The lab · pricing
Exeter data recovery prices. Every price published, and fixed in writing before we start.
Recovery for Exeter is priced from £250 + VAT, and all the levels can be seen in the table that follows as a reference guide; there's no need to ring us to see them, and finding out which level your own device will fall into is free. In addition, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
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Every kind of Exeter job, priced.
| Starts at | Job type | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| £250 + VAT | Memory cards & USB sticks | SD, microSD and CF cards, and USB flash drives |
| £300 + VAT | Single drives of every kind | HDD, SSD and NVMe — internal, external, laptop or desktop |
| £300 + VAT | Macs & MacBooks | APFS and HFS+ drives, FileVault; soldered storage (T2, Apple Silicon) not taken on |
| £400 + VAT | CCTV / DVR / NVR | Hikvision, Dahua, Swann and other embedded recorders |
| from £500 + VAT | RAID, NAS & servers | RAID 0/1/5/6/10; Synology, QNAP, WD, HP, Dell and Lenovo |
| from £500 + VAT | Databases | SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL and Exchange |
| begins at £800 + VAT | Virtual machines | VMDK, VHDX, VHD and QCOW2 — snapshots and damaged VM folders |
| begins at £800 + VAT | Forensics & investigation | Workplace cases and court-ready reporting, custody chain preserved |
| from £1,250 + VAT | SAN & enterprise storage | Datastores spanning more than one array |
Don't know where your device sits in all this? The free diagnostic will identify where it falls (band, probable fault, next action).
How to read those numbers.
- The VAT is added to every figure shown at the current UK standard rate.
- Use these as starting points only, don't use them as totals. Your final price will be based on the fault identified by our free diagnostic, and will therefore go on paper after that diagnostic has been done and before any chargeable work has started.
- In most cases you only pay if we recover your data, that is, the files you requested.
- There are three types of work that have a 50% deposit: donor-part repairs within the drive, CCTV/DVR recorders, and forensic instructions. All three of these use our specialist bench hours regardless of success. The remaining 50% is owed by you only if we recover your data.
What moves a quote within its band.
How things go once you're quoted.
| What happens | What it usually means | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| You accept | We start working at this fixed amount | Once the file list is verified, we'll charge for this service |
| You decline | Along with what we've found, we'll return the device | No charge for diagnosis, and no fee for the post home to you |
| The files can't be saved | In most cases you only pay if we recover your data | On most jobs, you will only pay if we recover your data |
| Something unexpected appears part-way | Before we go on, we stop and call you to confirm what we are doing | Our quoted price does not change |
| Forensic, recorder or mechanical work | 50% of the total amount due up front, the balance only if we recover your data | We explain all aspects of this before you agree to anything |
| A drive opened before it reached us | Each job is quoted individually after an inspection | Terms such as "pay if recovered" cannot always be applied |
Why the cheapest advert rarely stays cheap
- That "£49" banner is in fact bait rather than a price, and its primary function is to get your drive onto their bench; the true cost will be shown to you after they've removed the lid, and at this point walking away seems impossible.
- It may seem obvious, but ask what happens when the recovery fails, and how promptly they will inform you should they fail in recovering your data. A laboratory which offers no terms where you only pay if they recover your data will have limited motivation for telling you as soon as possible that there is nothing left to recover.
- Similarly, ask whether the final cost of the service can change once both parties agree upon the details. Ours cannot. Any additional problems which arise subsequent to agreement will be absorbed by us, and your original quotation remains valid.
- Find out which firm's bench your drive ends up at. Many firms are middlemen that just add their margin and then pass it along. Drives sent to us never leave our own lab.
A straight word on price listings: our initial pricing is exactly that, and it means what it says. A logical error (or failure) on a single hard disk drive costs £300 + VAT; this is not "approximately" £300. No list will be able to anticipate if the job will require one donor component or three. This is where diagnosis comes into play, which is why your final quote is documented prior to any drive being opened.
Straight answers to the questions we hear most.
How much does data recovery cost?
£250 + VAT will open up the pricing options for memory cards and USB sticks. An individual drive of whichever type it may be (a hard disk, an SSD, or the drive from a laptop or Mac) will be priced at £300 + VAT. Price for recorders starts at £400 + VAT. If your case involves multiple drives (RAID, NAS, server), we begin at £500 + VAT; when dealing with virtual machines or forensic instruction cases, our prices begin at £800 + VAT. The table above sets them all out, and your own price will be clearly stated in writing after the complimentary diagnosis.
Is the diagnosis really free?
Yes, and that holds even when you decide to reject the quote we sent. All you will pay for is posting the device to us; the trip home is on us.
What makes some jobs need a deposit?
Regardless of success, there are three types of jobs that cost us the same amount: forensic instructions, recorder work and drive-level repairs that require a matching donor part. These three will take a 50% deposit from you prior to starting the recovery, with the remainder payable only if we recover your data. Every other type of job is subject to our standard terms, which means in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
So when is payment actually due?
You won't owe anything until after you have reviewed and approved the list of files that were recovered from your device, and payment is due before the data is released, as stated in the terms of service. There is no upfront charge or payment due mid-job on a regular recovery.
Any surprises in the bill?
None. The cost of a diagnosis is nothing to you, and we will also cover the cost of return post. When you agree on a price, that's the price you'll actually be charged. There is one optional item available: priority handling, quoted in advance of you committing to the transaction.
Do you match cheaper quotes?
What to ask the less expensive company: does this cost remain valid should it be necessary to open the drive; what is charged if they are unable to recover the information; and do they operate their own laboratory? Our price is fixed, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data, and yes, we run our own laboratory.
The starting price is public. Your exact one is free to find out.
Get a quote before sending us your drive, either via telephone call or using our online quote form. Then send the drive to us by post, or drop it into the Bristol intake lab (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm) with no appointment needed; as part of the service we will give you a completely free diagnosis and clearly write down the price for the work required. The choice is yours.