Fields Data Recovery USA, LLC

This client sent a *** *** *** hard drive for data recoveryUpon receiving the drive, we opened in the clean lab to examine for damage and found extensive, extremely severe platter damageThis damage is caused from the read/write heads crashing into the platter surfaces, which is the
reason why he sent for evaluationThe heads grind away at the platter surfaces, creating metallic dust within the driveI have attached photos of the drive as it was received, and open in our clean labIt is without doubt that the client has received the exact drive he submitted for diagnosticsWe will not provide any other replacement, and *** *** will likely still honor the warranty if in fact the drive is still within the warranty period

The client requested we stop services on August 14, His original and backup were returned via our free return route on August Our free return option does not include trackingThis was shipped to: *** *** *** *** ** ***

Revdex.com:
Personal working drive was received Dec 22nd
Sincerely,
*** ***

This client has not paid us anything, nor did we get to the point that he was asked to pay anythingHe disagreed with our diagnostic updates (he referred to them as stories)We're returning his driveIt's unfortunate that I even have to reply to this as a "complaint"

Upon review of all call recordings between this client and our staff, at no point was she informed - or asked - of any expected time-frame for diagnostics and/or recoveryIn most cases, diagnostics take between 1-business daysShe was provided results on Monday, June - business days after
dropping offShe was informed of our starting price of $199.00, but that costs were based entirely on complexity - the entire reason we offer our diagnostics free of chargeShe was informed of the exact price for recovery, contingent upon success, and declined serviceThe following exchange occurred: Client: "OK, I'll just come pick if upCan I come any time?"Fields: "We will reverse our work, first, and then we'll have it ready for you to come pick it upI can give you a call as soon as that's ready."Client: "OK, sounds goodThank you." This is not yet ready for pickup, and will be by Friday June 10, at the latestShe was not informed that it was ready for pickup and came, irate, on June to attempt to take the device.In summary, we set no expectations for this client that were unmetEven though we did not tell her diagnostics would take 1-days, it was completed within that time-frameShe was not informed that she could come at "any time" to pick up her device, she was instructed to wait until we confirmed it was ready for pickupWe stand by our diagnostic process and can say with a high degree of confidence that the competitor she's quoted is incapable of recovering from such a fault at the price they've statedWhile we are sorry the client is unhappy with our results, we will let her know the second it is ready for pickup, and will be happy to complete the work for her when/if she finds unsatisfactory results at our competitor. Note: copy of audio recordings can be provided if necessary

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Since I am traveling I asked time abd agsib ti corrospond via email.I am aware of the new voicemail and the many voicemails from May but unless they email me there is nothing I can do during the time I am out of the USPlease send me emails! Please reply to the many emails I send!I need the recovered data and the hard driveThe costs originaly requested were too high.I can't afford them or anything near these amounts.The remote web interface allows me to see the names of the files but not to view the files contents, which makes it hard to decide which files contain valid dataSince most of the data is photos, I can't see which photo is which using your interface.
Sincerely,
*** ***

This client declined our services and paid $for return of her tower containing two hard drives that she sent for a free evaluation, on October
Internally, this was not moved into a status for dispatch, and we were not made aware of this until we received the Revdex.com complaint on December (the client did not call or email one time from when the payment was processed until filing the complaint)
This was shipped the next business day by UPS (tracking included in additional info) and she has been offered a refund of the fee she paid for return ($100.00)We are awaiting her reply prior to processing the refund

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: This company did not provide me the service I paid for, in the business response they even said when they opened the file, it was emptyI had the same issue when I looked at the file , it was empty
Sincerely,
*** ***

Mr*** submitted a device for data recovery servicesAfter completion of free diagnostics it was determined that there was no existing solution for his specific problem, and he agreed to allow us to pass his device to our Research and Development department in order to try and develop a solution
Our R&D department maintains about a 50% success rate in recovering devices escalated to their careUnfortunately, after extensive work, it was determined that the device was unrecoverableI have attached a work report

UPS tracking number: ***

The device was removed from the external hard drive caddy upon arrivalThis was a destructive processUnfortunately the replacement read/write heads crashed to the platter surface, yielding the recovery attempt a failureThe client was aware of these risks prior to proceeding with the recovery
attempt, and these are outlined in our terms and conditions:The client is aware that on occasions, Fields Data Recovery may be required to use additional media to continue with the diagnostic phase and/or carry out its recovery effortsExamples of this include, but are not limited to, spare parts for disk drives and specific adaptors or connectorsFields Data Recovery reserves the right to charge the client for such additional media at an agreed costOn rare occasions, Fields Data Recovery may require the client to cover some of the cost of attempting the recoveryThis request will only apply when the recovery is complex or when severe damage has occurred and only as a no-obligation, fixed price quotation, and is not offered as part of Fields Data Recovery’s “no recovery, no fee” servicePlease note that this charge as with all charges made by Fields Data Recovery are not obligatory and the client may refuse this, and any other charge, and request the return of their media.As for HIPPA compliance - while there was no agreement to maintain HIPPA compliance in place for this case, HIPPA compliant procedures were followedFurther, as no data was recovered it would be impossible to have violated any HIPPA policy pertaining to patient informationFinally, we maintain ISO/IEC Information security management accreditation, a significant part of which deals with the way client data is handled

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
The information is untrue. This was NOT a backup driveNor was the vast majority of the data compressedThere were some old compressed backup files but that only comprised about 10% of the drive dataThe list of folders I received which were empty were separate folders, none of which were backups or within other foldersThey still had my original drive at the time they asked to do a further extraction. They had also done a supposed second extractionThey promised that they could recover all data and they did not begin to come closeI cannot permit them to do remote desktop access at this juncture because the IT guy has altered that drive by adding back what he could recover from various backup drivesThey guaranteed full recovery before payment and they did not honor their guarantee, stating they could not do refundsI am out $after waiting weeks for the drive with the claimed recovery. I would NEVER have used them but for the assurance, AFTER they examined the drive, that they could recover 100%. I cannot supply the list of missing files to you because of client confidentiality
Sincerely,
*** ***

This client sent two devices for free analysis using our free inbound shippingHe chose to move forward with one of the recoveries on March 15, and this data was shipped via UPS overnight service on March (tracking number ***)On March 28, he declined service on the other drive,
and paid a $fee for returnThis was not a fee for "overnight" shipping, but for shipping with trackingThis was prepared for shipment on April 11, and picked up for shipment on April (tracking number ***).We apologize that we were not able to return the second device more quickly, but this has been returnedIt's quite surprising that this client would react as he has, as he paid for and received the data from the other recovery already - which should prove that we are a legitimate entityHe will not be issued a refund of any kind

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:1. They do not explain why they send an email acknowledging receipt of a flash drive and promising to evaluate to see if data could be extracted.  I can see no reason why they would send such an email if the only drive they received was new in it's original packaging and  not opened2.  They do not explain why in a telephone conversation on or about April 18 they told me they were working  on evaluating and saying something to the effect that they were approximately 80% through with evaluation.  Again, this fails to make sense if they were evaluating a brand new unused drive.The response they sent you is the same story I've been getting and yes I am accusing them of losing or damaging beyond use a flash drive otherwise I can see no explanation for the items mentioned above.  This theory is enhanced by their failure to return phone calls and not providing any sort of explanation for their failure to be truthful in this matter. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am...

rejecting this response because: I found out TOO LATE that this company is a WELL KNOWN SCAM Operation. The internet is inundated with the HORROR stories associated with these people.  I have been in touch with the Attorney General's office in their state.  I was told that there was an ongoing investigation into this company and it looks like charges are pending. They asked if I wanted to file a complaint as well... It will depend on the return and condition of the HARD DRIVE that I sent to them....They are known for returning Hard Drives purposely damaged beyond repair.  The STORIES the BOY referred to : First call : I was told that I should have the Hard Drive back by the END OF THE WEEK.  After 10 days I called ... NEW STORY... The BOY told me that my Hard Drive had bad heads... and Bad Sectors... These are just BUZZ word used to sound impressive to the layman.  Then he said it would take a few weeks more. When I said that I was't happy with this... I explained that I have been a Computer Tech for 30 years and that I understood the process.. It does NOT take WEEKS.. but only a few HOUR for the complete operation, he became very RUDE and let slip that they haven't  even begun to LOOK at it  as yet. Then I ask the magic question... HOW is it possible to KNOW if I had BAD SECTORS and BAD HEADS if they haven't LOOKED at it yet !a   hung up.  I called the next day and told them to just send the Hard Drive back to me... He told me it would TAKE A FEW WEEKS... That's when I knew he was never going to return it to me.  He hung up on me again...  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This client submitted a four disk RAID for recovery. He declined service, expecting it to cost less than the minimum of $199 per drive. We have been waiting on the $40 return fee for a RAID or equivalent, as there is no free option for return of such devices. It appears the client was not made aware...

of this, so we will waive this fee and return this week.

This client paid for a recovery attempt, which was unfortunately,
unsuccessful. Upon completion of this attempt the client was informed of
the failed recovery, and allowed us to return via our free return
service, which can take up to 28 business days to complete. This has
been shipped, and...

will be delivered within the arranged time. Fields
Data Recovery services 400 hard drives each week, and unfortunately we
are not able to recover in all cases. While there are a handful of
shared negative experiences, the vast majority of our clients leave
having all data recovered. Some, like with this client, choose to move
forward with a recovery attempt at an upfront cost knowing full well the
risks involved. We apologize that the data was unrecoverable, but we
have been in contact with the client since the failure each time he's
asked for a status of return, as recent as last night (Sunday, June 3).
He will not be issued a refund, as we did provide the service for which he paid.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:There are no signs that the work that was allegedly done was done. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]