Comparing 2020 rates and 2025 rates is nonsensical; apparently that guy never heard of inflation. For a *real* comparison, the Bell 505 course I did a few months ago was $17.5k! Of course that's for a much more expensive helicopter and included 3 hours of flight time plus a bit of time in a fancy sim, but it was really only a 2-day course plus a flight or two on each of the next few days, and did not include a factory tour since it wasn't at the factory (dedicated training facility).
$1800 is dirt cheap for a helicopter course. If you're a helicopter owner or even renter, you can obviously afford that cost (it's the equivalent of renting a R44 for 3 hours). If you're a professional helicopter pilot, your employer would pay the cost.