Sorry that you had such issues getting your new custom goodie. It really seems as if a drive over to the shop would have been prudent, early in the exchange, in order to eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding.
Running a small business of any kind can be extremely frustrating in dealing with employee issues. As a customer, you may not care about employee issues, but it is a more than valid reason to have a backup. You have no idea what the individual did for the company, and what manner of snowball was created after the fact. Was he the guy that was supposed to have properly heat treated those frames?
It only takes very little in a small shop to throw a wrench in the whole system.
For someone who claims to have been through the custom process and aware of what you were getting into, it seems more like you took it as an ordering from a magazine approach than hands on. I'd like to SEE where my 5G is going. Throwing an ultimatum at the builder after delivery probably wasn't going to work in any reality.
I would personally love if that guy happens to be a member here and have his say.....