When is the Cafe Open?
Repair Cafe Gosport is a monthly event on the 2nd Saturday of the Month from 10:30am to 1pm at various locations in Gosport. Please look at our booking system or Facebook events to find out where the events will be be. Guests are asked to Request a Booking in advance of the event.
Are there any restrictions on what I can bring in for repair?
The main purpose of a repair cafe is to help fix things that would otherwise be thrown away. We generally suggest alternative repair options in the case of high-value or sentimental items.
It is difficult to provide a definitive list of everything we can help with, but we generally accept most household items, including electrical items with a UK plug. There are some exceptions, listed below.
We do not repair anything is unsafe to repair or we can be guarentee will be safe after repair, including:
- Anything that can not be safely carried by one person, e.g. freezers, washing machines, large items of furniture
- Anything that operates from petrol or gas, for example, chainsaws or small motorbikes
- Anything with internal high voltages or dangerous components, including Microwaves, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions, Plasma Lamps, and Flash Guns.
- Anything with radioactive sources, including fire alarms and antique clocks with glow-in-the-dark paint
- Anything with large capacity Li-po batteries, for example, e-scooters, e-bikes or hoverboards
- Safety equipment, for example, bike helmets, car seats or carbon monoxide alarms
- Anything we can not safely test to our satisfaction. We use a process very similar to the Portable Appliance Test (PAT) for electrical items. Some items are not designed to be tested in this way; therefore, we cannot safely test them at the end.
We try to avoid offering a free service that impacts the local businesses offering a reasonably priced repair service. Thefore we generally don’t help guests with the following:
- Mobile Phone
- Laptops or Computers
We can help with mobile phones or laptops if you only want to borrow a specialist tool to do the repair yourself at our event.
The final decision on whether to repair an item is made by our volunteers, and we may not attempt a repair for the following reasons:
- The item is unlikely to be safe after repair
- The item is too dirty to be handled
- The item needs specialist knowledge or tools, which we don’t have access to
- The repair will take too long
- Attempting a repair is not in the best interests; there are generally three reasons for this:
- Attempting a repair may risk reducing its value, for example, some items are worth a considerable amount even when broken, so it is better to sell them rather than attempt a repair.
- Attempting a repair will undermine your legal rights. In the case of recently bought items, you can often return it to the retailer for a replacement or refund
- Our volunteers cannot be confident that the guest understands the risks associated with repairing an item. Sometimes attempting to repair an item can cause damage. If there is likely to be distress or discontent in the event of damage, we will not attempt to repair it.
Can children come along with me to Repair Cafe?
Yes, we welcome children and want them to learn about repairing and reuse. We do need them to be supervised whilst they visit by an accompanying adult.
Do you need broken things for volunteers to practice on?
Most of our volunteers already have personal repair projects to practice on. Unfortunately, we can’t store any items so we can not accept more projects.
What happens if I need a spare part?
Sometimes it is possible to advise what part is needed when you book in, we will recommend you buy the part in preparation for your visit. In many cases, we will help you identify the part when you visit so you can buy it to fit yourself or return to another event to work with our volunteers to fit the spare part. We can not store items between sessions so you will need to take the broken item away and bring it back next time.
Can you arrange the disposal of a broken thing?
We can not arrange for the disposal of broken things so cannot arrange disposal or recycling.
Do you accept broken things to fix and sell to raise money?
We do not currently offer this. We recommend selling your item as broken/for spares online. Many items are still worth money when sold like this.
Can I choose the time I visit?
Repair Cafe is very popular and we need to allocate appointments to balance the types of repair with the available volunteers. We will try to accommodate requests for a specific time but it is not always possible.
Can I drop off my broken thing and pick it up when it is fixed?
The Repair Cafe is not a drop off service. Our main aim is to promote a reuse culture, by helping people learn about fixing things. Guests are expected to participate in the repair process as much as possible so you must remain with your item.
Do I need to pay for Repair Cafe to fix my broken item?
No, Repair Cafe is free to anyone in the community who needs our help. However, we rely on donations to fund the costs. Each session costs approximately £170 to run, if each guest who can afford it made a donation of £10 towards the costs, Repair Cafe can be available to all.
What happens if the Broken item can not be fixed or the repair attempt fails?
We succeed in fixing things about 50% of the time, but in some cases, it is not possible to repair an item. The guest is responsible for taking their item away. We can not guarantee that we will be able to reassemble it.
If I volunteer can I still get things fixed?
Yes, many of our volunteers have expertise in one area but need help with something else.
Do you need more volunteers?
Yes, Repair Cafe is often limited by the number of volunteers, we welcome anyone who would like to offer their time to the community. We need people to help with hosting our events as well as volunteers to help our guests with their broken things.
Do I need to be an expert to volunteer as a Repairer?
No, many repairs are simple, the simplest cases are misunderstanding about how something work. For example several times a year we help someone empty their vacuum cleaner. If you are willing to take a systematic approach to a problem you can help the community.
We do also welcome experts no matter what your skill level the community can benefit from your help.