I would like to thank everyone who have taken the time to post in this thread. Before this thread I would have done business with any of the sponsors without worrying too much. Of course, sometimes the service is hit and miss, just like it is for brick-and-mortar stores, but that's alright, even a small hiccup or two during a transaction will not mean that a store will lose my business in the future.
However, this whole fiasco (let's be honest here, this whole story is a fiasco, no matter which on side of the fence you are) has been eye opening for me. I haven't read all 107 pages of posts, but I've seen enough to come to one of 2 conclusions:
1-The dealer got ripped off from from upstream, and, knowlingly or not, ended up selling unsafe firearms and/or worthless collectible items, for a normal profit margin; or
2-The dealer actively took part in a rip off of its own customers, and knowingly sold unsafe firearms and/or worthless collectible items, for an outsized profit margin.
Let's make one thing clear: #2 is a blatant fraud, and it would be whether the product sold was collectible stamps, Louis Vutton handbags, renaissance paintings or buzz lightyear figurines. Peoples go to jail for that.
#1 is a bit more grey, but in such a case, I would expect that a retailer would refund me entirely (which means: at no loss for me, zero, nada, shipping both ways should be refunded). It his job to go after his own distributor/manfacturer. Will it cost said retailer some money? Probably. But the profit margins in an industry are supposed to account for the risk of returning items; if the margins aren't high enough on aggregate, ask an higher price, especially on high-risk items. In any case, I sure wouldn't be happy if I received the answers that the people who bought those Garand have received in this thread.
But this case is even worse, because firearms can potentially injure their users, and not everyone is knowledgeable enough to inspect the bolt of their firearms to find out they shouldn't shoot with it. Even an armorer who's not so familiar with the Garand might not know every potential problem a bolt can have that'll end up disastrous. And most people, especially newbies like me, don't expect that it's necessary to bring a newly-bought firearm to a local armorer to get it checked for safety, if bought from a professional retailer. These rifles could be quite dangerous. People could be injured, or even killed during the normal operation of these refiles. Car manufacturers have to issue recalls when a product they sell is dangerous. The same should be true in this case. The dealer should be contacting every client who bought a Garand, warn them not to fire them for any reason, and send them back for a full refund unless they accept that these items are novelty, not firearms. They shouldn't be fighting against those who want to return their bad products, and try to skimp on shipping fees.
So, I would again like to thank you all. It is not often that I get to learn a lesson for free, it usually costs money or pain, sometimes both. But in this case, I got 3, without spending a dime or bleeding a drop:
1-If I buy a used firearm, no matter where it comes from (dealer, local store, EE, whatever), I'll bring it to my local armorer as soon as I receive it to have it checked for safety. No skimping on safety to save a few bucks. If it isn't safe, I'll ask for a full refund;
2-One of this very site's sponsor has, in my opinion, acted badly. At best, a very bad service was provided. At worst, criminal fraud was commited. I will not send that dealer any of my hard earned money, ever;
3-The bad action of one often tarnish the reputation of others. Previous to this incident, I would have dealed with any of CGN's sponsors with confidence, but this isn't the case anymore. I've had great service from 2 sponsors, and I will happily order from them again. Two others I believe, based on comments on their respective forums offer great service, and I'll happily order from them in the future. With all the other ones I'll thread cautiously, I'll probably turn to them only if I can't find the product elsewhere or their price is ridiculously lower than everywhere else. Take note CGN: one bad sponsor can affect the other's reputation.
Have a good day everyone.