keep in mind that your wheelset BRAND hasn't got to be campy, just the part onto which the cassette slides needs to be campy-compatible. You can get wheels for pretty cheap: BikeIsland.com - Bicycle Parts, Accessories and Clothing at Affordable Prices with Free Shipping Of course, those are pretty light on the spoke count and probably wouldn't be good for the crappy-road-commuting you describe. Point is, however, you can get wheels suitable for campy for less than you're being quoted by your shop.

re: the chains: the different chains are just different quality levels, basically. one's lighter, so you pay more, basically.