@TorqueStripe: Let me guess .. you work for Bristow. All other operators seem to require a ME IR as entry ticket. If you already have a ME type rating, then it is cheaper for the operator to pay for an additional one (8 vs 5 hrs).
Also, if you paid 20k EUR for the JAR SE IR conversion course, you´ve probably spent 10k EUR on the FAA IR rating before. This adds up to about the same price as directly doing their SE IR course.