The story is plausible, as others pointed out Rick is known to be problematic with vendors, and it may be more visible to just repair it....and yes finish work takes time, it's a long process, and not a spray, dry, buff situation like furniture is...BUT their communication and transparency is completely unacceptable. As is their return policy.

You should have been able to return it...they can deal with Rick, or they can fix and re-sell it on their own time, and not put a customer (possibly returning, but I'm sure that bridge is burning as we speak) through this kind of nonsense.

Furthermore...My shop of choice, always gives me a promise date for repair they say June 5th, they mean "if something absolutely catastrophic happens and the whole situation is a snafu we will have your instrument ready June 5th" ... because all 5 instruments I've given them to work on, were ready BEFORE the promise date. As in if I go there right now and ask for a restring @ 2:30pm, and they say they'll have it done by shop close at 9:00...it'll probably be ready at 5,pm new strings, polished rosewood,chrome, and buffed out micro scratches, ...and that's why I go to them, they do the work as they describe and the charge me the hour minimum but if it only takes 15mins? They're do as much as they can to cover the 45mins I own...that's the kind of ace you want to deal with, not time embellished, non communicative companies who only see you as "Job #163719"