It's not fair! My piano is broken... The D below middle C sounds like it has a cricket living inside it - and it fizzes everytime I press it down and the pedal cushion has snapped off.

My nearest Roland fixer is 20 miles away and charges 40 pounds to look at the piano and has quoted that it will then cost around 120 to fix?????????? "Just pop it in the car..." was the suggestion. NOOOOOOOOOO.

What can I do? It's so frustrating. But I can't teach with it like this, and I certainly can't play as it is quite off putting. Am I just going to have to shed out the money??

Doesn't sound like you have much choice but to get it looked at. Can you transport the piano yourself? Make sure you agree a price for any repairs before they are carried out.

If you need it to teach then there probably isn't much choice..... but do remember to include the cost of the repair when you do your expenses for your next tax calculation