What recovery costs — and why it costs it.

Single failed disks can cost as low as £300 + VAT to recover, with an exact quote written down after the free diagnostic. Costs for multi-disk arrays, chip level SSD work or physical damage of media will be more than this due to additional time on the bench and additional parts required; regardless, your price is always shown to you prior to commencing chargeable work, and it doesn’t move afterwards.

Because a genuine number needs a diagnosis. Two drives that have the same signs may require an hour of logical work or a donor head (hundreds of pounds difference). What we are going to do over the phone is provide you with a realistic cost estimate for your failure type, in addition to giving you straightforward advice as to whether professional recovery is even necessary. The exact price follows the free diagnosis.

Work over storage. It may be easier to recover from a 4TB disk with files removed than it will be from a 250GB disk that has bad heads. There are four main components that determine the cost of recovery: the replacement of any mechanical parts (donor disks cost money), the firmware or chip level repair required, the number of disks in question, and the priority of your needs (if you want to get on a jump-the-queue list).

Really free, no strings attached: we look at the problem and give you a verdict and a fixed price quote. If you decide to turn down the job, then there is no charge. The business model is very straightforward: we only do jobs that customers agree to have done with all the details available, and in sufficient numbers that it makes sense to be honest.

There is a priority service available, and the pricing of this service is open as its own price line in the quote (e.g., evenings, weekends or “queue jumping” for business-critical failures). The service changes how long it takes to complete the work; it does not change whether the promise that you will only pay if we are able to restore your data still applies.

Payment will be due when successful for standard jobs; there is no payment until your data is restored. When attempting to recover a job with a previously agreed attempt fee, that fee is required prior to commencing work, as quoted in writing. Cash, transfer & card are accepted.

Once we’ve quoted your job, you decide how you’d like us to handle the items which were sent in for service: either send them back to you along with your new media, or destroy them as per your request, with our certification. You should never put a failed hard drive which contains private information into storage or the bin; if you do not wish to receive this item again, we will properly dispose of it through certified destruction.

Yes, we will still be happy to provide a diagnostic; however, please keep realistic expectations about what may or may not remain to be recovered from an already compromised unit. The fact that someone has previously opened your unit does not necessarily mean there’s nothing left to find. As well, prior do-it-yourself attempts sometimes result in further compromise. In no case will we simply dismiss the possibility of recovery based solely upon the fact that “someone has tried before”. Once you have a quote, bring everything they returned, including loose parts.