If you have a $9/mo budget, you should already know that the reaction on the other end will be "Oh cripes, not again". $9/mo is $108/year, which really isn't much considering dev, support, infrastructure, non-tech staff, and overheads.
If you want interested, keen support, then do what is necessary: pull out your wallet and stop going for the cheapest thing possible.
One honest reason why some companies do 'please call' is that pricing structures can get complicated quickly, the intracacies of which may be necessary but may confuse the purchaser. I've just come out of a meeting where it's clear we're going to have to take a financial hit simply to allow our reselling agents an easier price structure to quote from (these agents aren't primarily technical staff).
On the other hand, the OP is indicating there is an underserved marketplace that may be ready for disruption by a low cost no frills service.
If you want interested, keen support, then do what is necessary: pull out your wallet and stop going for the cheapest thing possible.
One honest reason why some companies do 'please call' is that pricing structures can get complicated quickly, the intracacies of which may be necessary but may confuse the purchaser. I've just come out of a meeting where it's clear we're going to have to take a financial hit simply to allow our reselling agents an easier price structure to quote from (these agents aren't primarily technical staff).
On the other hand, the OP is indicating there is an underserved marketplace that may be ready for disruption by a low cost no frills service.
Friendly, keen support is a frill.