Viewing posts categorised under: New to SHARE:Frome - Start here
08May
What to expect when borrowing from SHARE
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Curious about the borrowing process with SHARE?
Once you have become a member here and reserved your item through our catalogue (here is a tutorial on how to reserve), here’s what you need to know for check ins and check outs.

When you check out:

  • When you arrive to collect your item, make sure to give it a once over to check that you are happy with the condition and are sure you know how to use it. If you are unsure, many of our items have PDF manuals that can be found on their listings on our website.
     
  • If you have signed up as a member online, we will need to check your ID for your first borrow and ask if you would like to sign up to our monthly newsletter.
  • We will then confirm the duration of your loan time and calculate the loan cost. For more details about our borrowing fees please check this post

When you check in:

  • On returning your loan we will ask you a few questions about your experience: Did it work well? Is it broken? Is it clean? Was it easy to use / did you need a manual?
  • We can then determine its return condition and if there were any issues pass them on to our fixers to make sure that everything stays in great shape.

A few other things to note…

Non collection and late fees:

  • If for any reason you do not come and collect your item at your arranged time you will still be charged for the loan. This is because by reserving the item you will have made it unavailable for any other member to reserve during that time.
  • In order to make the service run as smoothly as possible for all members, any item(s) not returned on time will be charged at double the loan fee for each day that the item(s) are not returned. It is therefore very important that you contact us if you feel you won’t be able to get your item(s) back on time.

Cleaning and loss or damage fees:

  • We are unable to provide a cleaning service due to lack of facilities so we are relying on each borrower bringing the item back as clean as possible. If an item is deemed to have been returned in an unsatisfactory state you will either be asked to take it back home and clean it before returning it later the same day or be issued a cleaning fee of minimum £5.
  • We ask borrowers to flag any damage they notice as soon as possible. This kicks off the repair process and also ensures the next borrower is not let down. To do small repairs like unblocking the pressure washer or replacing the jig saw blades, our small team of local volunteer fixers will try to do simple fixes. When an item is beyond a quick fix, we decide whether it is more efficient to have it professionally mended or simply to donate/sell or recycle it. We understand that items will break eventually and we don’t charge members for these types of breakages. However, we do reserve the right to charge for items that are deemed to have been broken by serious misuse or neglect. If this is the case and the item is beyond repair the member will be asked to either buy a replacement or pay the replacement cost.

JOIN US NOW AND START BORROWING!

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28Apr
How do our consumables work?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Have you looked through our inventory and wondered what our Consumables are? When borrowing certain items like our carpet cleaners and sanders, you may need to buy the carpet cleaner fluid and sandpaper to go with them.

We offer a range of consumables for relevant items and these will be mentioned in the item description. (See our carpet cleaner below as an example)

Here’s what you need to know:

  • The prices displayed for consumables are a one-off fixed price, not a per-day price. 
  • The amount that we provide is a rough estimate based on how much the average use consumes. This will vary depending on the item and your needs – please ask staff if you have any questions when borrowing your item.
    Please note: if you need a larger amount of consumables you may find it easier to purchase these separately as we only carry small quantities.
  • With consumables such as blades, we always appreciate it if you can return them to us (especially if they still have lots of life left) but this isn’t required as you have purchased them for a one off cost.

Consumables we offer:

JOIN US NOW AND START BORROWING!

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11Apr
What items do we offer?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

You may be new to SHARE and wondering what sort of items you can borrow, or how we categorise our range of almost 1000 items. Here is a breakdown of our 10 categories:

1. Arts and Crafts

From sewing machines to glue guns, we have a variety of creative equipment to support artists, students and home crafters. Need an artists easel? We have one! Making your own clothing? We have dress dummies! Creating cake designs? We have a cake projector! This category is also great for kids, such as our badge maker and ink stamps. Explore more by selecting ‘Arts and Crafts’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

2. Baby and Children

From pushchairs to baby bouncers, we have a large range of toys and useful items for mothers with babies. Need reusable nappies? We offer starter kits! Going for a bike ride with a little one? We have a child’s bike seat! Is a grandchild visiting for the weekend? We have high chairs and bed guards for temporary childcare. And our toys suit a range of ages, from newborns to 12 year olds. Explore more by selecting ‘Baby and Children’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

3. Events

From projector screens to bunting, SHARE:Frome is your go-to for parties and large events. Don’t have enough cutlery, glasses and plates for your events? We have a large range! Holding an outdoor event? We have gazebos! Hosting a kids party? We have bubble machines, smoke machines and a large variety of disco lights! Getting married? We even have wedding decor, perfect for receptions and wedding photos. This category is also great for music events, as we provide PA systems, both portable and heavy duty. Explore more by selecting ‘Events’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

4. DIY

From drills to saws, our DIY section is great for the home improver and occasional DIYer. Need an obscure drill bit? We have several kits to choose from. Need to cut through metal? We have angle grinders! Need to clean your gutters? We have several long ladders! Need to cut tiles? We have both manual and electric tile cutters! Need to move heavy objects? We have several sack truck/trolleys! Explore more by selecting ‘DIY’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

5. Gardening tools

From from lawnmowers to hedge trimmers, we have everything you need to keep your garden well maintained! Need to plant your bulbs? We have a bulb planter! Need to shred your garden waste? We have garden shredders! We also have several ear defenders while you strim, trim and mow! Need to protect your knees while you garden? We have a handy garden kneeler! And don’t forget our range of rakes, shovels, trowels and shears! Explore more by selecting ‘Gardening Tools’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

6. Household and Garden

From from vacuum cleaners to carpet cleaners, we have a variety of cleaning equipment and items to get you through the all seasons. Want to decorate your home over Christmas? We have a variety of decorations and Christmas trees! Is your house feeling a bit damp? We have dehumidifiers of various sizes! Need to keep extra warm during the winter? We have several radiators! And on the other end, we have a fan to keep you cool in summer! Wondering why ‘Garden’ is included in this category? This section has several items that can also be used outside, such as fairy lights and hammocks! Explore more by selecting ‘Household and Garden’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

7. Kitchen Equipment

From blenders to dehydrators, we have a range of appliances and tools for getting experimental in the kitchen! Getting healthy? We have juicers! Making dips, smoothies and sauces? We have a food processor! Want to make your own fresh pasta? We have a pasta machine! Homemade ice cream? We have ice cream makers! Need a temporary stove or oven while your kitchen is being redone? We have an induction stove and electric oven! We also have a range of cake making equipment like tins, decorations, cookie cutters and a cake pop maker! Explore more by selecting ‘Kitchen Equipment’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

8. Leisure and Camping

From from camping gear to a metal detector, this category is great for the adventurers and seasonal campers! We stock a wide range of tents of various sizes, mattresses, mats, camping chairs, mallets, air pumps and much more. Need some extra light while camping? We have solar powered lamps! Need some extra shade in the summer? We have a shade sail and beach shelter. Going on a cycling holiday? We have bike pumps and a car bike rack! Want to try out bird watching? We have binoculars! We also have inflatable kayaks, wetsuits, buoyancy aids, flippers and paddle boards for those water lovers! Explore more by selecting ‘Leisure and Camping’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

9. Music, Media and Audio/Visual

From bongo drums to speakers, we have a range of instruments, sound equipment and lighting. Got an old collection of vinyls, but no player? We have a turntable! Learning a new instrument? We have guitars, keyboards, a ukulele, a violin and range of unique percussion! Trying out busking? We have amps, microphones and stands! Want to show off your singing? We have a karaoke machine! We also have several projectors and screens, perfect for outdoor movie nights in the summer, as well as events and presentations. Explore more by selecting ‘Music/Media/Audio-Visual’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

10. Sports and Games

From tennis rackets to roller blades, we have a great range of items for all seasons and ages. We have cricket sets, badminton net and rackets, a baseball bat and football. We have a lot of games suitable for kids, like Giant Connect 4, Giant Jenga, Boules and Croquet. What about indoor games? We have a Wii and games, mini table tennis, table football, board games and a Poker set. Want to exercise indoors? We have bike stands! We even have several sledges, ready for when the snow falls! Explore more by selecting ‘Sports and Games’ to the left hand side of our inventory.

Join us now and start borrowing!

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10Apr
How do you make a reservation?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Reserving items can make borrowing much easier, as it ensures the item you want is available for you when you are ready to collect. Great for planning a holiday in advance or booking a carpet cleaner that’s in high demand! Here’s a guide to reserving on our website:

You can make a reservation online by signing in, (sign up here if you haven’t already) browsing the catalogue, and clicking ‘Reserve’ on the item that you want. You will then be prompted to select a date on a calendar. If you want to add more items to this reservation, simply keep pressing ‘Reserve’ on the items you want and they will be put in your Reservation Cart, a little image of a cart in the top right corder. To complete the process click ‘Complete Reservation’. 

You will need to reserve any consumables as extra along with your item. See the item descriptions to see what is required. For example, the bubble machine requires bubble fluid. Simply add this to your reservation and we will have it ready for you. We will only charge you once for the consumables, not as a per-day price.

There is no maximum borrowing/reserving time. The likely loan length is factored in to the per-day price. Items such as reusable nappies, for example, are more likely to be borrowed for longer periods of time and so their per-day price is lower to account for that.

There is no limit to the number of items you wish to borrow! However, if you do not turn up to collect your reservation, you will still be charged a non-collection fee, the price for the loan. This is because by reserving the item you will have made it unavailable for any other member to reserve during that time. If for any reason you envisage that you will not be able to make your collection slot please let us know in good time in order that we can rearrange or release the item back to the catalogue for others. You can either call us during open hours on 07983639611 or email us outside of open hours on [email protected]

To cancel your reservation, log in to your account online, and click on your username in the top right corner. Click on ‘Reservations’. You can then find the reservation and click ‘Cancel’. If you are unsure, drop us an email or give us a call during our opening hours.

We have also put together a guide to reserving on your mobile phone here.

Sign up and start reserving now!

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09Apr
How Do Our Late Fees Work?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

In order to sign up and start borrowing, you will need to save a debit or credit card on file, whether you do that yourself when you sign up online or you pop into the the shop to sign up. These card details are kept highly secure on our Stripe system, a PCI Service Provider Level 1, which is the highest grade of payment processing security. Here is a breakdown of how our late fees, non-collection fees, cleaning fees and loss/damage fees work:

Late fees

In order to make the service run as smoothly as possible for all members, any item(s) not returned on time will accrue late fees at double the loan fee for each day that the item(s) are not returned. These fees will be taken either when the item is returned or once the late fees total 120% of the purchase cost. It is therefore very important that you contact us if you feel you won’t be able to get your item(s) back on time. You can either call us during open hours on 07983639611 or email us outside of open hours on [email protected]. This also ensures that we can let whoever may have reserved it know that it is now unavailable.

Need to extend your loan?

First, check nobody else has reserved it after you. Simply find your item in the catalogue and scroll to the calander. If your item is available, you will need to get in contact with us to renew your item/s, by phoning us when we are open, or emailing when we are closed. If your item is booked, you’ll have to return it at the time you planned. If not, we will charge a daily late fee. We do this to encourage the items to be ready for other borrowers, who can see via the inventory when an item is due in.

Non-Collection Fees

If for any reason you do not come and collect your item at your arranged time you will still be charged for the loan. This is because by reserving the item you will have made it unavailable for any other member to reserve during that time. If for any reason you envisage that you will not be able to make your collection slot please let us know in good time in order that we can rearrange or release the item back to the catalogue for others. You can either call us during open hours on 07983639611 or email us outside of open hours on [email protected]

Cleaning fees

Rest assured, it’s extremely rare that items come back not cleaned or damaged/lost. Whenever it does happen we aim to resolve the matter in the best interest of all involved. Our policies are in place to ensure a smooth and well-oiled system is maintained for the benefit of all users.

We are unable to provide a cleaning service due to lack of facilities so we are relying on each borrower bringing the item back as clean as possible. If an item is deemed to have been returned in an unsatisfactory state you will either be asked to take it back home and clean it before returning it later the same day or be issued a cleaning fee of minimum £5.

Loss & Damage Fees

We ask borrowers to flag any damage they notice as soon as possible. This kicks off the repair process and also ensures the next borrower is not let down. To do small repairs like unblocking the pressure washer or replacing the jig saw blades, our small team of local volunteer fixers will try to do simple fixes. When an item is beyond a quick fix, we decide whether it is more efficient to have it professionally mended or simply to donate/sell or recycle it. We understand that items will break eventually and we don’t charge members for these types of breakages. However, we do reserve the right to charge for items that are deemed to have been broken by serious misuse or neglect. If this is the case and the item is beyond repair the member will be asked to either buy a replacement or pay the replacement cost.

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08Apr
How Does Our Pricing Work?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

You may be wondering, how do our borrow fees work? And how do we decide the price of each item? Here’s a brief guide to our pricing system!

Price per Day

If you look below each of our items in our inventory, you well see a displayed price. This loan is for a period of 1 to 2 days, whether we are open or not. So if you wanted it from Friday to Saturday, or Tuesday to Thursday, it would cost this price for Standard members.

For 3-7 days, such as Wednesday to Saturday, or a full week, it would cost you 200% or double the displayed price, for example, a £1 priced item would cost you £2.

For anything borrowed for longer than a week, the price will be worked out at the cheapest combination. For example, an item priced at £1, when borrowed for 9 days would cost £3 (£2 for the initial week plus £1 for another 2 days).

The above prices are for Standard members. The discount for our other 3 memberships (Subscribers 25%, Low Income 75%, Students 10%) will then be taken off this price.

Example of an item with a display price of £10:Standard
Price		Low Income Price (75%)Subscriber Price (25%)Student Price (10%)
Borrowed for 1 or 2 days£10£2.50£7.50£9
Borrowed for 3-7 days £20£5£15£18

Items such as reusable nappies are more likely to be borrowed for longer periods of time and so their displayed price is lower, to account for that.

Please note the base transaction fee is 50p. This means that although a £1 item reduced by 75% for a Low Income member would equal 25p, if borrowed alone for one day the price would be brought up to the base level of 50p.

Pricing Formula

We have built a sophisticated pricing formula which considers various factors to output fair prices which are within market value for Standard members (and then cheaper still for the other membership types). Every single item has been run through our pricing formula. One of the many factors included is the condition of the item. Every time an item is checked back in its condition is checked and price updated accordingly. For example, an item used 10 times may have decreased in condition, therefore the price will change to reflect this.

Join us now!

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07Apr
What Memberships Do We Offer?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Whether you are new to SHARE or are a long time supporter, we want to tell you all about our different membership types! As you may have noticed, we have made a few changes to our previous Low Income, Student, Standard and Subscriber memberships. Maybe there is a membership that is better fit for you?

When you sign up as a member you will need to show ID when you first come into the shop. This can be a drivers license or passport with an up to date address, and you will need to be over 18. You will also need to save a payment card in order to pay for your membership and borrowing, to act as a security deposit and to process late fees. We use Stripe, a PCI Service Provider Level 1, which is the highest grade of payment processing security.

So without furthur ado, here is a guide to our 4 membership types!

One Time Borrower Membership

This is a new membership we have just introduced, to allow new members to try out our service. It’s also great for people visiting Frome, who do not want to pay for a whole year. This membership is free and allows you to borrow once (as many items as you’d like in one transaction!) at the standard loan cost. This membership lasts 1 week, or however long your one time loan period is. Once it has expired, you can then see whch of our 3 membership will suit you best!

Individual Membership

This membership replaces our old Standard membership and is a great, affordable option for most people. Only £1 for the year, this membership allows you to borrow at the standard rate (the price displayed under each item). It’s also a great trial membership, to see how often you borrow before moving to our Supporter membership.

Supporter Membership

This membership is the best option for most borrowers and is perfect if you borrow items frequently. Or you simply want to support our cause! Previously known as the Subscriber membership, when you sign up as a Supporter, we set up a recurring online payment of £10 every 3 months. This works out at £3.33 per month. You then have 25% off all borrow fees, as well as access to seasonal promotions, such as free borrows on Christmas items in December! We are also now offering access to information about the positive impact of your borrowing! If you are currently a Supporter and would like to know more, please drop us an email at [email protected].

Concession Membership

This membership is a great option for Low Income and Student borrowers. It only costs £1 for a year you will recieve 75% off all borrow fees! A great way to save when money is tight! If you are currently on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, you are elligable to sign up for this membership. We require proof of this financial benefit from the last 3 months. This could be an email or bank statement, and will need to be checked again every 3 months. If you are a student, we will need to see an active Student card or NUS card to prove that you are in full time education. Great for some camping gear, ready for Glastonbury, or to borrow a sewing machine for your Textiles project!

Join us now!

Sign up online now and start reserving, or visit us to sign up in store! Make sure to bring your ID (drivers license or passport) when you visit! We are open 10:30am – 2pm Tuesdays to Saturdays.

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23Oct
Why are our things priced differently?
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Ever wondered why some of our similar things are priced differently? There are around 15 drills in our inventory, but they all have different prices? Well, we’ve developed a sophisticated pricing system which takes in to account a number of factors, such as the original price of the item, how old it is and the condition it’s in now.

So, if you are looking for something for a quick job and don’t need high quality then go for cheaper. But if you’re after the best quality item then it’s worth paying for the higher quality item.

We also make sure to keep updating the prices with our price calculation system, and monitor the items as they are used and downgrade. So we try to make sure you get what you pay for!

Browse our inventory here: https://sharefrome.org/things/

Sign up here: https://sharefrome.org/membership/

Not sure how to reserve? Watch our tutorial: https://sharefrome.org/2020/07/13/how-to-make-a-reservation/

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Making a Reservation
13Jul
How to Make a Reservation
by SHARE:FromeLatestLeave a comment

Below are some step-by-step guides to making and amending reservations.

First are video guides for reserving using your computer. Further down are screenshots for each step when reserving by mobile phone.

Reserving by computer

Making a reservation (read why we use Peertube over Youtube)
Amending your reservation (read why we use Peertube over Youtube)

Reserving on mobile

Start my clicking ‘Search Items’ at the top of our website, to go to our catalogue…

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