Checkride wait times… what is your school doing?

I’m a CFI in a major metropolitan area with a large GA scene. I’ve got a few private and instrument students needing a checkride in a few months. Our local examiner had a medical issue and is now six months backlogged. Other local DPEs in the FSDO are swamped, or just aren’t doing checkrides, and the neighboring FSDO is only prioritizing applicants from that area.

I’m thinking of flying in a DPE from out of state. Has anyone done this? What works well, what doesn’t? How does it work if the student discontinues or needs a retest? Any typical travel fees? Would love to hear how you made it work or what went wrong.

Lastly, there is an examiner nearby who’s got a reputation for charging extra fees or failing you for oddball reasons, but has open availability. I’m trying to avoid going to them, but when does it become time to bite the bullet?

Edit: this is Northern California