How Does It Work?

Members of the public can bring their items along for repair. We are a voluntary service so there is no charge for this; though we do welcome donations and wouldn't be able to continue to provide this service without your generosity.

Come by on the 2nd Saturday of the month between 10am and 1pm where our volunteers will be waiting at The Centre on Verney Close where the Buckingham Repair Cafe takes place.

You will be asked to 'check in' your item at our reception desk when you enter. This involves filling out a short form with your details and some basic information about the item you have brought for repair.

You will then be asked to wait while we find a repair volunteer who is free to look at your item, and while you wait, the Buckingham WI provide hot drinks and cakes for you to purchase and enjoy!

Once we are ready for you, we will invite you to bring your item to see a repair volunteer and sit with them while they assess and potentially repair your item. You cannot leave your item with us and come back later.

When finished, we ask you to fill out a short satisfaction survey and make a donation if you choose.

Some Ts and Cs

Work carried out in the Repair Café is performed free of charge by the relevant available Repair Volunteer
Where possible the Repair Volunteer will assist the Visitor to repair the item themselves
We try to repair items for which there is no economically viable repair service. We do not repair items where it would be reasonable to take them to a commercial repairer.
We do not offer a clothing alterations service.
Repair Volunteers are entitled to refuse to repair items for any reason
Repair Volunteers are not obliged to reassemble appliances that have been disassembled and they then find they cannot be repaired
Visitors to the Repair Café are solely responsible for the tidy removal of their broken objects that cannot be repaired
Sundry items, such as fuses, glue, tape, etc., are supplied free of charge, paid for by the donations to the Repair Café
If an item requires a specific spare part or materials, it is for the visitor to procure and provide those separately. The Repair Volunteer may assist the visitor in identifying the item required and possible sources.
To cut down on unnecessary waiting times during busy periods, a maximum of ONE broken item per Visitor will be examined. The Visitor will join the back of the queue for subsequent items for repair
Your Repair Volunteer may suggest they will take your item home for repair if it is not possible to repair during the time frame of the repair cafe, this is called a 'neighbourly repair'. If this is agreed, you must exchange contact details with your Repair Volunteer and then this repair becomes outside the remit and responsibility of the Buckingham Repair Cafe.
A voluntary donation to towards the running cost of the Repair Café is greatly appreciated