Both your and my experiences are in the end just anecdotal evidence. The opinion as to whether something is fair, better or worse than something else is highly subjective. But at the end of the day that wasn't really the point being made.
The point is that a decision to get a cert or not is dependent upon a personal evaluation of cost versus value. The cost of a VCP5 certification has exceeded the value it brings to me personally. Yes, I do still do things where cost exceeds simple measures of value but the pendulum has moved so far on this I question whether to do it anymore.
And like our previous poster... I too am a partner/reseller. So deciding not to re-cert means one less company pushing the product.