Whopity,
Fee's for an FIC are fare (fare -geddit? heh heh!) enough and I do not begrudge a qualified FI getting paid commensurate with their level of expertise. I paid over the going rate for my FIC because I respected the FI who did my training. I never grumbled. I paid £200 cash for my FIC test with nary so much as a flinch (indeed gave the examiner a bottle of wine too) because they were brilliant with me...
No, the problem comes (and it's as much an embarrassment really!) when FI's start doing things by the letter of the law (ie; pre-entry flight test) simply because it's a way of getting a few quid out of the already street-wise (don't forget they've been thru a fair bit of flight training already!) candidate or because they cannot interprete the rules accordingly. Either/or - it's a worry and a turn off for me personally.
This issue is usually spawned by spurious offers of employment on completetion of FIC. Short and curlies spring to mind. Do not try and make me think otherwise because you and I both know that what I say is true so quit the act.
VFE.