victor - 6:43 pm on Jan 23, 2005 (gmt 0)

When he gets the bill with the additional work added, amnesia strikes again

There was a time when no IBM employee who walked among customers was without a little pad of potentially billable forms.

At the first hint that you were asking for something that might be extra to the contract, they'd pop a hand into a pocket and tear off a nice blank form.

They'd full it out with the details, and you'd sign and agree that you might be charged for the work being discussed,

It only said potentially billable so the charge might get waived or overruled by their superior. But it certainly put a sudden edge on whatever was being discussed.