I never understood these: "write me or better call me so you won't have evidence in writing" to discuss pricing. Come on, be open about the price, have a process and detail it in your website. Makes much more sense and saves time on useless chats and calls.
Being on a call lets them use "sales tactics" on you. It also allows them to charge different prices to different clients.
Another aspect of the call: an experienced rep can always get an extra input point in assessing of what you are... Sometimes you may get a well-capped individual you wouldn't like to share the same toilet with. Not all in the risky business is about greed. I wouldn't like to be a broker personally.
Pricing may be too adjustable based on your needs and requirements. It might not be like some retail brokers that have one pricing structure regardless of what you do. I believe even TD offers various levels of commissions/fees, based on trading activity and balances (and these rares are not published). The gentleman in question has been around here for ages and is generally helpful. I would not jump to thinking negatively. Your needs seem to be specific, worth spending 5 mins on a phone