PSA / Issue: If you have EBT in Alabama and use Google Fi, your calls might be getting blocked
Hey everyone, writing this from a McDonald's parking lot because rural internet isn't playing nice today, but I needed to share this in case anyone else is dealing with it. For a whole year, every time I tried calling the Alabama EBT balance line (1-800-997-8888), the call would connect and IMMEDIATELY hang up on me. I kept having to borrow someone else's phone just to check my balance. Turns out, if you are on Google Fi, their automated call routing/VPN setups triggers the EBT phone vendor's system to automatically block your number. When I finally got through to a rep, she casually told me, "Oh okay, let me unblock your number for you, try calling back in 30 minutes." Wait... UNBLOCK ME? Why was my number ever blocked from accessing basic public assistance lines in the first place? If you have EBT and Google Fi and keep getting hung up on, call customer service from another line and specifically ask them to unblock your number on their end. Is anyone else experiencing this? Vendors contracted by the state shouldn't be blocking low-income people from checking their basic lifeline benefits!