I wrote a blog post earlier related to how expensive data recovery can be and the reasons why. In this particular post, I plan to elaborate further on the actual estimation process giving actual price ranges, looking at failure symptoms and the additional factors that can impact a price quote for data recovery.
In this post I will focus primarily on estimates and price ranges for data recovery from hard drives.
A lot of companies, regardless of size, tend to use the old Tier One, Tier Two and Tier Three pricing model. It isn’t perfect by any means but it does allow those companies who use it to extend their price ranges for certain failure types. However, in many cases, this model does not justify some failure types and as a result, prices are exaggerated on most physical data recovery failures. The Tier pricing model does not provide much in the way of specifics as to why a particular price is so high.
Here is a more realistic list of pricing estimates for data recovery:
Logical Data Recovery
| Minor Logical Failure | Average Turnaround: 1-2 Business Days | Symptoms: File accidently deleted and recycle bin emptied, folder accidently deleted, data is no longer visible after an unfinished transfer | Price Range: $250-$500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Logical Failure | Average Turnaround: 2-4 Business Days | Symptoms: Few bad sectors, computer detects the drive, but shows it as a RAW file system, File(s) Partially Overwritten | Price Range: $350-$800 |
| Severe Logical Failure (Fragmentation) | Average Turnaround: 4-9 Business Days | Symptoms: File(s) have been fragmented and scattered over the hard drive that won’t open, corrupted data | Price Range: $800-$1800 |
What is fragmented data recovery? Find out more here.
Physical Data Recovery
| Electronic Failure | Average Turnaround: 3-5 Business Days | Symptoms: PCB (Printed Circuit Board) failure (burnt chip, firmware corruption, controller failure, translator failure). Hard drive is not powering up, clicking noises | Price Range: $450-$900 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Failure | Average Turnaround: 4-6 Business Days | Symptoms: Ongoing bad sectors, failed head stack assembly, faulty preamp, damage to platters, weak HSA, motor seizure, clicking, grinding, beeping or musical pattern noises, a hard drive that won’t spin up, a hard drive that spins up but powers off immediately | Price Range: $600-$1200 |
| Complex Failure | Average Turnaround: 5-8 Business Days | Symptoms: Combination of both electronic and mechanical failure types | Price Range: $900-$2000 |
| Scratched Platters Recovery | Average Turnaround: 10-20 Business Days | Symptoms: Round Scratches Present on Platter(s) – Requires Burnishing (Platter Treatment) | Price Range: $1500-$5000 |
To find out more about scratched platters and the chances of successful recovery, you can read this.
The price ranges noted above are just that. They are approximations to give you a rough idea of what to expect.
In order to determine the exact failure type, the hard drive has to go through a complete diagnostic inside a properly outfitted data recovery laboratory.
One thing to note about our pricing is the final and firm price quote you will receive from us following a device diagnostic will be all-inclusive. In other words, the cost of replacement parts and labor will be part of the quote we give you. Also, there will be no hidden fees for something that suddenly appears.
Hopefully, you can now see the difference between Tier pricing and pricing based on the type of failure. We feel that breaking our services down based on failure types offers a more realistic pricing schedule. It makes sense that the more severe the problem, the more work is required to correct the problem. That will naturally cost you more to have done.
Conversely, minor problems should not be as expensive.
Yes, there are exceptions to every rule but once we can give your hard drive a thorough diagnostic and properly identify what the problem is, it should be cost related to the severity of the failure.
If you are still concerned about the high cost of data recovery and still think it is a bit on the expensive side, there is a blog post I would like you to read. You can find it here and it will explain to you further some of the intricacies that have a direct impact on pricing.
For more information on how we can help you with your hard drive data recovery issues, please fill out the contact form providing as much information as possible.