Is my initial diagnostic assessment really free?
Yes. Our initial standard software-level diagnostic is completely free of charge. Our technicians evaluate your drive's sector readability, partition integrity, and controller health non-invasively to determine if the data can be recovered using digital imaging tools.
Why is there a separate bench fee for opening a drive?
If your drive has suffered physical or mechanical failure (such as broken read/write heads or a seized motor), it cannot be tested using standard software. It must be physically disassembled inside our certified ISO 14644-1 micro-electronic cleanroom. The Cleanroom Bench Fee covers the highly specialized engineering labor, cleanroom resources, and microscopic component manipulation required to safely open and work on your drive's delicate internal components.
Do I have to pay the cleanroom labor fee if my data can’t be recovered?
Yes. The Cleanroom Bench Fee covers the actual physical labor, time, and delicate manual engineering required to take the drive apart and attempt mechanical remediation. Because this process involves irreversible engineering time and specialized resource allocation, this fee is non-refundable and separate from the final data recovery cost, even if severe internal platter degradation or magnetic layer wear makes a full recovery technically impossible.
Where is my drive physically processed?
To ensure institutional-grade protection, your media is securely registered at our University of Washington Medical District intake hub under strict NIST SP 800-88 data safety protocols. For complex physical interventions, devices are routed directly through our proprietary, high-security logistics network to specialized cleanroom environments, minimizing local environmental risks and ensuring strict chain-of-custody compliance.
What happens if I choose not to proceed with a recovery?
You always retain full ownership of your media. If you choose not to move forward after a diagnostic or cleanroom evaluation, your device will be securely packaged and shipped back to your physical address. Customers are simply responsible for the standard, pass-through courier and shipping fees required to return the package via standard postal networks.
