A clear guide to assessment, recovery, parts, destination media and return costs. Every accepted case receives a written quote before paid recovery work begins.
Contents
Indicative pricing
Prices below are in New Zealand dollars and are guides rather than automatic fixed quotes. The written quote confirms the exact scope, GST treatment and any additional costs before approval.
| Item | Indicative charge | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Initial online or telephone enquiry | No charge | Basic triage and instructions before a device is received. |
| Stable logical hard-drive recovery | Commonly $150–$375 | Examples include selected deletion, partition or file-system cases where the device is stable enough for controlled imaging. |
| Clicking or beeping hard-drive recovery | Commonly $550–$675 before parts | Mechanical work can require donor components and additional controlled imaging time. |
| Assessment fee after a recoverable quote is declined | $100 | Applies only when we determine recovery is possible, provide a quote, and you choose not to proceed. |
| Urgent service | Up to 15% surcharge where offered | Only when accepted in writing; availability is not guaranteed. |
| SSD, NVMe, mobile, Mac, Surface, NAS and RAID cases | Quoted after assessment | Architecture, encryption, number of disks, parts and labour vary substantially. |
Costs that may be separate
- Donor parts: compatible hard drives, heads, PCBs, chips or other components approved in the quote.
- Destination media: a suitable external drive or other storage for recovered data when you do not supply one.
- Assembly or reassembly: where quoted for equipment that must be rebuilt for return.
- Courier and insurance: inbound shipping is arranged by the customer unless agreed otherwise; return shipping is charged where applicable.
- Additional attempts: only when a new scope and charge are approved after the first quoted route changes.
What “no recovery” means
No recovery labour fee is charged when the agreed recovery attempt produces no usable approved data. Pre-approved non-refundable parts, destination media, assembly and courier costs can still be payable. The written quote identifies these before work starts.
What counts as a useful recovery
A raw percentage of file count or storage capacity is not enough to define success. Before work begins, identify the folders, date ranges, databases, photos or file types that matter most. Where practical, we use those priorities to explain the result. Partial or damaged results are discussed before final release.
Approving or declining a quote
Submitting a form or sending a device does not approve paid recovery work. Approval must be given in writing. If you decline, return courier and any stated assessment or assembly charge must be paid before the device is sent back. Alternatively, you may authorise recycling in writing where appropriate.
Payment and release
Payment is due after completion of approved work and before recovered data is released, unless a different arrangement is agreed in writing. Inspect the returned data promptly and report a transfer problem within the period stated in the service terms.
Questions about a likely fee?
Tell us the exact device, capacity, symptoms, previous attempts and required data. We can often explain the likely price category, but a final quote requires assessment.
Request an assessment and written quote
Tell us what happened, what device you have and which files matter most. We will provide packing instructions for a tracked mail-in case or arrange a Timaru drop-off.
Submitting an enquiry does not authorise paid recovery work. Any applicable assessment, parts, media, courier or recovery charges are explained before you approve them.