I was nickeled and dimed...

This is a mostly serious post but admittedly part rant...

The issue: getting nickled & dimed to death as a customer and it's application to the practice of law.

My personal experience was a hotel in downtown Chicago where my wife and I stayed this past weekend. Not the most deluxe quality but probably one step below the most deluxe...so quite nice. And yet for the $200-something you're paying to stay there, there's an extra fee to use the health club and swimming pool. Also, the same at the hotel's restaurant...everything's a la carte. I suppose we all have our "issues" that peeve us but really. I'll go to the Motel 6 next time...they don't charge me to go swimming.

What's the right amount of nickel and diming in our legal billing? I'm sort of thinking out loud here...I've been at a place that charged for everything from the stamps to single copies. I don't like that. However, I almost think I've swung too far to the other side and don't charge enough for certified mail or major copy jobs. What's the correct balance?

Obviously all court costs are client costs. Something like any costs over $1.00 are the client's responsibility? Is this too minor to care about? I'm just anal about some things and want them perfect.