That's messed up. Pretty unreasonable for a small job like renaming a coin.
1.5btc does seem expensive. But please don't be so quick to judge the size of the job of renaming a coin. I know for me it could take an hour or two to redo all of the databases on my server, let alone the bugs in the future that I am not aware of yet but will have to fix. I am happy to make the switch without compensation, but just saying that unless you have worked as a developer for Bittrex and know their backend structure, I would not be so quick to judge.
Agreed. I meant to write that a couple of days ago, but never actually found the time to do so.
Put another way:
If PIVX wants to enter the professional realm, you have to deal with businesses that need to make money to pay their infrastructure and talent. Use your commitment for marketing, ask Bittrex if they take PIVX and get them on the boat. There are many ways to make something good out of it.