As promised, here's the final update. The package finally arrived today. I won't go into any more bashing or praising. I will simply say that I am satisfied with the product although I will probably not be a repeat customer due to the previously described experience.

: I don't doubt that he has had numerous positive interactions in the
: past. That's actually why I decided to trust him with what I
: consider a substantial amount of money. He seemed to have a good
: track record. however I'm sure anyone can agree that three
: months is more than enough time to try and correct a situation.

: He actually just got in touch with me once again to offer more
: explanations as to why he hasn't been able to deal with the
: situation. But as I mentioned to him, after a certain point when
: you're dealing with significant amounts of money, you either
: have to do whatever it takes to rectify the situation or give a
: refund. At the very least, prompt replies to any questions is a
: must and I don't feel that has even been done from his end. All
: I can do is offer my own experience in hopes that others don't
: go through the same issues.

: If he does manage to rectify the situation, I'd be happy to post an
: update.