So you're telling me my raise money is just sitting there waiting to be claimed like a forgotten gift card? Guess I better speak up before my coworker buys a new monitor with my cash.

What kind of gear were you using for those 300 tries? I bet a lot of them were just fighting the camera settings... figuring out the right ISO and shutter speed without getting star trails is its own battle before you even find a dark spot.

Missing a dimension is a big deal, but calling it a close call seems off. That's a basic error that should have been caught in your own check before it went out. Relying on the contractor to find it puts them in a tough spot. Good on you for fixing it fast, but the real lesson is to slow down and review your own work more carefully.