I hate to beat a dead horse, but I can only reiterate that the law is on the OP's side here. It's sort of hard to start an argument when a court would find against you. "Yeah but..." but nothing, he's legally entitled to be put in the position he would have been in had the contract been concluded. Keep your bargains. Anyway, I know you're not pursuing this legally, I'm just saying, there's not much room for debate on what the right way to act in this situation is.