Seems crazy doesn't it. At least you have the 300 option - in Adelaide SA I don't even know of anywhere I can take stuff anymore to get a decent job. One place that claims to be fantastic and charges accordingly I took a BSA petrol tank to and told them i wanted a good job and I don't care how much. The guy still wanted to give me a quote...... on return the job was rubbish and the price had gone up from the quote anyway!! When i took on this Minor resto there was a pile of chroming already done and receipts for over AU$2000 - from another place. Virtually all of it including bumpers you can see linishing marks through it where just a little more care should be avoided. Other parts chrome is peeling off - just been sitting wrapped in paper in a plastic tub on a shelf in the shed. The only decent chrome i have seen in years are BSA parts straight out of the UK and made there (ie. not imported from India and then sent over). Shouldn't be that hard!!!
True it may be cheaper to replace every few years, as an alternative but by choosing that route, you'll be joining the throw away society!
Unfortunately good chroming places are mostly found 'oop north'