FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS CAN I BRING TO THE REPAIR CAFÉ?

You can bring the following to the Repair Café: electrical appliances, clothing, furniture, crockery, housewares, bicycles, toys etc. Anything that’s broken (and which you can manage to carry on your own to the Repair Café) is welcome and has a good chance of getting properly repaired. If you wish to know for sure whether someone will be available to help mend your broken item, please get in touch with the organisers of your local Repair Café. You can find them in the visit overview on this site.

MY TV/MIXER ETC. IS BROKEN. CAN YOU MEND IT?

The Repair Café Foundation is, unfortunately, unable to answer questions about whether broken objects can be mended. However, most things do stand a good chance of getting properly repaired. Drop in to the Repair Café in your neighbourhood where a repairer can help you mend the broken item. You don’t need to make an appointment first (see question 6 also). If you wish to make sure that a specialist repairer will be at hand on the day you intend to drop by, please get in touch with the organisers of the Repair Café of your choice. You can find them in the visit overview on this site.

CAN I ALSO DROP BY AT TIMES OTHER THAN THE GIVEN OPENING TIMES?

No, Repair Cafés are not open every day. They are neighbourhood gatherings that only take place on certain days at arranged times. If you drop by at other times you won’t find any repairers at hand.

DO I HAVE TO REGISTER IF I WISH TO VISIT THE REPAIR CAFÉ?

No, generally speaking, you can visit Repair Cafés without registering first. If a Repair Café does require registration, the organisers have to clearly state that in their communications. If registration is not mentioned in the announcement about the Repair Café you wish to visit, you can drop by the Repair Café without registering or making an appointment.

I HAVE A BROKEN WASHING MACHINE/ARMCHAIR ETC. THAT IS TOO HEAVY TO TAKE TO THE REPAIR CAFÉ. DO YOU ALSO MAKE HOUSE CALLS?

No. Repair Café is not a repair service, but a meeting place where people come together to mend broken items. What you can do when you visit a Repair Café in your neighbourhood is to approach one of the repairers at hand and ask the same question. Who knows? Maybe somebody would be glad to help you out.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MEND THINGS IN THE REPAIR CAFÉ?

To encourage visitors, advice and help from experts in the Repair Café is free of charge. But a voluntary donation is appreciated! In the Repair Café, tip jars and piggybanks are on a table so satisfied visitors can make a donation. The organizers can use these donations to cover some or all of their costs.

CAN I DONATE (BROKEN) ITEMS?

No, the Repair Café is not intended as a place where people can get rid of old things. The main intention is that items get repaired so the original owners can use them again. If you would like to donate tools or repair products, please get in touch with a Repair Café close to where you live.

FOR SOME REPAIRS, COMPONENTS NEED TO BE REPLACED BY SPARE PARTS. HOW DO YOU SOLVE THAT PROBLEM?

The Repair Café does not have a large amount of spare parts in stock. Small things such as switches, plugs, wire, thread or darning wool are often available. If repairs cannot be carried out with what is available, the visitor will usually be given advice on where to buy the material in question and what standards it has to comply with. It might be possible to mend the item later on in the morning or else during the next Repair Café.

I CAN REPAIR THINGS/LOVE ORGANISING.

We can not offer a Repair Cafe without volunteers, please contact us through the volunteer page or the contact us page. BECOME A VOLUNTEER

CAN I SUPPORT THE REPAIR CAFE FINANCIALLY?

Please do! We really need your support (see the answer to the question ‘What kind of organisation is the Repair Café Foundation and how is it funded?’ as well). Thanks to your donation, we can give support across the globe to local groups wishing to start their own Repair Café. Via our website we can inform about current Repair Cafés and link them to one another. In addition, we can actively promote the Repair Café concept globally, so even more people get involved on a local level. That’s good news for the environment as well as for mutual contact in neighbourhoods all over the world. You can transfer your donation directly to our account:

Bank Name: Starling Bank
Account name: Lindfield Repair Cafe C.I.C.
Account number: 56381047

Sort Code: 60-83-71

What if it can't be repaired at the café?

What are my options?

Recycle

Professional (paid for) repair

We do not replace a professional repair service. There will be some things we are not equipped or skilled to repair, and we will always be honest about that. We aim to help prevent items being discarded as rubbish when they could be brought back into service, but sometimes a professional paid repair is the right option. We might suggest who could help you, but receive no incentives to make recommendations.