Social Security Office

I went to the Berkeley Social Security Office just to turn in paper work. You can not even drop it off. You must take a number and get in line :-(
When I got to the counter I just told the person I wanted to make sure the supervisor got it. Instead of saying just ok, she goes and rudely ask if I had talk to her and more. I told her I spoke to her last week. I have turned in paper with before that went ‘missing’ I hate to do crap like this twice.
Make sure you get names etc and dates time .
What a pain !!!

I recommend recording ALL conversations with the Berkeley Social Security Office when considering important decisions about your social security payments. I also recommend asking if any pertinent recent changes to rules, regulations or laws apply to the decision you are contemplating.
Today I learned that I was not informed of an important pertinent recent change when making a decision recently about my Social Security with the Berkeley Social Security Office. This is the THIRD time such a thing has happened to me with the Berkeley Office. Their failure to inform me has cost me tens of thousands of dollars in benefits. I have no recourse because I have no recording to prove the misinformation I was given and the information that was withheld.
I also recommend informing yourself about all aspects of filing for benefits or suspending benefits before you approach the Berkeley Office.

My husband and I went in together to get our names changed, since we took each other’s names when we married. We completed our paperwork prior to going in and had our marriage certificate ready. Everyone was very pleasant and we had a good experience, but one thing we wish we had done differently is to take just one number for the both of us, so we didn’t have to do a big pass off of the certificate. We opted for safe, rather than sorry, but both people helping us said that they would’ve completed both transactions if we hadn’t taken two tickets. Arrived 15 minutes after opening on a Tuesday, and we were in and out in a little over an hour.

Expected a crazy wait and disgruntled workers but was surprised with the overall experience.
I had to come here to change the name of my social security card after tying the knot. The security guard at the front door was kind and helped me out with the process: grab a numbered ticket, take a seat, and wait for your number to be called.
Two windows were operating, and some people had more complicated issues to resolve. Mine was a simple process, and so once my number was called, I was done in less than 10 minutes.

As others say, the security guard is very helpful so at least you sit down to wait with a positive attitude.
My experience at this office trying to sort out a problem relating to requesting a social security number for a child has been extremely frustrating and has lasted almost 6 months. Aside from one particularly unpleasant young woman, all the employees have been willing to try to help, but they have all given me different information.
I lost all trust in this particular office, however, when two days ago I was told that two notifications had been mailed when none were received. It was a silly, disappointing, run-​of-​the-​mill lie to cover for dropping the ball on the case. There’s lots more, but it’s boring bureaucratic ineptitude stuff.
If you have an unusual or complicated situation, I’d suggest going to another social security office simply because this one doesn’t appear to have it’s act together for anything more involved than regular straightforward transactions.

very very rude people work at front here. They don’t have smile at their faces at all. When you talk to these peple you feel like you’ve done something horrible to them. You feel like they heat you. Are you work for free here? Or this is your job and you get paid for it? Its a shame.

Came at 3:24 and closed! New hours are until 3:00pm Monday to Friday except Wednesday only open until 12 noon. Pain in … To waste my time coming down here.

We had to get our infant a ssn bc we had a home birth. Depending on who is working, your midwife’s affidavit should be enough to prove that you had a baby but it isn’t. Bring a note from the pediatrician or vaccine records as well as the birth certificate. The redundancy of the social security office would be comical except I actually need to deal with it. They require medical documents to prove the birth (but not your midwives affidavit, or the pku test). Smh, that’s the worst part of a home birth: getting a ssn.

Extremely long waits and poorly trained staff. They told my wife all we would need to apply for a SSID for my newborn daughter was birth certificate and an affidavit from the midwife. When we got the affidavit they changed their minds and said it would have to be a letter from an MD, and that our letter from a California board certified midwife, written more than 2 months after the birth, did not count as evidence that our daughter (who was with my wife when she showed up here) was alive, according to the representative’s (Ms. Valle) opinion.

A pleasant surprise!
Went there this morning to straighten out some Medicare issues that I couldn’t online or on the telephone. Arrived at 9AM, the doors were open and people who had been waiting before me were seated with numbers or were in line at the waiting ticket machine. Very orderly process, the guard watching over the line to register was knowledgeable and friendly and helped me when the machine was slow in taking in my social security number on the touchscreen. He told me how I could make an appointment next time online or through the 800 number.
Waited a pretty short time, maybe ten minutes, my number was called, the intake person gave me a form to fill out and went back to my chair to wait for my name to be called. This took a little longer but eventually Eric came from the back room to get me and we sat down at his cubicle. He was great — calm, explained everything well, personable, answered every question and I was done! Got what I needed changed, which I was very worried about, and I left.
The whole experience took one hour exactly. Very efficient I thought, good service and a surprisingly good experience!

We checked in using the touchscreen and the machine prints out a number. You sit down and wait for your number to be called. The wait wasn’t long. All we wanted was for them to issue a proof of benefits letter. However this was during the government shutdown. When it was our turn, lady told us that they cannot give us the letter and to go online to do it instead.
So you made us wait for all that and you can’t even give us service? Why are you not putting up signs upfront? The visit was a waste of time. Tell me when I check in so I’m not wasting my time or yours! You even had a handout to give us directions on how to do it online! Why aren’t you just giving it to me at the front door instead of having us wait. You are giving yourself more work when you are telling everyone the same thing over and over.

EVERY MONTH these incompetent workers change my benefits — lowering it each time, of course — although the information remains the same! They do a series of math problems to justify it and when you protest, they ignore you unless you send a registered letter, then they phone and try to explain their actions by talking constantly,. worst government agency I have every encountered!!!

Friday morning.
8:40– Waited outside in the cool morning brisk air behind 10 people.
8:50– Another 15 people behind me.
8:59– Door opens, mister security man makes an announcement of how he’ll check us in.
We all get a number by our super nice and helpful security man and take a seat. Within 5 mins they check me in and ask me to wait again. Within 10 mins, I am seen by a really helpful rep as she takes care of helping me get replacement cards. It took her some time to process all the paper work (that and she was gossiping with a co-​worker– great multi-​tasker! hah!).
I waited longer outside then I did inside. (Boo)
I didnt know that replacement cards were at no charge! Weee!!!

Worst experience at a government agency… So you know it was bad!
The countergirl said over an hour wait so have lunch you’ll be okay. When I came back in less than hour I lost my place and it gets worse the window person told me to start over with a new number because it was unfair to people who waited. I said we’ll its unfair because the young lady told me it was all right. I asked to speak to the manager she said I will get the manager when I am finished with customer I said ok. When the lady left she said, «I am the manager!» Very funny and unprofessional I asked for regional office number she wrote down the Berkeley number, the security guard was on his phone telling people not to use there cellphone just completely unprofessional. I am never going back

I would never have guessed that I’d be writing a review about a Social Security office, much less a positive review, but my experience with them was so good I needed to say something. I needed to get some social security cards for my family and the process couldn’t have been easier. The office is quite small from the outside so you might miss it. Fortunately, there is a pay parking garage right by the office so its easy to park. I arrived about 20 minutes before the office opened to get in line. There were maybe a couple people ahead of me.
In a move I couldn’t believe, the security officer opened the office EARLY. They let us in a few minutes before the scheduled time. The gentlemen at the counter also started seeing us early. Their process was efficient and everyone there was very friendly. The office was also clean and fairly comfortable. If you need to go to a social security office, I’d highly recommend this one!

I guess this location is OK. Why? Cause there isn’t much else to compare it to. So…
The parking sucks, City of Berkeley killing your change slot. The security guard (that was there the day I went in, at least) is doing a little toooo much. He talked too loud, trying to be helpful (HELLO, PLEASE USE SELF SERVICE OVER HERE… PLEASE TURN CELL PHONES TO SILENT… HOW CAN I HELP YOU… SEE MY BIG GUN???) Interestingly he didn’t flinch a toenail to help a super-​elderly gentleman that couldn’t get his giddyup when called to go to the window for service. Other patrons had to help.
Thankfully they have plenty of chairs in there, cause you’re gonna wait «awhile», maybe not quite as bad as DMV though.
Not the fun place to be, but when you’ve got social security business to handle, options are slim to none.
Hey, there’s a snack place next door.

Rather efficient. So easy to miss as you’re walking along Allston. Between the YMCA and Shattuck. Next to that cheesy named Lox stock and Bagel…
Touch screen for why u r there, and take the numbered receipt that spews out. There are about 20 chairs and no wifi. Meters surrounding the street range from 10,30 minutes, to 1 hr to 2 hr. I’d say an hour should suffice. Can always tell the bailiffy-​looking man your name and come back after feeding the rip-​off meter!
PS Open from 09 – 15

I wanted to begin my name changing process as soon as I could, so as soon as my marriage license arrived, I headed to the SS Office. I didn’t have an appointment, but everything took perhaps 10 minutes. There were even 7 people ahead of me, but everyone working there was friendly and very efficient with their time. Just make sure you get there before they close at 3:30.

Usually I hate DMV, USPS, SSN, and those places… but this SSN Office is surprisingly efficient. Go in, get a number, and get called within 10 mins. People who work here don’t act like them biatches at DMV. They act patient and willing to help. Got my SSN within a week!!!

I came here twice in a one week period to apply for my SSN and both times the security guard was giving HIMself a full manicure. No one likes a public nail clipper, let alone when forced to wait in a grimy, beige government office for upwards of an hour. The sound of thick, calcified nails being clipped repeatedly is a terrifying soundtrack when waiting for your number to be called.
Staff is visibly annoyed and has no lust for life whatsoever — however, for meeting my expectations just about right for a government entity, I will award two stars. I got my SSN in the mail seven days after applying, as promised.