maybe they are checking out the website first to get an idea of the potential of the client, if he is able to afford the banners at the first place
is there any chance the one of the website looked more advanced than the other?
There is nothing wrong to check the websites first and i'm not arguing on that.
The problem is ask different prices based on the kind of customer.
It's like going to the supermarket and the cashier gives you the price based on how cute you are.
Btw I ordered a press release and I used the cheapest price but despite that I still feel scammed!