At Dubai’s FreekinGeeks we realize many people tend to decide on a data recovery service provider based largely on price.Of course everybody wants to pay as little as possible, it's only natural. But be aware that not all data recovery offerings are the same and you may be doing yourself a real disservice if you don't consider the facts.
Regardless of the ads you may see, most recoveries cannot be done for DHS 99 or even DHS 350. Approximately 68% of data loss situations are the result of a mechanical failure with the hard drive. These cases typically have media damage and bad heads as a result. The only possible way to recover the data is by replacing the heads and this requires the purchase of an exact matching hard drive for parts. We often consume 2,3, or even 4 parts drives in the pursuit of data. Now if a single parts drive costs DHS 250 and you need 2 of them, it isn't hard to see that the costs quickly add up. Interestingly enough, a lucrative business of selling older hard drives to data recovery companies at ridiculous prices has resulted.
So, be aware there are many so called recovery companies that are actually marketing companies with little technical skill. There are a few of these type companies operating in the Dubai area. Essentially they advertise "too good to be true pricing" in order to attract as many cases as possible and then recover the easiest cases and declare the rest unrecoverable (a real crime and disservice to everyone).
Providing a fixed rate for data recovery is very difficult because every data loss situation is unique and requires different procedures and resources. For example, recovering data from a hard drive may be as simple as running an automated recovery utility to retrieve data inaccessible due to minor NTFS file system damage OR it may require 14 hours of labor and an advanced understanding of HP UNIX to rebuild missing super blocks. And those two scenarios assume the hard drive is working perfectly. In 68% of the time the hard drive is not functioning properly and it must be repaired first. This could involve troubleshooting and repairing a bad PCB or replacing the head assembly multiple times in an effort to image off a hard drive with visible rings resulting from a crash.
So if you're flat rating your services will you really give each case its due diligence or will you tend to easily give up on the tougher cases?
So what should I expect? While we can't give you a “firm fits all scenarios” type price, we can prepare you for what to expect when submitting
a single hard drive for recovery.
Typically, starting prices for single hard drive recovery start around DHS 300-600. This price range would be for Level 1 recoveries where the
drive is working perfectly, but due to something like formatting your drive, deleting files, or a system restore your data has been lost.
The next category or Level 2 type recoveries includes scenarios where the hard drive has some issues but they can be resolved
without requiring cleanroom work. These recoveries typically cost between DHS 700-900. This would include bad PCB or electronics and firmware or system area issues. The system area is a special area used by the hard drive for its own internal use and is critical to its operation.
The most expensive category, Level 3, is reserved for those situations where your hard drive has physical damage and
will require cleanroom work. These situations are the most difficult and may require extensive parts, time and other resources. Cost on Level 3 type recoveries start at DHS 1200 and can go as high as DHS 2600 or higher.
Other Devices? Cost for data recovery on
USB flash devices starts at DHS 200 for a Level 1 type problem and DHS 350 for a Level 2 problem
on a 4GB device ….to DHS 1400 for Level 1 and DHS 1950 for a level 2 recovery
on a 32GB device. Larger devices and SSD drives with level 2 type problems will be more expensive.
Multiple drive boxes and RAID recovery fees can easily be double that of a single hard drive recovery. Clients requiring multiple drive
RAID data recovery should be prepared for fees starting at DHS 2000. However, it is not unusual for RAID recovery fees to be in excess of 5, 10 or even 20K in some situations. Some simpler RAIDs, like RAID 0 and RAID 1 may be possible to recover at lower prices.
At FreekinGeeks we're real people just like you, and we understand that your data, whether it's your accounting database or a folder of your personal pictures, is very precious. We also understand that nobody wants to pay more than they have to and we're committed to offering the best chance of recovering your data for the least cost. FreekinGeeks pricing is built on 4 pillars that support reasonable pricing …
- We are honest and our quotes will not be exaggerated or padded in anyway. In fact, if we find no faults with your storage device we will tell you so. Our pricing starts at ZERO!
- Because our parent company services up to 3000 hard drives a month, we have instant access to more parts drives and at cheaper costs than ANY data recovery company in Dubai. Besides the fastest recoveries in Dubai, this allows us to keep our costs lower and your price lower. But even more importantly, we can afford to use more parts and try harder ... much harder!
- Guaranteed results ensure we try harder. If we're not successful we don't get paid ..period!
- Experience with more hard drive problems than anyone in Dubai. With 12 years of experience, we can quickly and efficiently diagnose and recover your data.
If your data is very important please send it to us for your best chance and best price. We are the choice of professionals and in fact almost 70% of our business is repeat customers. Besides recovering data for many of Dubai's largest computer service companies, we also do hard drive mechanical work for several smaller less technically capable data recovery companies. When you really need your data back choose wisely!
