<HTML>Believe me, first time customers will be there, and be there, and be there........most will stay over your shoulder for the entire tuning and that's fine, it helps assure them that you know best for the piano, what the piano will stand and what it won't. I agree with one of the others who stated, in essence dont be bashful, if you have explained what a pitch raise entails, and the consequences on the older pianos, then just pull it up.  In most cases you will do just fine.  I for one charge them for 3 tunings up front, pull the piano to pitch plus whatever I have calculated the overpull needs, pull the muted strings up deaf and recheck temperament and tune the unisons.  I do a quick re-mute and 2nd tuning immediately and schedule a return for a final fine tune in about a week or two.  By them paying the entire bill up front you can be assured they will not change tuners on you during the raise.  ( I had one piano teacher customer who had not had her piano tuned in 5 years and after doing the prep tunings, which naturally did not hold for long and who called another tuner during the pitch raise to come in and do the final fine tuning and get the glory ! and the praise)  Now I am assured they will wait for me to finish in a timely fashion. Once you have established that you are competent and in control of the situation, and they are pleased with the results, you will not have to be concerned with being home alone, and neither will they. Again, if it needs it and the piano will stand it, just do it. On another note, I had a tuner friend who related to me the story of the time the harp broke while tuning, he said he started feeling his chest as he thought the piano exploded into it and had scrapnelled him...Never had that happen personally, but I guess it could... <A HREF="http://mcnabbmusic.com">tom mc nabb</A></HTML>