GOLDEN, Colo. — At J&K Roofing in Golden, the phones have been ringing off the hook.
The only problem? The calls were meant for one of the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment (CDLE)'s new unemployment call centers.
Office Manager Marsha Kersting said it all started on April 27.
"We probably got over 100 calls that first day for sure," Kersting said. "It just rang and rang and rang."
Under normal circumstances, owners Jim and Karla Ferguson said they would relish the inundation, but Kersting and two other employees found themselves fielding calls from people expecting to reach the CDLE call center.
"We weren’t quite sure what was happening but knew we needed to figure something out. I think we were just as surprised as the person who was giving us a call," Karla Ferguson said.
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CDLE said it learned of the issue on April 27.
Since then, the Fergusons said they've received between 30-50 calls per day.
"We notified our call center vendor, who notified their carrier, who in turn attempted to contact the local company’s carrier," a CDLE spokesperson said. "After multiple attempts, the local company’s carrier was unresponsive."
According to CDLE, only J&K's carrier can fix the problem.
As of last week, "the two carriers have been working on a resolution."
CDLE said it doesn't yet know what caused the mix-up.
In the meantime, the Fergusons and Kersting said they've done all they can do to help the callers rerouted to their business.
"We’re just trying to be as respectful as possible to everybody because everybody is in the same boat," Kersting said.
"Our expertise is helping you with your roof, not helping you with your unemployment claim," added Jim Ferguson. "We’re very sensitive and understand that when people finally reach a live person, they get excited that they finally [get] to move their claim forward."
While the phone carriers troubleshoot, J&K Roofing's staff said it hopes for a speedy resolution as it approaches its busiest season of the year.
"I do really think it’s important to try to get this figured out, not only for individuals who are calling in to provide claims, but also to free up the time and the lines in order to keep our business moving," Karla Ferguson said.
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