OfficerKite, you seem to have interpreted your experience terribly. At my Stage 3 assessment (at OAA), we were told it could go any way of 4, depending on if easyjet liked us or not, but still on route 4,you had a chance of easyjet! At that stage, I would have taken any route, my goal was get on the course and anything else was a bonus.
I waited two weeks (the exact time they said) and I received that congratulations email and then a phone call explaining which route (2).
It seems I might be the exception, as I've had plenty of info, and all my questions have been answered!
It's an expensive industry and nothing is going to be cheap! But once you're on the course, even 'whitetail' you have the opportunity whilst you're there to speak to the easyjet lot and if you get plus 90% average (easyjet candidates cannot get below 85%) in your exams, they'll probably consider you for an upgrade. Don't be bitter, I've failed in past and if you want it you try again.
Also my experience with CTC is way more money making, it's more expensive if you fail your aptitude tests (which are something dragged from the depths of hell) and they will take anyone. I have a friend, who put in a ridiculous application that no job would ever hire from and they're still emailing him to come for the aptitude tests. If that's not a money making scheme, I don't know what is. Bye bye £300!
Good luck and don't give up, and key thing to learn from this, don't mention anything risky that you do. We all want to do aerobatics in the a/c but don't bloody tell them that hahaaa...