I agree. I checked with a local detailer in my area and received a quote from someone in OC who gave me a price "range" of 1500-2200 and it's completely dependent on the exact amount of time it takes. Now, although I understand the "range", I do not understand the price premium. 2-4 days is what I was told. The company in Southern California is even more than this. The price premium in my opinion is outrageous.
In the end, you're buying the SKILL of the detailer, not a commodity. Every detailer's definition of PERFECTION is quite different. There are those that will spend a few hours and use a one-step polish and that's their definition of "correction". Then there are those that may spend a couple of days, that's on an extreme case, just polishing a car. I liken polishing to the purchase of a diamond. When I went to buy a stone for my wife's wedding ring, I quickly learned how similar the life of a diamond is to the work I do on someone's finish. You can have two identical diamonds in clarity, cut, and weight, but one will be worth significantly more. Why? POLISH. The one that has a girdle that is polished to perfection, has the table polished to reveal the inside of the stone, etc. will demand more $$
So, when polishing clearcoat, I view it as polishing a diamond. I don't want to remove too much material, but I want to bring out the brilliance of the paint. I only use a da polisher, no high speed rotary. This takes me longer, but the result means no buffer marks, no burning of the paint, but it'll take me about 30-40% more time. More time means more $$. But how much is it going to cost if you have to repaint a panel because someone tried to buff too fast and burned the edge of the paint? Or, they removed too much clearcoat, now how many more times can the paint be polished before you go through the clear coat? All these questions are calculated within every second of polishing in the mind of the technician. Should I chase after that one deep scratch when the whole panel is flawless? Another question that needs split second decision making. Choose the wrongly and you just cost the client a new paint job.
So, detailers that are good, will demand a premium. This is with any service that requires a skill. Ultimately, the market will tell you if your price is reasonable and of value. If someone demands high $$ and is always busy, well, the market is telling that person that his/her service is of value to the consumer. This doesn't mean the highest priced shop is the best. You just have to find out what is the scope of work and come up with your own decision. If a shop is doing a job and his/her scope of work includes more areas addressed, then they should demand more $$ because they're giving you a better value.
I hope that makes sense. So, in a nutshell, first ask yourself what you're looking for, then find a few suitable shop and let the shop educate you on THIER way of addressing your needs, and the needs of your car, then ask how much. It's how I do things personally. Sometimes I'm willing to pay the highest price because it's of value. Other times, I find getting what's middle-of-the-road is all I need. My first consideration of any service/product is never cost...it's how does this service/product solve my problem and save me time. Time lost is never gained and time is money.