[ Ref. Ray Finch in 130324 MMDigest ]

I agree completely.  Often times one must "eat" a certain amount
of one's profit due to unforeseen circumstances.  I recreate historic
textiles and historic wallpapers and carpeting for museums and
historic houses.  Oftentimes a client will give me a fabric or a
wallpaper to "re-do" and yes, sometimes unforeseen circumstances do
turn up.  Depending on _what_ it is it always taken into consideration.

My world is a very small, specialized group, much the same as
those rebuilding players and other automatic instruments from the
past.  Word of mouth is a very strong force in our fields, sometimes
stronger than the restorer realizes.

The matter of giving an estimate to repair or rebuild any object
should always be given in "guesstimate" terms only, even if the
project seems very straightforward, for the simple reason that
sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.  The client should
be made aware of that possibility at the outset.  Most reasonable
clients will accept that.

What I have found out in my 30 years of business is that clients
do _not_ like surprises that are going to cost them money, and
understandably so.  If they are told of unforeseen circumstance in
the beginning you avoid all sorts of difficulties and hard feelings,
and your good name remains intact!

John Buscemi