<HTML>In a message dated 4/4/01 9:55:27 PM Central Daylight Time, pryan2@the-beach.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">This week (and it's only Thursday) I have been called out to tune three un-tunable (upright) pianos which the owners indicated on the phone  were tunable, even though they were 80 to 100 years old.  When I arrived at the homes, the pianos were wrecks with the expected rust, corrosion, and rot. To these owners, a tuning meant a rebuild.  In each case, I left without tuning.  How can I avoid this in the future?  Is there a number of years-old that you will not go out for a tuning?  How do I  weed out the tunable pianos from the un-tunable pianos on the phone? Phil Ryan Miami Beach, FL </BLOCKQUOTE> There is no way you can do this. Unfortunately, some people just assume that anything that has pianos keys is a functioning instrument, and that all it needs is a "tuning."  In some cases, you might be able to get a fee for just coming out and condemning the piano. But I found that most customers take an attitude that it must be your fault that the piano cannot be tuned, not the other way around. I just chalk it up to a "no show," go on with my day and forget about it. Willem </HTML>