Whatever the price $7 or $15, it’s dumb to go over there and not check out the prices before thinking it’s the same as the US.
I carry two phones when I travel in Europe. I use my AT&T US phone as “Internet calls only” and have a travel phone that I just purchas SIM cards for wherever I travel.
I’ve used the same travel phone all over the world. Even purchased SIM cards at a street vendor on the bank of the Mekong River in Laos. They are very cheap too.
Apparently he DID call aforehand and was told he was “good to go”...