Cost of setting timing, on a V8 ??

You could have bought a very nice light and let me borrow it! Lol I don't trust anyone working on my vehicles I'm a diyer thru and thru if I don't know how I will read and learn how to do it. Most the shops around here where I'm from will rip you off in a heartbeat. I went in for an inspection and had them put some of that die in my ac cause I suspected it was leaking (was not as cold as it once was) so he told me to come back in week to check it. So I did the first guy came out which I knew but the owner didn't know I knew. He said looks fine to me you just need to recharge it il let the boss know. Then then another guy came out and looked for like 2 secs and went back in and came out with the boss. The boss went on to tell me I needed a whole ac unit and it was shot and It was gonna be around 2500k I just laughed at him and drove off I went to Walmart and got one of those DIY charge kits for 30 bucks and to this day it's still ice cold that was seven years ago!! I know another guy that went to that same place for fuel lines and was gonna charge him 1500 bucks he went to another shop and got it done for 300! We live in a small town there is not many places so basically this guy just charges what he wants