The original 870 Express wasn't bad. I mean, it's still crap, just decent crap. Then they cheapened it even more, and made the fit and finish even worse. 700's have a history being good. All the others are bait and switch like the OP situation. Those knuckleheads have the most popular rifle ever built and manage to screw up. Their custom shop is pathetic.
Pretty bad when 99% of the gunsmiths can take YOUR parts a build a better gun. You'd think with all the free research and development (meaning available custom rifles) they might learn something.