I've got to say that in my research to decide what I wanted to do, I must have visited, emailed or talked to a good 10+ different flying schools near me, as well as a couple of clubs that had instructors as part of the group.
Every single one of them were helpful, friendly, and keen to give advice. When I was close to making the decision about going down the microlight route, I visited one of the flying schools and the CFI took time to listen, understand what I was thinking, and tell me any pitfalls and what I needed to do to make sure I plugged the gaps (such as doing a full RT course, which isn't covered in the microlight training).
The one thing I didn't meet were "unscrupulous instructors only after my money". Now, I am sure there are some people like that out there, and I am also sure that all the usual care needs to be taken when committing to an expense like flying, but surely people who choose to set up and run flying schools do so because they love flying, and want to share it with others whilst making ends meet. It isn't exactly going to make you a millionaire, after all.
It's a small pool of clients (apart from the commercial training) and word gets round very quickly if someone is unscrupulous, and that is just bad for business.
So, whilst I agree with the initial discussion, I simply can't accept this view of CFIs and flight school owners. I know my experience is anecdotal, but I would say 10+ schools, all helpful means they are not "out to get me", and I think it doesn't help others to promote that view. By all means go in with your eyes open, but I think its wrong to spread these kind of negative feelings. It's just not true, in my experience to date.
IPZ