Connect Group Lead Developer interview questions

I was asked about my pay expectations during the first ever telephone call with the internal recruiter and I was told "no problem" pending interview results etc. I went through lengthy and involved interview process. 2 stages + initial phone call. In total more than 3h invested excluding commute etc. I was then given very positive feedback but I was offered an extremely low pay, way below the next 3 offers I already had for similar position in the region. The company's recruiter and interviewers were very polite during the interview process. I would have appreciated some honesty about the financial part upfront to save everyone's time.