Not too long ago it was common for Drs to offer free consultations. But back then you would go for a consultation, decide on a hairline, find out how many grafts you'd need if you are actually a good candidate, what the cost would be, and usually then setting up a date for the surgery. These days everyone seems to go to 5 or 10 consultations, so the Drs are spending a lot more time on consultations without getting the actual surgeries set up, so they had to start charging for the consultations. They can't spend half of their week doing consultations for free. I think most of them will deduct the cost of the consultation from the surgery, if you decide to choose them, which I think is very fair since you then did get a free consultation with them if you have the surgery with them.