frustrated wannabe ducati monster owner!

Can anyone please explain how the monster 696 order process work?

I have been reading the posts here for a couple of weeks now and decided its time to join in, and get some good opinions and views from passionate ducati owners ...

For the last 2 and half years I have been commuting to work on a scooter (vespa px) and at the end of May I finally decided I had had enough.
The beginning of June I booked up a weekend das course getting a test date for the 23rd June. So I arranged for my scooter to be auctioned on ebay ending on the 22nd June.
Next step was to decide what bike to buy. After hours of researching my focus always came back to Monster 696.
The next hurdle was lead times for delivery, all dealers within a 50 mile radius of London were stating Aug/Sept earliest.
Going further a field I got a delivery time of end of June, although I was sceptical I decided to take a chance as I was desperate for it to all work out and come together at the same time.
Needless to say I passed my test, sold my scooter, but have not took receipt of a 696+!
Now the dealer is saying it was always end of June/July, that I am second in the list for the bike and they will contact me as soon as they get the bike details from the factory at which point there should be a 7 day lead time.
Having been commuting on the trains since the 16th of June I am tearing my hair out and becoming obsessed with a plan B!
Can anyone give me their insight/opinion into whether there is any likelyhood of this bike coming soon or whether the dealer has just hooked me in.
I have given myself a dealine of the 14 July at which point I will look for a 695 but I am still unsure whether this is a good idea as I dont know whether there could be a chance it would arrive a couple of days after I pull out?
If it doesn't get here in July, being made in Italy it won't be coming in August...
Would a 695 be a good alternative?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.