Borderline- Sounds like one BIG ripoff. My advise to you as someone who has flown at organisations in Ardmore, Hamilton, Napier and Tauranga , get out of the big city. Ardmore is a meat market.
If simuflight and flight2000 are treating your mates son, the CUSTOMER like that and he hasn't even spent a dollar yet, imagine how he will be treated once they have his 10 or 20K in their grubby little hands.
It's good to see you doing your homework on flying schools though.
Dont let him get shafted
No offence intended, but let the kid grow up a bit, send him out of Auckland. (dependant on age of course) There IS a sea of opportunity below the Bombay hills.
Good luck