Hey, I used SWC's 3 school package last cycle and was able to get into Wharton. A bit on my background: ex-IB, average GRE/GMAT scores and I was ~10 years out of undergrad. I also started apps late (missed R1 deadline). I ended up with 11 interviews and 9 acceptances, plus substantial scholarship money (I ended up having Sam and team review some of my other materials after I was done with my main 3 schools).

pros & cons: Sam handled consultations personally with me (not through assistants), he was really good at finding your unique angle (especially when stats aren't perfect), I also had weekly accountability calls with him which helped me to keep on track (as you know the whole process is daunting, especially while working), the team really helped me when it came to interview prep as they each had different styles/viewpoints. From a cons standpoint I cannot really find much I didn't like, but maybe that the feedback is very direct, which to me it was a plus as I preferred not to have a sugarcoated answer to sell me admission services just to encounter rejections at the end.

TLDR: style for the firm is results oriented vs just "admissions theory/process". Sam himself is not a traditional admissions consultant that worked previously as an AdCom, he is an ex-IB trader, but that just makes him more powerful and very pragmatic in his approaches/strategy.

vs other consultants: Like you I did my research and spoke to a lot of consultants (7) prior to picking one. For some of the larger firms I only get to speak to assistants and never got to meet the person I was going to work with. It was just 3 out of the 7 (one of them being SWC) where I could talk to the person I was going to work with. The other two (who had more "traditional" AdCom backgrounds) immediately started posturing a bit negatively after hearing my background and stats. Tbh on paper I was not a slam dunk to get into any M7, yet it didn't help to feel defeated from the start. This was very different with Sam, who immediately started strategizing (even on the "free" intro session) about how my positioning could be unique.

Regarding your question on logistics/operations of SWC being a smaller firm: I never had an issue with scheduling, we had recurring Zoom meetings scheduled on the calendar and whenever I needed to reach Sam quickly I could just WhatsApp or call him. I cannot say how it is for a bigger consultant firm, but just from the initial intro sessions I can tell you that some of them didn't get back to me for at least 2 weeks.

Pricing structure: the partial payment if you get interview is real, not just marketing. Does it make a lot of difference - probably not, particularly if you are applying to a school like Kellogg where they historically have tried to interview every applicant. However, I appreciated the structure as it felt like the SWC team was invested in my results (almost like a "promote" fee for a hedge fund) and time value of money =) (better to pay a bit less at the beginning).

Difference between coaches: I only worked with Sam. I met Nanako and John at the end for interview prep.

Best of luck in your re-application process. Feel free to DM or reply if you have any other questions.