<HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff">In a message dated 12/16/04 11:16:21 = AM Pacific Standard Time, pianotuner@frontiernet.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-= LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">What do you do about tuning= cancellations? What if a person cancels it twice? Do you have a cancellation policy? Any thoughts in this? I'm sure this has happened to one of you before. As one who is diving into this, I need some thoughts on how to handle this for now and the future. </BLOCKQUOTE> Doug, They don't bother me as long as it's a day in advance or more.  If = they call me at all, I don't charge, and I can plan to spend some time in a = nice location calling clients or just hanging out.   No-shows are a different matter, but I still give them the benefit of th= e doubt.  After being a bit pissy, I calmed down when told that my last= no-show stepped into a hole on her way to the car to come and meet me for o= ur appointment and severely sprained her ankle.   What I really don't like is arriving at the customer's house and having = them say, "oh, it's a good thing I'm here!  I'd totally forgotten our a= ppointment!"  Grrrrr....lot's of good snappy answers to that one, but I= 've learned that it pays to hold my tongue. Not everyone understands that people who are self-employed are selling b= locks of time, and that when customers cancel at the last-minute or pull a n= o-show, that is lost wages that THEY are responsible for.   Dave Stahl</HTML>