Data Recovery Case File · Trust, Practice & Honest Limits · A Question That Deserves a Straight Answer
Where Parts Are Fitted, the Terms Change and We Say So Beforehand
Her enquiry asks the question everyone should ask and few do. A drive dropped from around a metre, clicking, assessed elsewhere as having damaged read heads with the platters intact, and then: "I can see you advertise no fix no fee. If you replaced the damaged parts and were unable to recover any data, would I still get charged?" Yes, in part — and that has to be said plainly before any work starts, because a head replacement is not a free-if-unsuccessful proposition.
| Media | 1.5TB hard drive following a fall from approximately one metre — repeating mechanical sound; prior opinion indicating head damage with platters unaffected |
| Reported situation | Drive dropped from approximately one metre · repeating mechanical sound since · prior assessment indicating damaged read heads · platters reported undamaged · owner querying terms where parts are replaced without recovery · full recovery sought |
| Fault class | Impact-related head damage with platters reportedly intact — donor head replacement indicated; upfront terms applying to parts and labour |
| Equipment used | Terms stated before any parts were sourced · prior diagnosis confirmed independently under filtered air · matched donor head assembly sourced against the specific drive · laminar flow bench head replacement with alignment preserved · single controlled read pass and imaging in one supervised session |
The decode: the honest answer, and why the terms differ
What no-fix-no-fee covers: the ordinary case, where the work is reaching and reading a drive using equipment already in the building. If nothing is recovered, nothing is charged — the cost of the attempt is carried by us, because it is time rather than materials.
Why a head replacement is different: it requires a donor drive matched to hers, purchased for her job specifically, and skilled work in a controlled environment to transfer the assembly. Those parts are consumed by the attempt whether or not it succeeds, and the donor cannot be returned to stock afterwards.
What that means for her in figures rather than promises: where a drive has to be opened, 50% of parts and labour is payable upfront, and the balance is due only on a successful recovery. So an unsuccessful head replacement costs her the upfront portion and nothing more — she is not billed the full amount for a failed attempt.
Why saying this before the work is the whole point: the terms are agreed in advance and in writing, so there is no discovery at the end. A quotation that omits this distinction is the one to be wary of, since the work still costs what it costs and the conversation simply happens later.
What determines whether it succeeds, honestly: the platters. If the surfaces are genuinely undamaged, replacing failed heads with matched donor parts has a good prospect — the data is intact and the fault is the means of reading it.
Why the prior assessment is encouraging but needs confirming: a report that the heads are damaged and the platters are not is exactly the favourable combination. It is also the assessment most worth verifying independently, because the response commits to opening the drive and buying parts.
Why a fall of that height fits the diagnosis: the danger from impact is heads striking the surface. If they were parked when it fell, they may have been damaged without ever touching the recording — which is precisely the case where heads fail and platters survive.
Why the clicking since is the thing that raises risk over time: damaged heads attempting to position repeatedly are damaged heads moving across surfaces. The longer a drive in that condition is powered, the more likely the favourable platter condition stops being true — so the value of the prior assessment decays with every attempt to use it.
What must not happen: no further power-up to check whether it still sounds the same. The reported platter condition is the thing worth protecting.
On the bench
Terms were stated before any parts were sourced — the ordinary no-recovery-no-fee position covering work performed with equipment already held, whereas head replacement requires a donor drive matched to the specific device and consumed by the attempt irrespective of outcome, so 50% of parts and labour is payable upfront with the balance only on success. The prior diagnosis was confirmed independently under filtered air, and a matched donor head assembly sourced with alignment preserved.
The outcome
The terms stated before any parts were sourced, the prior diagnosis confirmed independently, and head replacement performed under filtered air with a single controlled read pass. Free assessment, one fixed written figure including VAT, with 50% of parts and labour payable upfront where the drive is opened and the balance only on a successful recovery. The decode: your question deserves a straight answer, and it is yes in part. A matched donor is bought for your job and consumed whether or not it works — so you pay the upfront portion and nothing more if it fails.
Asking what happens if parts are fitted and nothing is recovered
Ask it every time, and expect a specific answer rather than a reassurance. No-recovery-no-fee genuinely covers work done with equipment a lab already has, since the cost of a failed attempt is time. A head replacement is different: a donor drive has to be matched to your specific model and bought for your job, and it's consumed whether the attempt succeeds or not. So expect part of the cost upfront with the balance only on success — meaning a failed attempt costs you the upfront portion, not the full amount. Be wary of a quote that doesn't distinguish the two. And stop powering the drive, since clicking heads move across the surfaces you're relying on being intact.
Ask before any work — call Easy Data Recovery on 028 9002 0144; terms stated before parts are sourced, prior diagnosis confirmed independently, head replacement under filtered air with a single controlled read pass.
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Our case files are drawn from genuine enquiries received by our laboratory over the past ten years, anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Each one describes the diagnostic and recovery procedure our engineers apply to that fault, using the equipment listed.