Ha, ha I have to laugh. I have spent several decades on both sides of this fence. Much, much longer and under pressure to deliver than ever asking to get my chit back.
Couple of thoughts...if you want something now, as in NOW. Got to ebay, the gun forums or else where and just buy it. If you want something special, find a maker who's work you like and wait. Sometimes for years...
I've had very few people ever cancel projects. Forget about them sure...even die while waiting on delivery, but seldom cancel. If a guy making it can't be bothered communicating with me and ALL MY desires then I either learn to work with him or find someone else I can. Case in point I can imagine the conversation similar to the one posted previous. But the project was $12K total. Some of it got screwed up which the communication several times over was exactly so it wouldn't get screwed up! I could have easily raised some hell but eventually decided it wasn't worth the effort. Took some real soul searching to get there how ever. This from a guy who might well have flown cross country and given you a beat down for fooking up a 12K$ project and telling me to pound sand even just a few years ago.
I like the end result but it is only 80% of what the project could have been. At some point I fix the rest of it....at my cost and to the tune of several $1000 more dollars.
Anyway...all it takes is some communication on both sides. Even real explanations/excuses get old it you are the one waiting. I finally gave up taking deposits just for that reason. You got in my queue by having a project here in the shop. I fronted the parts and labor. You paid when the project was finished. Solved some but not all the problems. Frankly most of the "problems" were me simply being human.
Bottom line for me on custom stuff? And almost everything I own is "custom" in one way or another now, custom cars, custom boots, hand made saddles and guns. If it is "custom" you really don't NEED it, you just want it. No amount of money is gonna get you what you want "right now". Likely not worth having if you can IMO. Sit your ass down and wait. But then I also have no problem asking "are we there yet" with the guys I find a little flakey or just an unproven track record. The guys I trust? No need to ask then anything and they get paid prior to delivery if I can. As said previous, no one wants to keep your chit longer than required to get the job done. And no one wants to have a project finished that the new owner detests because of the soured relationship with the maker. Not good for the customer and not good for the maker long term.
