The costs of professional data-recovery services vary widely and change based on a number of factors, including the overall condition of the drive you send them, how much data needs to be recovered, and how much work they have to put into the job. As you might expect, this can be labor-intensive work that’s usually performed by highly trained people.
Some groups offer basic recovery services beginning at around $250; you should normally expect to pay between $400 and several thousand dollars.
What to Determine
Because you’re a single individual or a small businessperson, you may find it easier if you limit your search for drive-recovery services to those who can
- Give you an estimate in writing up front (e-mail is fine).
- Don’t charge you for data that can’t be recovered, although you’ll still have to pay a basic charge for their effort.
If you do decide to contract with an individual or company, make sure you determine up front
- the firm’s level of experience and their success rate
- all anticipated costs, including any special fees
- what your charge will be if nothing can be recovered
- when you can expect to get back the recovered files (if any) and in what format
- their privacy policy (You don’t want your private records being seen by anyone else.)
