First of all, welcome to the forum. I apologize for not saying that, before. I am sorry your first post has to be one of such a situation.
I have a lot of respect for you, because you thought ahead enough to be careful about not mentioning the cuemaker's name, before finding out what is normal. It is very hard not to blast someone, when you feel wronged. I'm sure it's even harder to weed through all these responses to make a decision about what you need to do from here.
I did notice you had not said whether you have been in contact with the cuemaker, but you did say you haven't received the cue or a refund.
Have you exhausted all means of making contact with the cuemaker?
Did you make sure he actually received your payments?
Did he acknowledge receipt?
Did he give you any ideas when to expect your cue?
Did you give him a good address to send the cue to?
Have you moved, since then?
Do you know for a fact that your cuemaker is still living?
Yes, many cuemakers do tend to support each other, but it is because most people do not realize what really goes into building a cue. And, what if something was to go wrong with a cue being built? Then, you have to start a few months' process all over, again. What if a cuemaker had major medical issues and could not work for a while? Or, his spouse or child had major medical issues? That wouldn't give him a right to use your money for them, but he should at least make contact and let you know there has been a delay and see if you'd like to continue waiting, or go elsewhere.
There are tons of reasons for lack of communication, although if it's been 2 years, I would say that's way too long. Surely there has been communication.
Please try earnestly to make contact with the cuemaker. If you are unable to make contact and/or get a satisfactory response from him, write us back and let us know how things are going at that point.
Whatever you do, don't mention the name of the cuemaker until you are sure you have no other means of getting your situation fixed in a satisfactory manner. If you do mention his name, there is a very good possibility that you could be the cause of a lot of business lost and if there is a good reason for the situation, you could wrongly take a good man down in a hurry. Some cuemakers would gladly have one less cuemaker on the market, but don't fall prey to their suggestions of taking one down, because more good cuemakers means more good choices for customers. Also, if you cause a loss of business to a cuemaker who is able to prove he had not done anything wrong, there could be legal issues to resolve. That would be even worse.
There is a lot to think about in your situation. Obviously, you need to make contact. If you've done that and can't come to some satisfactory agreement, you need a cue or a refund. If you have been cheated and you find it out, please do mention his name and help everyone else protect themselves. But, do your very best to be sure, before you mention any names.
I believe you are a very wise person and have already thought this out and just came here to see if anyone could give you any better advice than you can think of, on your own. The reason I believe this, is because you didn't just start spouting off names and events. You calmly shared your story. (Almost too calmly for a newbie.) But, do know that some of us appreciate your honest and respectable approach to this matter.
Good luck with getting your cue or your money. Please keep us posted, as we are all concerned, at this point.
