1. General Information
1.1 In these Terms and Conditions:
1.2 "Data Recovery Expert" refers to "Data Recovery Services Limited," a company registered in the United Kingdom, with its registered address at "Embassy Offices, Stangate House, Stanwell Road, Cardiff, CF64 2AA."
1.3 "Customer" refers to any business, charity, or any other legitimate entity with the required authority to agree to these Terms and Conditions, that has sent or may send digital media and associated peripherals to Data Recovery Expert for data recovery services to one of its offices or worldwide mailboxes (a list can be found on our website www.datarecoveryexpert.co.uk)
1.4 "Media" refers to all hard drives, floppy disks, USB drives, external hard drives (where the hard drive is securely attached to the casing), RAID5s, personal computer tapes, or other digital storage devices sent to Data Recovery Expert.
1.5 "Peripherals" refers to all items connected to the media, such as wires, cables, controller cards, detachable external casings, which can easily be removed from the media without affecting its ability to store digital data.
1.6 These Terms and Conditions apply only to the return of the original digital media sent by the Customer to Data Recovery Expert, not to the transport of recovered data, which is covered by the Terms and Conditions found on our website.
1.7 All media in the custody of Data Recovery Expert will be handled with due care to avoid damage. However, Data Recovery Expert disclaims any liability and responsibility for damage or destruction to the casing that may occur during the process of opening it to access the internal hard drive. This could lead to irreparable damage. Consequently, only the internal hard drives will be returned, without the damaged external casing.
1.8 All media in the custody of Data Recovery Expert will be handled with due care to avoid damage. However, Data Recovery Expert disclaims any liability and responsibility for damage or destruction to the casing that may occur during the process of opening it to access the internal hard drive. This could lead to irreparable damage. Consequently, only the internal hard drives will be returned, without the damaged external casing.
1.9 Data Recovery Expert is not responsible if a warranty becomes void due to work required to provide the data recovery service.
1.10 Unless requested at the time of submission or through a letter enclosed with the package, there is no obligation not to dispose of peripherals provided by the customer, such as cables, original boxes, etc. Data Recovery Expert is not responsible for replacing disposed peripherals, including the device's original packaging, if required for a warranty claim.
1.11 The Customer acknowledges that the media will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner if the original media is not reclaimed within 14 days of rejecting the quotation or shipping the recovered data. The company cannot be held responsible or liable for ongoing warranty claims where the original media needed to be returned, should a return be requested beyond the 14-day period and it has already been disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
2. Shipping Service
2.1 Please note that large towers/servers/monitors have a minimum charge; each item will be assessed individually, and the costs will be communicated upon request.
2.2 Data Recovery Expert agrees to offer a free return shipping service to both paying and non-paying customers as advertised on its website. However, the customer acknowledges that the free return shipping service does not apply to RAID5s, media sent with peripherals, or media weighing more than 2 kg.
2.3 The customer acknowledges that standard postal returns are processed once per calendar month on the last business day.
2.4 The customer acknowledges that the expected delivery time is 21 days by standard mail and 3 days by courier, with this timeframe calculated from the date of recovery plus 14 business days.
2.5 The customer acknowledges that the delivery times stated in 2.3 are not contractual and agrees that Data Recovery Expert is not responsible for losses associated with delayed deliveries by standard mail or courier services. The customer acknowledges that the media and/or peripherals may be located in any of Data Recovery Expert's offices worldwide, in accordance with general service conditions, and that the free return shipping service applies only to standard mail and does not include courier service. Therefore, the customer accepts the following:
2.6 The free return shipping may be provided by one of the following carriers: Deutsche Post (Germany), Royal Mail (UK), La Poste (France), Correos (Spain), and Priority Mail (USA).
2.7 A signature may not be required, and the customer therefore accepts that Data Recovery Expert only needs to provide proof of shipping.
The customer accepts a photocopy of the front of the package with postage and address label affixed as proof of shipping or a tracking number from one of the carriers listed in 2.5.1.
2.8 The customer acknowledges that tracking numbers for standard postal services may not be available.
If Data Recovery Expert can provide proof of shipping, the customer agrees that Data Recovery Expert is not responsible for the loss of media and/or peripherals caused by the postal service.
2.9 All other shipping requests are subject to the following fees:
Media Type | Weight Limit | Service Type | Cost
All media | Up to 2 kg | Free shipping | Free
All media | Up to 1 kg | DHL | 42 £ incl. VAT
Multiple drives + Small RAID arrays | 1 kg – 4 kg | DHL | 60 £ incl. VAT
Multiple drives + Large RAID arrays | 4 kg – 10 kg | DHL | 80 £ incl. VAT
Laptops | 2 kg - 10 kg | DHL | 70 £ incl. VAT
Large casings/servers/monitors | 10 kg – 20 kg | DHL | 110 £ incl. VAT
2.10 Data Recovery EXpert accepts credit or debit cards (VISA/Mastercard/AMEX), PayPal, or bank transfer for payment of shipping services.
2.11 All packages shipped by courier will be sent via DHL, UPS, FedEx, or TNT, and the customer accepts a tracking number from one of these carriers as proof of shipping.
3. Compensation for Lost Media or Peripherals
3.1 Customers agree that Data Recovery, upon providing proof of shipping, is not responsible for financial losses resulting from the loss of items by a postal or courier service.
3.2 The customer agrees that all media or peripherals sent to Data Recovery Expert were faulty and therefore their material value is a maximum of $1, €1, or £1. This is the extent of Fields Data Recovery's liability should items be lost before shipping.
4. Legal Validity
4.1 The customer agrees that all media and its contents provided to Data Recovery Expert are legal and the lawful property of the customer, and that the customer has the legal right to request data recovery services, as described in the laws of England and Wales.