The lab · how your case runs
Seven stages. No surprises at any of them.
Every case follows the same visible track from first call to signed-off return — the same one our own families' drives would follow. Here it is, end to end, including the two moments where the decision is entirely yours.
Talk it through with an engineer
01273 964902
The track, stage by stage.
Make contact
Phone or the quote form — describe what failed and what matters most on it. You'll get an honest first read and clear instructions before anything moves.
Get it to us
Post tracked and insured to our secure intake lab with the printed shipping form in the box — or call and we'll agree the best route for anything awkward.
Booked in, diagnosed free Free
Your device gets its own case reference on arrival and a proper diagnosis: the fault, the realistic odds, and exactly what recovery involves.
Your decision
One fixed figure, in writing. Approve it and we start; decline it and the device comes back with our notes — no diagnosis fee either way.
The recovery
Imaging first, always; then the fault-specific work — donor parts, firmware, reconstruction, decryption — on the image, never gambling the original.
Verify the listing
Before payment, you approve a full listing of what came back — checked against the folders you told us mattered.
Return & aftercare
Data back on new media, free return postage, and our working copies securely destroyed after thirty days. The case closes when you say it does.
Typical lab times, honestly.
| The job | What's involved | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Logical faults — deletion, formatting, corruption | Software-level recovery on an image | 2–3 working days |
| Mechanical faults — clicking, dropped, dead drives | Donor parts, then careful imaging | 3–5 working days |
| Multi-drive — RAID, NAS, servers | Every member imaged, array rebuilt virtually | 3–4 working days |
| Encrypted & forensic matters | Scoped individually, timescale agreed up front | Quoted per case |
| Genuine emergencies | Business-down and deadline cases worked continuously | Say so when you call |
What to include in the box.
Asked before sending, answered straight.
Can I get updates during the recovery?
Yes — you'll hear from us at every stage boundary above, and you can call the lab directly between them. No portals, no ticket black holes.
What if you can't recover my data?
Then on most jobs you pay nothing for the attempt — that's the no-fix-no-fee promise — and we'll tell you honestly whether anyone else could do better, including when the answer is no one.
Who actually works on my device?
Recovery engineers in our own lab — your device isn't brokered out or shipped abroad, and it's tracked under its case reference from arrival to return.
What happens to your copies of my data?
Working images are kept for thirty days after your data is returned — your safety net if anything needs re-checking — then securely destroyed.
Ready when you are.
Start with the form or the phone — stage one costs nothing and commits you to nothing.