Looking costs nothing · one fixed figure after
A data recovery quote, London. The fault first. Then one written price, and it does not move.
Below is a short test which includes two multiple choice type questions. From this test you will receive three pieces of information: a potential reason for your issue, the price range you fall into and something you would waste time trying to do tonight. A little further down on this page you will find the actual form itself. Following the engineer's inspection of the unit at our intake facility (for which we charge nothing) you will be given a clear, written statement of how much you would pay us, and that is all you will ever pay; there will never be any additional charges.
Put it to an engineer — the first look costs nothing
0203 0868633
Two questions, and a likely cause.
The order of the job →What is yours stored on?
Whichever comes closest will do.
You need only click twice on the screen of your computer or phone, and it will give you a simple answer to your question. The first thing you should do before doing anything else will be mentioned. It is not a diagnosis; that needs to happen in an engineer's hands. Read it like the telephone would answer you if someone was available to take that call at three o'clock in the morning.
Now the detail.
What happens after you send it.
An answer inside a working day
Any submissions you make will be reviewed personally by someone, and items are not sorted out by a computer program. As soon as possible you will receive an initial assessment regarding what could possibly be wrong with your unit. You will also receive an instruction as to what you should not touch in the meantime. Finally, you will receive an address where you can post your unit to us. Normally if the desk is manned, we can get back to you in about 30 minutes. If we receive something overnight, we'll reply to it after 9am the next morning.
The bench names the fault Free
We allocate a case number to every unit that comes into us. Each unit also goes onto a workbench where the real cause of failure is determined and an assessment is done of how much of the platters or how much of the flash memory is readable. We allow for approximately a 48-hour diagnostic window for one disk. If there are multiple disks involved additional time may be necessary and this is indicated when you book in.
The figure, and your decision
Once the figure has been provided to you in written format along with a description of what we have found, and you accept, we will commence. If you decline and wish to have your device sent back home, we cover the cost of postage. In either eventuality, there is no charge for the diagnosis. The remainder of the content that follows does not alter anything that we have previously stated.
Where it goes, and what goes with it.
Prefer it on paper? →The data entered here will be printed as well. If you wish to complete your response on paper, download the PDF version of the questionnaire, use a pen to complete your responses, and again put the completed document in the box along with the device.
Getting it packed.
Run through this before taping it
- Put every password on the form: your Windows login credentials, any FileVault passwords, that 48-digit BitLocker key. There is no "backdoor" way for a lab to access encrypted data either; keep a key to yourself and the bench halts at the same place where you had to halt.
- Name whatever you cannot do without: identify those folders you want us to start copying from.
- A portable drive should arrive whole: in its enclosure, complete with the cable and power adaptor. The WD My Passport bridge board is locked to a single disk drive, therefore both units need to arrive together.
- Keep hold of the mains adaptor when sending an internal drive, unless an engineer requests it; no caddies, cables or power supplies are required. An external drive arrives complete, including cable and power adaptor. Anything that has come away should be placed in the bag alongside. Do not dispose of anything.
Worth saying twice: regardless of what the checker stated, leave the unit off and unplugged. Much of the work performed on this bench was complicated due to one more attempt to see if today would be different from all the days before it.
The questions that come up first.
Is the checker actually a diagnosis?
It is not. What the checker provides is based upon your selections. There is no substitute for an engineer at the bench with your hardware, eliminating each possible cause of error until they know what is wrong (and only then can they tell you how much the recovery will cost). Use the checker as a guide to determine what to leave alone tonight; use the engineer to determine the cost.
How much will it be?
A pen drive or memory card is priced at £250 + VAT. One hard disk or one solid-state drive is priced at £300 + VAT. A DVR or recorder is priced at £400 + VAT. Upon involvement of a second disk (NAS, server, RAID set), the entry price moves to £500 + VAT. Which band applies is based upon what is received, and the checker names it while the device remains in your custody. The pricing page provides details for all six bands; the free diagnosis provides your single written figure.
Is it true you only pay if we recover your data?
On most jobs, yes: you only pay if we recover your data. There are two types of work that fall outside this policy: a device opened by another lab, and hardware with electrical or physical damage. If either applies to yours, you are told at first contact, well before you agree to spend any money.
How soon does an answer come?
Within one working day at most. Usually within thirty minutes when there are people behind the desk; and if something is sent overnight, then the response will be ready for the sender after nine the next morning. Time needed to make the diagnosis is longer: about 48 hours from when a single disk is on a bench.
A price inside two minutes.
Checker, form, parcel, bench, and the decision is yours alone to make, with one figure in front of you and no charge for looking.