So I finally had to request a transfer!
With travel date on May 1, the agent told me there is no way I could get my passport in time with only 10 days until the end of month (long weekend, etc.). The outrageous thing was they said my "not guaranteed" 20 business days started from yesterday after they confirmed CC info. So I am basically 1 day into the process and not the actually the f**ing 31 BUSINESS DAYS since the delivery of my application!!
Options? Change travel plans or I could ask for a transfer, and even now there is no guarantee that the local office would accept it, which if they do, they'd only call a couple days before the travel date so that you do not miss on any of the stress you need before your travel! And then the usual stuff; they're sorry but I have to pay extra fees, give a written declaration, etc.
Isn't this beautiful?