I know of one exception () who feels the ATOs are a bit of a scam,
(this was a few years ago....)
£200 + VAT per hr for a FNPT2, £350+VAT per hr for a Duchess, £150+VAT per hr for instructor (it is IR training after all!), all to fly between Bournemouth, Yeovil, Southampton and Alderney! Oh and don't forget the 170A, plus the Duchess, so add another grand. Don't forget the CAA test fee either, though of course this is nothing to do with the ATO.
This is the situation my buddy encountered when he converted the FAA to JAA IR. He did it in 15 hrs (10 FNPT2) + 2ish hrs for the test, and it cost him near on 10 grand. All this for a bit of paper even though he was already perfectly well qualified to fly IFR and had done for a while under the N reg. this doesn't include the ground school either which adds another grand plus significant time input. Plus accommodation too, the school only flew 1 hr per day with him so he sat twiddling his thumbs in rented accommodation for the rest of the time.
I guess this is why FAA IR holders object to "conversions" with an ATO as it essentially means we sign a cheque for 10 grand for a new bit of laser printed paper. Conversely in the USA, you employ a freelance CFII and pay him or her directly if you so wish and fly as much or as little as you wish. Oh yea, and you don't have to wear shirt with stripes and black trousers and you don't get a bollocking for walking out to the aircraft with a baseball cap on!
Interestingly I flew a flight sim in the USA which was equivalent to an FNPT 2. In fact it WAS an FNPT 2 under a different authority. Software was EXACTLY the same, it could have been an FNPT 2 with the right certification, and it was only $95 per hour.