faqs
questions
Not at the moment. Visitors are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. We hope that many customers are happy to wait for a while as that gives them the opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and one of our delicious treats. It's also a chance to sit and chat and make new friends.
In these situations, we are happy for the repairer and the customer to come to an agreement by which the repairer completes the repair at home. Contact details should be exchanged and clear arrangements made for the customer to collect the repaired item.
We don't encourage this type of arrangement but accept that it is sometimes the most practical outcome - and often the repairer enjoys this unexpected challenge! It is always advisable that the repairer informs the Repair Cafe organiser of this arrangement so that it can be recorded.
Sometimes, but not often! So long as an item is hand-portable and not in a dangerous condition, our repairers will carry out an examination, give their honest opinion and advice and proceed with a repair if they consider it's appropriate and viable. We don't normally attempt to fix microwaves for health and safety reasons, and we've found it difficult to repair sewing machines due to their complexity. Please see our House Rules for other important information related to this topic.
There is no charge for any advice or repair, but customers' generous donations help keep the service free at the point of delivery for everyone. Donations are used to cover costs and to help us offer additional workshops for free.
The only time you will be asked to contribute financially is when a repairer needs to buy a special part to complete your repair, or if a consumable is used (fuse, plug, wire, etc.) and the customer is able to make a donation to cover the cost of the consumable.
If you have a cracked screen, a broken cable, a missing button, a faulty switch, etc., and don't know what to buy, contact us ahead of the event and we will try to help you find out what to purchase and bring to the event. There is also the option to leave the item with the repairer (see 'What happens if my repair isn't finished during the session?').