I would just say this. If a lady requires a deposit then she should make sure the customer is her 1st priority, barring real emergencies such as life/health, family, etc. In this day and age of instant fingertip communication, it's very easy to send a quick text explaining any problem. After all, the guy has already partially paid before he even steps foot in the door so I think he's entitled to that much courtesy.

Even though you did send a refund, some guys only have a small window of opportunity to hobby and this may have been the case with him. Since he sent a deposit in the 1st place, maybe the money wasn't that big a deal to him but he was upset that his time was wasted. It would be interesting to hear Fred's version of all this.