Lab accepting new cases ·  Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm Urgent? Call 01273 964902
BDR Brighton Data Recovery 01273 964902 Start a case
BDR / Get a quote

The lab · free diagnostic & quote

Diagnose it now. Get a fixed price after.

Two questions tell you what's likely wrong, what to do about it in the next five minutes, and how long the lab work realistically takes. Then send the details over — diagnosis on arrival is free, and the written figure that follows is the one you pay.

Talk it through with an engineer
01273 964902

Start with the free diagnostic.

How a case runs →
Free online diagnostic · no obligation BDR-2026-····

What are we looking at?

Pick the closest match.

Two questions, an honest read, and the one thing worth doing before your device travels. Nothing here is a substitute for the free diagnosis your device gets on arrival — it's the same advice you'd get by phone, available at midnight.

Send it over.

Free diagnosis · fixed written quote · no obligation. Sent to our support desk — replies within one working day, Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm.

What happens after you press send.

01

We reply within one working day

An engineer reads every request — you'll get an honest first read on recoverability, what to do (and not do) meanwhile, and where to send the device.

Engineer, not autoresponderSame-day where possible
02

Free diagnosis on arrival Free

Your device is booked in with its own case reference and assessed properly — fault confirmed and recoverability established.

Case reference issuedAssessed on arrival
03

One fixed figure, your decision

You get the quote in writing. Approve it and recovery starts; decline and your device comes back — no diagnosis fee, no hard feelings.

Fixed written quote

Fill in the shipping form.

Prefer the PDF? →

Send your device to · post fully insured, or drop off · Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm

Guildford Data Recovery
Building 2, Ground Floor
Guildford Business Park
Guildford, GU2 8XH

Seal your device inside a padded envelope or small box and enclose this form. There's no collection service — post it to us tracked and fully insured, or drop it in during weekday hours.

Send the drive, not the machine: if it's a laptop, PC, Mac or a CCTV/DVR recorder, take the drive out and send just the drive — any computer shop can do this in minutes.

Exceptions: an external drive in its own enclosure, and a NAS unit (ideally remove as NAS enclosures can be large). We don't recover mobile phones or tablets.

1Your details
2Your device

Device type — tick all that apply

RAID / server: send the drives only (not the enclosure or controller), each labelled with its bay order — 1, 2, 3… NAS: the whole unit is fine too.

3What's happened

The fault — tick all that apply

4What you need back
We'll email and phone you once your media is diagnosed. 01273 964902 · brighton-datarecovery.co.uk No fix, no fee on most jobs
Print it for the box, send it ahead, or both — sending it early means your case is open before the parcel lands.

Fill it in on screen and the printed copy carries your answers. If you'd rather write it by hand, download the PDF instead — either version is fine, we just need one in the box.

Packing it for the journey.

Pack it properlyOriginal enclosure if you have it, generous padding on every side, nothing loose in the box. Small devices go in a padded envelope inside a box — never loose on their own.
Track it and insure itUse a tracked, insured service and keep the receipt. Return postage back to you is free, whatever the outcome.
Label multi-drive kitRAID and server drives travel as drives, each marked with its bay number. That order is part of the recovery — guessing it later costs time.
Bring the awkward cases to us firstServers, large NAS units or anything you'd rather not post: call on 01273 964902 and we'll agree the safest route before anything moves.

Before it goes in the box

  • Include your passwords — BitLocker keys, FileVault or login passwords, noted on the shipping form. Encryption does its job on us too.
  • Name your priority folders — tell us what matters most and verification checks those first.
  • External drives include drive only — we don't need cables. On WD portables especially, the drive and its board are a matched pair.
  • Skip the power bricks unless we ask for them, and leave broken pieces in the box rather than binning them.

One thing worth repeating: whatever the diagnostic said above, don't power the device on again to check. The most common avoidable damage we see arrives from one last hopeful attempt made after someone already knew better.

Asked before sending, answered straight.

Is the online diagnostic the same as the free diagnosis?

No — and the difference matters. The tool above gives you an honest first read from what you describe, instantly. The free diagnosis is an engineer with your device on the bench establishing what's actually wrong. The first is guidance; the second is the one your quote is based on.

How much does data recovery cost?

The diagnostic above names your starting band as soon as you pick a device — £250 + VAT for cards and sticks, £300 + VAT for any single drive, £400 + VAT for recorders, and from £500 + VAT once more than one drive is involved. Our pricing page lists every band; the free diagnosis on arrival turns your band into a written figure.

What does 'no fix, no fee' cover?

On most jobs, if we can't recover the data you asked for, you don't pay the recovery fee. The exceptions are quoted individually up front — mainly devices with electronic or mechanical damage, devices previously opened or worked on elsewhere.

How fast will I hear back?

Within a working day — normally within 30 minutes, outside working hours is longer. Once the device lands, most single-drive diagnoses complete within 48 hours of arrival.

Two minutes now, one number later.

Run the diagnostic, send the form, post the device. Everything after that is your call — and the diagnosis costs nothing either way.

01273 964902

Start a free diagnostic Sending your device