Okay, so even though the guy claims he's telling the truth about this situation, he would rather put other people in harm's way of potentially dealing with these scumbags, than to risk some imaginary litigation that has no claim in reality if he's NOT lying?

Uh...thanks for the head's up?

I think you got taken, and your demeanor clearly shows why. You let these people walk all over you the first time, and did not put your foot down. You let them walk on you a second time, and still went along with it. It's not like you didn't have ample opportunity to consult with the many collector's communities or other professional shops (if there are any in your area..) to see if it seemed reasonable.

Here's a tip for the future: Anything worth putting that much money and effort into, was worth waiting a few extra days to ask around about the situation. The first time they changed course on you, you should have demanded that they stop all further work until they can provide a price, in writing without jacking you around. No reason to take that kind of BS from these retail pigs that largely exist to feed off the ignorant or lazy. You WILL have problems with the machine at some point, problems that can likely be fixed for 15 bucks instead of paying someone 150. It's worth your time to learn this stuff.

Don't potentially let other people get screwed over by this place because you don't want to say. They hit you for the price of a high end B-list pin, or a low end A-list pin if you got a good deal. That's a lot of money man!