Actually, I've dealt with this situation and it's quite different than the drink at a bar. When you hire a (decent) carpenter, they will tell you what additional labor cost, should it be required. A reputable contractor will have this written out before hand, and you will have signed an agreement saying you know extra work might be reuqired @ $X per hour. Contracts are used to control uncertainty.
However, when you order a drink/make a hotel call, there is often no menu, or its hidden. People seem to operate with a price range in mind that is acceptable to them. Fabio > There are also many situations where the price can change, and alter prior > price agreements. Suppose you hire a carpenter to fix a stairway. He quotes > you a price. But halfway thru the job, the carpenter discovers rotten pieces > that were not previously known, that have to be replaced, and the price > increases. You have already contracted and paid some of the expenses; most > folks will just go along with reasonable price changes. So often, in such > cases, we really don't know the final price. > > Fred Foldvary
