While I agree that the page could be re-worded better, if not temporarily removed, after such a long delay, I don't think dishonesty and dangling a carrot have anything to do with it. In fact, as your post here shows (I remember someone else had fumed about the same thing (not sure if on this forum or somewhere else)), there is little benefit of hanging a rotten carrot if that was ever the intention. Lee Valley knows better than that, and little gimmicks have never been their style of doing business as everyone has witnessed for 40 years.
Simon