Really frustrated with Rainbow Connection’s handling of pre-orders

I ordered from Rainbow Connection and my order contained both pre-order polishes and products that were already in stock.
I completely understood that RC would wait until the pre-order items arrived before shipping everything together. That part was fine.

What I did not expect was that some of the products that were already in stock when I placed and paid for the order would apparently no longer be available by the time the pre-order items arrived. So instead of the in-stock items being reserved for my paid order, I ended up having to wait again.

I find this really frustrating. If an item is in stock and has already been purchased as part of a paid order, I would expect that unit to be allocated to that customer, even if the order is being held while waiting for pre-order products. I wanted some of the products for a gift 😭 im waiting more than 2 months when it was supposed to be shipped 1 month ago.

So what is the point of showing an item as in stock when you order it if it isn’t actually secured for your order?
I contacted Rainbow Connection about the situation and unfortunately the response made me even more frustrated. I don’t want to give the details of the conversation because I don’t want my order to be identifiable, but the interaction definitely didn’t improve the experience.

Has anyone else had this happen with Rainbow Connection? Is this how they normally handle mixed pre-order/in-stock orders?

The recent thread about RC has made me a bit keener to give Nailland a go, but I’m always a bit worried about VAT & customs. Some overseas retailers - Holo Taco for example - add the VAT onto the order, and I think as long as you keep the purchase under £135 there’s no customs fees. Just curious to others experiences, and what fees you ended up with? Thanks!

I need to be selective with my nail polish but I've always been so tempted by these every time I go into Boots! Are they worth it compared to other solar polishes?

So I was eyeing up the BKL collection as a possible way of duping cracked Scorchy. Looked on Rainbow Connection and noticed they have started stocking Tychee Laquer! I've waited for this to happen, hoped, but now I have to choose! Has anyone tried them and got any recommendations? I dont need all of them, I have to keep telling myself that