[fazool]

As stated, this is a removable bolt-on NT neck (in which the fretboard extension also bolts on and is removed with the neck). As a bolted assembly there is always some amount of clearance. Taylor dresses up this gap with a miniscule bead of flexible (never hardening) color putty. Actually they use their own recipe but its essentially Color Putty.

There is a video on Youtube (discussed elsewhere here on AGF showing this at Taylor).

There is another discussion here on AGF (elsewhere) where I show how I made my own by blending color putty and lemon mineral oil and stain to color match.

Most people, I think, just leave this tiny gap and don't care during post-factory neck adjustments. I prefer a factory look so add a syringe bead of my putty-blend.

What your pictures show is a horrible mess and I imagine nothing leaves the Taylor factory looking like that. If that material is dry and hard then I would have a serious discussion with the seller or return the guitar. If its soft and non-curing then they did the right thing but with poor skills. If its hardnened wood putty, they are a hack who didn't know anything about the guitars they are working on.