As it happens, he told me beforehand that due to circumstances beyond his control, he would not be able to perform as we discussed. I don't think he was blowing me off, he said if I wanted to do something different, we could still meet at the time. I thanked him for being upfront with me but declined.
I can say that his communication was highly efficient and professional. Even though this was the first time I had contacted him, we set the meeting in like 5 emails, he did not make any extraordinary requests, such as a deposit. He was just as courteous when I declined to meet given the changed circumstances.
I can understand that some people might not have taken the news as well, but since he let me know in advance, I had no problem with it, we're all human and things can happen. I can say that I have not been shown that same courtesy by a couple of other working guys. I thought he handled it correctly and my to-do is always waiting for me. I hope to meet up with him on a future visit.