I find it interesting that the OP has been offered -any- refund whatsoever. I've ordered my share of true custom cues and I am very aware of the process. I personally do not know of any custom cue makers who issue refunds on custom cues.
This is done for a reason. A cue designed or in this case seriously modified at the request of the customer, most often has an appeal only to that customer and therefore has diminished value on the open market. I found a picture of the cue which is the subject of this thread and quite frankly it bears little resemblance of the average cue built by this cue maker.
The OP not only was offered a refund but has now been given specific dates to which he responded with an insult which imo says a lot about this buyer.
This buyer is a prime example why many cue makers will not take orders and only build what they want when they want. They don't want customers breathing down their necks, calling or emailing daily or weekly, asking for adds and changes to the order, requesting pictures, and on and on.
There are too many custom cue buyers who are ignorant of what is involved in ordering and executing a custom cue order and for everyone's peace of mind should buy cues in the secondary market.
I get the spirit of what you are saying, but you seriously don't see the problem with the cue as pictured. It matters not one iota that it isn't typical of the makers work. The maker contracted to build a cue to the specs of the customer for a certain price. The fact that he is being offered the refund, to me, shows that the maker agreed that the cue was not up to snuff.
The cue maker certainly sounds like he is trying to make it right. All of this could have been avoided with open communication on both sides and following the rule that a deal is not finalized (meaning, don't spend the customer's money) until both parties are happy.
What if the buyer had agreed to buy the cue, the maker ships the cue, and after receiving it the buyer tells him that he needed to wait a couple months before sending payment? That cue maker would be rightfully upset. To me, it is the same thing in reverse in this scenario.
I hope this is coming to a resolution that both sides can live with. Neither party here seems malicious to me, just an unfortunate transaction.