Opted for the rush turnaround and got my transcript back faster than the standard one?

So I paid the extra $35 for the 3-day rush on my transcript order last Tuesday, thinking it would be the only way to make a Friday deadline. The service came through on Thursday, no complaints there. But my coworker ordered the standard option the same day from the same place and got hers by Thursday afternoon too, which made me wonder if I wasted the cash. The cheap option might just sit in the same processing queue, and the rush is mostly a guarantee, not a speed boost. Is that a fluke or have others seen the standard service sneak through just as quick? I'm curious if the premium is ever worth it when you actually have a week of wiggle room.

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tylerr297d ago

My buddy Dave had almost the exact same thing happen with a passport, not a transcript. He paid the extra fee for the expedited processing at the post office, and his standard-order coworker got her passport in the mail two days before his did. The teller even told him the rush only bumps you to the front of the line if they're actually behind, which they weren't that week. He said he felt like he donated money to the government for nothing. Now he always waits until he has a solid two weeks of buffer and never pays the premium. I think that's the real takeaway, the rush is just insurance for when you're cutting it too close, not a guarantee of faster service.