Recently I was feeling a wee bit manic, and bought (of all things) a ukelele from amazon. Not quite as daft as it sounds, since I can actually play a uke quite well... but still... And unfortunately it's about a quarter of a semitone flat. Which drives me mad...

However, most people wouldn't notice that, so I'm going to give it as a pressie to the church's play group, and let the little kiddies bash the tuneless thing to death. Next
time, I'll try one out in the actual shop so I can tell what I'm getting before I buy. My advice... NEVER by a musical instrument without playing it first. You never know what you'll get.