what puts me off is the stated 10-15 working days wait time from next month. But I think the actual wait time might be faster? Since I heard other embassies also state 10 working days but actually finish it in about 4-5.
I'm tempted to try apply in Laos again online next month, since Laos is the closest one. But not sure if they're gonna continue with their shenanigans or not.
didn't have a hand signature, yes. In Estonia all online documents are signed using cryptographic signatures (ASICE), they don't put hand signatures on PDFs (as that would not be valid signatures).