thing is, if you had told mrs a that you can only hold it with a deposit she might have thought you were trying to corner her ! you cant win in this game ! from what i read mrs a had ample oppurtunity to " get a quote for insurance " and coming in 'either tomorrow or Monday' is not a firm confirmation on her side neither, youve done zero wrong ! have a little bet with you, bet you a tenner if you phoned her back up and told her the other clients backed out then you still wouldnt get a sale from her, there will be a reason and its probably her husband saying you know we cant afford it !
trouser the money and carry on
and regarding deposits, i remind customers that YES there deposit is fully refundable BUT i am entitled to compensation because they have broken the agreement for buying the goods, this compensation could come out of there deposit money because i have spent money based on there order [ cancelled adverts, mots, taxed, storage list can easy cover deposit ]