One thing you did not mention is that the expense of shipping a mount half way across the country is very expensive. When I had my Bison skull done in MO where I killed it I used a taxidermist that worked with the outfitter because our vehicle was full of people and coolers full of meat and I did not want to deal with a buffalo head and hide spoiling on the way home. The cost to Fed Ex that skull which was put into a beetle colony and then cleaned up and whitened and mounted on a plaque with the 45-70 shell I killed it with cost almost as much as the cost of the taxidermist, it almost doubled the cost. Sometimes conditions dictate you get the animal mounted in the area where you killed it, however, If you have quality taxidermists near your home I highly recommend you use them. At least the person who did the work is nearby in the event you are not satisfied with the work and not half way across the country. Most areas have some quality taxidermist, I have several that are top quality artists and had circumstances been different, I would have used one of them. I really do not understand the need to have instant satisfaction by getting a mount quickly. I suspect the op never took a specimen to a taxidermist before and did not asked the questions he should have, and one of the important questions is, can you give me an estimate of the time it will take to finish and deliver the mount. The OP had an unrealistic expectation of turn around time and was not willing to concede to reality.