Another Tech DIY Kills Client Data

[lcoughey]

I really hate giving client's bad news because their technician doesn't know when to stop.

http://www.recoveryforce.com/local-comp ... -gone-bad/

How do these companies stay and business and not get sued every day?

[Keatah]

I had deeply discounted a job for a customer and they even refused that. It was a logical recovery. Imaging and fixing directories and things. Minus a microscopic amount of bad sectors that could be worked around since they seemingly belonged to OS files. All in all, apprentice & trainee type material.

So they set about talking with 2 different IT consultants. And nearly a month later I got the same disk back in. Now it's clicking. Didn't diagnose it yet. But customer had told me it had been running spinrite nearly two days straight and he thought he was getting "signs of life" with the rhythmic clicking. He said consultant said that the clicking is a good sign and to keep it up and exercise the mechanism.

And this customer said that with the good news I should adjust the bill down even further because *I* need to do less work! Customer said spinrite took two days off my time. Ughh.. My low and adjusted (gimme-a-break) price was under $400 to begin with!

[northwind]

and he thought he was getting "signs of life" with the rhythmic clicking. He said consultant said that the clicking is a good sign and to keep it up and exercise the mechanism.

Incredible!

[BlackST]

I had deeply discounted a job for a customer and they even refused that. It was a logical recovery. Imaging and fixing directories and things. Minus a microscopic amount of bad sectors that could be worked around since they seemingly belonged to OS files. All in all, apprentice & trainee type material.

...

It's a movie they play everyday on our screens. Luckily I'm IMMUNE

[lcoughey]

Now you tell them that there a fee to re-assess the drive and the cost is now a minimum of $1000. You offered economy and they chose the expensive route.

[BlackST]

Now you tell them that there a fee to re-assess the drive and the cost is now a minimum of $1000. You offered economy and they chose the expensive route.

Luke, there is no solution except asking at first time a diagnose fee, non refundable and IN ADVANCE. In return you give them the diagnose. PERIOD. Then it's "their data their choice" , every time they come back they have to pay : drive opened so need decontamination ? pay "x" . And stop. Then : new assessment ? Another "x" . Parts needed ? Give me "X" to get the parts only for you. And so on. Otherwise, they are simply not customers. Plain and simple. Diagnose fee covers some overall costs, at least it does limit the "damages". Of course there are exceptions and ways to apply.

P.S. here if the "lie detector" triggers , a "2x" , "3x" or "WOW" like on pinball lits. Unfortunately there's no "SPECIAL" or "EXTRA BALL" , the only thing that multiply is price

[CK]

We have noticed an increase in this sort of activity. We have had 5 or 6 drives in the past month that have been with another provider who has restored to doing headswaps with no gloves on! Disgraceful behaviour on a drive containing somebody's valuable data. Here's a recent example... http://www.criticaldata.ie/why-do-we-need-a-cleanroom/

[dobrevjetser]

We also see this more and more. In many cases we can still recover the data, but in some cases its game over. DIY= Destroy It Yourself.

Dobre

[pcimage]

Yep, same here

Every day almost without fail, we see DIY disasters and/or drives butchered by "the PC expert"

Or drives hammered to death with software.

[inflex]

I don't yet do platter/head level service like you chaps, but I have to say I'm getting quite a few "Damage It Yourself" jobs coming in ( a lot with iPhones actually - "Why do you charge $$$ when I can buy it on eBay for $20?" ... I see them the next week with everything in parts and broken )

Anyhow, I recently had one where a tech couldn't recover the data off the drive simply because there was a couple of bad sectors, so they formatted it, reinstalled Windows and gave it back to the client and said "Sorry, no luck" A day later thankfully I had all the client data of interest back simply by running ddrescue followed by photorec.

Well, I hope when I eventually get something set up here for clean-room level repairs that I don't become one who creates more trouble.

[craig6928]

here the main problem you get first your getting someone else fooked up job
which makes it harder to recovery.

it happens all the time computer stores have adverts in there shop and say we do data recovery work

but what they really should say in there advert is " we dont know what the fook we are doing"

most computer shops only use software not hardware.

plus they charge around $100 for just checking the drive out

so you get 10 drives a week that $1,000 doing nothing

also the other reason are people are cheap these day and dont value there data as much.

they would rather go to a guy who charges $80 for recovering the data
then going to someone who knows the business.

[craig6928]

I don't yet do platter/head level service like you chaps, but I have to say I'm getting quite a few "Damage It Yourself" jobs coming in ( a lot with iPhones actually - "Why do you charge $$$ when I can buy it on eBay for $20?" ... I see them the next week with everything in parts and broken )

Anyhow, I recently had one where a tech couldn't recover the data off the drive simply because there was a couple of bad sectors, so they formatted it, reinstalled Windows and gave it back to the client and said "Sorry, no luck" A day later thankfully I had all the client data of interest back simply by running ddrescue followed by photorec.

Well, I hope when I eventually get something set up here for clean-room level repairs that I don't become one who creates more trouble.

its very easy to get into platter and head level with the correct tools


clean room you can simply make your own but most days you dont need them.

[craig6928]

We have noticed an increase in this sort of activity. We have had 5 or 6 drives in the past month that have been with another provider who has restored to doing headswaps with no gloves on! Disgraceful behaviour on a drive containing somebody's valuable data. Here's a recent example... http://www.criticaldata.ie/why-do-we-need-a-cleanroom/

and i bet the company that had the drive to begin with charged a no return fee

its going to get worse and worse with diy kills

[Touchclarity]

Had one in just yesterday.... "Just took the lid off to have a look" he said.... what he 'forgot' to tell me was that he managed to slip with the screwdriver that he used to PRY ( ) the lid off with and put a 2cm gouge (not scratch) in the top platter.... "Nice"...I thought..

We now have a policy that any bare drive that comes in with the warranty seals broken is NOT covered by our No recovery - No Fee policy....

Sorry.... but it's a must these days..... Spending far too much time on D.I.Y disasters...

[Keatah]

Everybody has disks today. Back in old days, anyone that had a disk knew how delicate they were and were less inclined to open them up in carefree manner.

And with the economy in the shitter as usual, people are looking for the most cost-effective solution. Nothing new there though.

[craig6928]

Had one in just yesterday.... "Just took the lid off to have a look" he said.... what he 'forgot' to tell me was that he managed to slip with the screwdriver that he used to PRY ( ) the lid off with and put a 2cm gouge (not scratch) in the top platter.... "Nice"...I thought..

We now have a policy that any bare drive that comes in with the warranty seals broken is NOT covered by our No recovery - No Fee policy....

Sorry.... but it's a must these days..... Spending far too much time on D.I.Y disasters...

that is the best way to go these days if the hard drive has been open up or tried to repair it
that does not cover a no fee policy

if you did not do this you be over run with other people fooked up hard drive repairs
and no money

[lcoughey]

Had one in just yesterday.... "Just took the lid off to have a look" he said.... what he 'forgot' to tell me was that he managed to slip with the screwdriver that he used to PRY ( ) the lid off with and put a 2cm gouge (not scratch) in the top platter.... "Nice"...I thought..

Nice

We now have a policy that any bare drive that comes in with the warranty seals broken is NOT covered by our No recovery - No Fee policy....

Sorry.... but it's a must these days..... Spending far too much time on D.I.Y disasters...

I like this. We have just been charging a $100 assessment rather than the free assessment and the project is automatically bumped to our highest level of service. But, to remove the no data, no charge guarantee makes perfect sense.

[BlackST]

I was the pioneer of 'always charge' policy...

[CK]

"The fool who works for free is always busy"

[unknown]

"The fool who works for free is always busy"

Very nice indeed.

hit the point.