutes to do the steps above to get there.
And thank you for commenting and keeping me updated when these strategies stop working. It seems like it changes a few times a year, and I try to keep everyone updated on this page.
UPDATE 7/6/2016: Based on a couple recent comments, looks like the USPS might have changed the phone system. I will try to figure out a new way to get a human and update this page.
This is what worked in the past:
First, dial 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) during their normal business hours.
M-F 8:00am-8:30pm ET | Sat – 8:00am-6:00pm ET | Sunday/Holidays – Closed
UPDATE 3/09/2015: Thank you Chris and ace for your comments! I guess the US Postal Service has changed their automated system and my older method described further below no longer works.
Here is what seemed to be working.
Call the phone number. After the Spanish prompt, press 0.
Let the voice go through all the options. Press 6.
Let the voice go through the next set of options. Press 4.
Then it will talk about a policy. Press 2 to skip hearing it.
You should then be in line to talk to someone.
Then Wait, Wait, Wait…
It may take awhile for someone to answer. That is on them, so please don’t be upset with me if it takes 10+ minutes to talk to someone or you get disconnected or something weird.
I am just trying to help you bypass all the automated crap to get a human on the phone. And be sure to have your tracking number available when someone does pick up.
Thanks and keep me informed in the comments if I should add or edit any steps listed above.
The info below is old information and will not help you reach a human when calling the US Postal Service. I am only keeping it here because this post seems to be found a lot through Google and I don’t want to mess that up.
usps change of address
After you dial the 1-800 number, the recording will thank you and then ask if you want Spanish (para Espanol). Do not speak and do not push any buttons. It will then say “Main Menu”. At this time, push 0 (zero).
Then the recording will say, “You’ve asked for customer service”. Do not speak and do not push any buttons yet. Wait until the recording says, “You can say”. At this time, push the 0 (zero) button on your phone. Do not speak into the phone.
You will then get another message saying, “Would you like to hear the USPS privacy statement”. Push 0 (zero) again. Do not speak into the phone.
Then you will be connected to a real live person!
United States Postal Service Customer Service Phone Number
You might get a message telling you that all of the customer service representatives are busy, but it is better to wait for a real person than to go through their automated system. Trust me!
Here are the steps simplified. ** Remember, do not speak into the phone and 0 (zero) is the only button you need to push! **
1. Dial 1-800-ASK-USPS (1800-275-8777)
2. When you hear “Main Menu”, push 0 (zero)
3. When you hear “You can say”, push 0 (zero)
4. After you hear “Would you like to hear the USPS privacy statement”, push 0 (zero)
5. Talk to a real person!
Surprisingly, it is actually quite easy to talk to a human on the phone when you call the USPS 1800 number.
I recently shipped an item through the United States Postal Service and the package was lost. But I had the tracking information, which was not working.
To make a long story short, I could not get a real person on the phone to help me with the situation. All I heard were repeated automated messages, which were not helpful.
usps hold mail
Then, I decided to try a few things to get a human on the phone since I had already wasted an hour using the automated system.
UPDATE 11/19/2016
Getting a USPS human now seems to be a bit easier than past methods.
Here’s what I did today and tested a few times and it worked, although it told me all agents were busy.
Call the phone number.
Enter your zip code and confirm.
Say no to the privacy policy prompt.
Wait a few seconds until the voice starts giving options.
Say “agent”.
You will then be prompted to say what you need. Either say “tracking”, “stamps”, or “something else”.
That’s it! You will probably have to wait on hold for some time or request a call-back, but this is currently what seems to be working.
FYI, the info below does not seem to be working anymore. But I keep it here as archived information.
Thank you everyone for visiting this page to try and get a human on the phone at USPS. Today I tested my other methods listed further below, and they didn’t seem to work anymore.
It seems like they are constantly updating their system to make it more automated and make it more difficult to get a person on the phone.
So I tried another method. Sort of a brute-force attack on their system.
I tried it a few times and it worked each time. The automated voice did say all reps were busy, but that’s better than the crappy looping system they have.
Here’s what I did. Blast the automated system with zeros!
usps com
Seriously
I called the number. And after the Spanish prompt, I hit it with zeros.
PLEASE DON’T TRY THE BELOW 00000000000 METHOD. SORRY FOR THOSE IN THE COMMENTS SAYING IT DOESN’T WORK. I ONLY KEEP THAT TEXT HERE BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RANKING IN GOOGLE AND TRAFFIC THIS PAGE GETS. USE THE METHOD ABOVE. NOT THE ZERO METHOD. IF YOU SEE A GOOGLE SNIPPET WITH THE ZERO METHOD, GOOGLE IS INCORRECTLY SHOWING THE CORRECT METHOD. I CAN’T CONTROL WHAT GOOGLE DISPLAYS IN SNIPPETS BECAUSE THEY ARE SCRAPING CONTENT LIKE MINE TO DISPLAY AS THIER OWN.
So DON’T…
Call the phone number.
After the Spanish prompt, hit zero about ten times in a row, very quickly. Like this: 0000000000
Listen to the automated voice. It will skip and get cut off because of all the requests you made.
If it asks you to do an action after it finishes, hit zero about 15 times in a row, very quickly, like: 000000000000000
Listen to the automated voice again. It will skip even more because of the amount of requests.
If it asks you to do an action after it finishes, quickly hit zero about 20 times in a row, like: 00000000000000000000
Then it should hopefully send you to the part that can connect you with a person, or at least schedule a call-back.
I hope this helps! The call-back message seems to usually say ‘about 40 minutes’, but it only takes a couple of minutes to do the steps above to get there.
And thank you for commenting and keeping me updated when these strategies stop working. It seems like it changes a few times a year, and I try to keep everyone updated on this page.
UPDATE 7/6/2016: Based on a couple recent comments, looks like the USPS might have changed the phone system. I will try to figure out a new way to get a human and update this page.
This is what worked in the past:
First, dial 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) during their normal business hours.
M-F 8:00am-8:30pm ET | Sat – 8:00am-6:00pm ET | Sunday/Holidays – Closed
UPDATE 3/09/2015: Thank you Chris and ace for your comments! I guess the US Postal Service has changed their automated system and my older method described further below no longer works.
Here is what seemed to be working.
Call the phone number. After the Spanish prompt, press 0.
Let the voice go through all the options. Press 6.
Let the voice go through the next set of options. Press 4.
Then it will talk about a policy. Press 2 to skip hearing it.
You should then be in line to talk to someone.
Then Wait, Wait, Wait…
It may take awhile for someone to answer. That is on them, so please don’t be upset with me if it takes 10+ minutes to talk to someone or you get disconnected or something weird.
I am just trying to help you bypass all the automated crap to get a human on the phone. And be sure to have your tracking number available when someone does pick up.
Thanks and keep me informed in the comments if I should add or edit any steps listed above.
The info below is old information and will not help you reach a human when calling the US Postal Service. I am only keeping it here because this post seems to be found a lot through Google and I don’t want to mess that up.
usps change of address
After you dial the 1-800 number, the recording will thank you and then ask if you want Spanish (para Espanol). Do not speak and do not push any buttons. It will then say “Main Menu”. At this time, push 0 (zero).
Then the recording will say, “You’ve asked for customer service”. Do not speak and do not push any buttons yet. Wait until the recording says, “You can say”. At this time, push the 0 (zero) button on your phone. Do not speak into the phone.
You will then get another message saying, “Would you like to hear the USPS privacy statement”. Push 0 (zero) again. Do not speak into the phone.
Then you will be connected to a real live person!
United States Postal Service Customer Service Phone Number
You might get a message telling you that all of the customer service representatives are busy, but it is better to wait for a real person than to go through their automated system. Trust me!
Here are the steps simplified. ** Remember, do not speak into the phone and 0 (zero) is the only button you need to push! **
1. Dial 1-800-ASK-USPS (1800-275-8777)
2. When you hear “Main Menu”, push 0 (zero)
3. When you hear “You can say”, push 0 (zero)
4. After you hear “Would you like to hear the USPS privacy statement”, push 0 (zero)
5. Talk to a real person!
