I agree with you, there should be an out for the customer if no work has been done.
I ordered Roxanne universals. They told me I had to order from a dealer and could not order direct. So I did and the dealer charged my credit card in full the day I placed the pre-order on December 11th.
I need to cancel that order. If no one knows when the customs will be done, I am guessing the universals are going to be after that. I wonder if that's even this year!