Complaints

This profile includes complaints for SalvageData Recovery Services's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  SalvageData Recovery Services

  43 Alpha Park Ste A Highland Heights, OH 44143-2202

  
• 

  SalvageData Recovery Services

  4758 Ridge Rd # 404 Brooklyn, OH 44144-3327

  
• 

  Salvagedata Recovery Service

  574 Dorchester Ave South Boston, MA 02127

• 

  SalvageData Recovery Inc.

  526 W 26th St Rm 9G New York, NY 10001

• 

  SalvageData Recovery Inc.

  1930 Veterans Memorial Hwy 13 Islandia, NY 11749

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This year, a flash drive I used to store files for my math class broke, so I sought a data recovery company. After an initial inquiry was made, two employees pursued me in a predatory manner. A man told me that after he quoted a price point that I had to put a card on file to begin service. I said the quote was too high. He said the actual price might be lower and my card on file would not be charged until I selected to take the data. I explained that I don't have much money and that almost $600 was an exorbitant amount for me to spend. He assured me that I would not be charged until the files were in my possession. A couple months later, a woman called and said that I had to approve the list of data. Once again, I expressed reservations and told her that I didn’t think I was going to use the service because I couldn’t afford it at this time. She claimed that verifying the list would not be the same as purchasing the data. In other words, once the job was done, I had to verify if the info seemed accurate. It did, so I said yes and “approved” the list.
  
  I decided ultimately not to take my files back because as a teacher the cost was way too high. Fast forward five months and I am getting harassed by creditors claiming I owe this company almost $600.
  
  I called today and spoke with two women. Both claimed that by giving my credit card and viewing the list that I was “approving” the purchase and now owe them $600. I explained that their other employees had informed me differently, I explained my circumstances. They were apathetic and impatient, and stated they were owed money and that I was responsible. Repeatedly they told me that I was in the wrong and owed them money despite the information about my experience that I shared. I feel swindled, taken advantage of, lied to, and robbed. Their policies are unclear, misleading, and ultimately unfair for average consumers. This company should be liable for the way they mistreat people.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  I understand that this has been a challenging experience for you, and I genuinely appreciate your feedback. It helps us identify areas where we can improve. Our policies are clearly described in our Terms and Conditions and all our representatives provide the information that is stated there. As such, the device was sent in to be recovered, a service has been provided and a payment is expected for the provided service. As no payment has been provided yet, we are unable to offer a refund. Once the collections matter is settled, a customer will be provided with their recovered data as per service agreement.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/31/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In August of 2022, I contacted Salvage Data Recovery to help me recover data on a malfunctioning external hard drive. I am a photographer and this was a disc containing primarily photo files, which are extremely valuable to me. I was told I had to send it in for evaluation. It is totally unclear where they are located physically. It's an 800 phone number and no location or address is provided. I was given a local location to drop off the drive. After several days and no response regarding the receipt of the hard drive I reached out for confirmation. I was told the drive was misdirected/mishandled at the drop off location, but it was now at the appropriate location and being evaluated. Again all of this communication is via an internal system of theirs with a generic email, support@datarecovery. They quoted a price of $1088 to recover what they can and return on a drive "that's in good working order". This was the cheapest offer in their array of time periods for completing the work. This is a lot of money with vague description of what I would get in return. To repeat, the specifics of the repair, including their evaluation report, and back and forth communication are done via a closed system in which I don't have a transcript or record of now. Nonetheless, I proceeded because I was in a bad situation with the potential loss of all these photo files. The cheapest choice also was expected to take 2 to 5 weeks. I was forced to pay the entire sum up front. Approximately a month later I received notice that the recovery was done. Fast forward to March of 2023, six months later and the recovery drive they sent has stopped working. They will not remedy the situation without me starting another evaluation process. Given the sum of money paid, this doesn't seem to be a reasonable remedy. Even a car repair for a given part has a warranty to function for a decent amount of time. Salvage Data is saying that their work is only good for 30 days. That doesn't seem reasonable for $1000.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns. We understand the importance of the data on your hard drive, especially as a professional photographer, and we apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced.
  
  First and foremost, we would like to clarify that Salvage Data Recovery is a data recovery service provider, and we do not manufacture hard drives. Our primary responsibility is to help customers like you recover their valuable data from malfunctioning or damaged storage devices. As such, we are unable to offer a warranty on the hard drives themselves.
  
  That being said, we value your satisfaction and want to provide a resolution that is fair for both parties. Although it has been longer than 30 days since we completed your initial data recovery service, we are willing to offer a one-time courtesy replacement of the hard drive to help resolve the issue you are currently facing.
  
  However, we must inform you that as per our terms and conditions, the original data has been erased after the 30-day period. This is in accordance with our data privacy and security policies. To retrieve your data once again, we would need to perform a new data recovery service, which would be subject to our standard evaluation process and fees.
  
  We understand that this may not be the ideal resolution, but we want to assure you that we are committed to providing the highest quality data recovery service possible while adhering to industry standards and best practices.
  
  Please let us know if you would like to proceed with the courtesy replacement hard drive offer, and if you are interested in engaging our data recovery services again. We are here to help and will do our best to address your concerns.
  
  Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced and appreciate your understanding.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  It seems to defy logic that a company is allowed to charge a premium for a service and then place the results of that service on a product that they aren't willing to stand behind.  If I had paid $100 or even $200, I might be able to accept this response as reasonable, but I paid over $1000. If you are providing a service on a piece of equipment that you can't guarantee for a reasonable amount of time, then you shouldn't be providing the service.  If the company isn't willing to recover what they can on the hard drive they provided to me for $1000, then give me my money back because I essentially have nothing to show for that fee.
  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2023

  I understand that you're frustrated that your new hard drive failed again just 5 months after we recovered your data. However, our 30-day warranty period is a standard policy that we apply to all of our services, and unfortunately, we cannot provide free service outside of that period.
  
  It's important to note that while we take every precaution to ensure that the data we recover is fully functional and usable, we cannot control the reliability or longevity of the storage media itself. We do provide guidance to our customers on how to properly maintain and backup their data to help avoid future data loss.
  
  Nevertheless, we understand the importance of your data and we would like to work with you to find a solution that meets your needs. We can offer a discounted rate for our service to recover the data from the failed hard drive, and we can also provide guidance on how to properly maintain and backup your data in the future to help avoid similar issues.
  
  Please let us know if there's anything more we can do to assist you, and we'll do our best to find a solution that works for you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/05/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  I have rejected this offer only because there is no option to accept but be given greater detail on your offer to recover data at a discounted rate given the very brief period that the hard drive I received from you worked.  I simply cannot afford, nor do I think it reasonable, to pay anything close to the $1000 rate that I have already paid to recover "some" of my photos.  I feel I already paid for services that should last far beyond 5 months. Please be mindful that these files represent years of my work.  Ten years, in some cases. This is work I can't replicate. These are long hours I spend on the road seeking ideal weather for dramatic landscape scenes or portfolio work.  If these files are lost, the work is lost.

  Can you please be very specific about what you are offering?  Any vagueness leads me to believe that I'm setting myself up for really nothing from your company.

  I do appreciate your offer and hope we can find a place of reason.

  Thank you,

  ***

  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2023

  You would be sending the device over for diagnostics. Once we establish the nature of the failure and the issue, we will determine the quote for this recovery and a 20% discount will be given.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  It appears my initial response to the last response from the retrieval company didn’t get posted.  Not sure why. Regardless, my response is the following.  I have to reject only a 20% discount which is essentially communicating to me an $800 fee for a job I’ve already paid $1000.  I don’t find this reasonable, nor can I afford it.

  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  Since the services have been rendered  and delivered as promised and since we do not offer media and data warranty past 30 days, unfortunately there is nothing else we can offer. Should you decided in the future, you'd like to pursue the recovery, we will gladly extend the 20% discount.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/18/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *******
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On February 27, I dropped off an external hard drive locally in Brooklyn, NY. It was shipped without my knowledge to Ohio, where it was to be assessed. The assessment took longer than promised, but I received an email on March 6 that it was ready to be discussed. I scheduled a phone call with my case manager, ***** ********, on March 13, 12:45pm. He did not call me. I tried calling him and there was no answer, then it was busy. I tried calling a different number from his email and someone answered said they were just a drop-off point for SalvageData and they couldn't tell me anything. I had to call numerous times just to speak with someone, and by that time, I figured it was a scam. I spoke with a sales rep named ***** ******* on March 21 by pretending I had another drive to submit - just to get someone to take my call. He said they were super busy. I told him I just wanted my property (the drive) back. He told me it would be $40 for the "free" consultation, to overnight my drive back to me with 2-day Fedex. He said the $40 was "somewhere in their terms of service!" The whole transaction was super suspicious. I paid the $40 and received my drive back, but I can't tell if it works because it was broken when I sent it in. I want my $40 back. I would've gladly walked back to the place where I dropped it off, just about a mile from my house. That seems fair to me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your concerns about your recent experience with our services. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion you have faced during this process. We value your feedback and want to address your concerns in a transparent and respectful manner.
  Regarding the $40 fee, it is important to clarify that this charge covers the cost of return shipping for your external hard drive. While we understand that you were not initially aware of the shipment to Ohio, our terms of service state that the evaluation center may be located in a different state, and the return shipping fee may apply in certain circumstances.
  I apologize for the delay in communication and the confusion surrounding your interaction with our staff. It is not our intention to create an impression of being unresponsive or unhelpful. Our team strives to provide efficient and professional service, and we are taking your feedback seriously in order to improve our process.
  Please note that our goal is to assist customers with their data recovery needs and provide the best possible solutions. In your case, we understand that you ultimately decided against proceeding with our services, which is why the drive was returned to you.
  Unfortunately, as the $40 fee pertains to the return shipping costs, we are unable to issue a refund for this amount. We understand your frustration and would like to assure you that we will continue working to improve our services based on your feedback.
  Thank you for your understanding, and if you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/30/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  
  I do understand the cost of shipping, but it's only fair that I should be able to walk and pick up my return drive at the same place I dropped it off. I waited for WEEKS to hear from an employee. I'm thoroughly convinced something scammy is going on here. I will continue to pursue a refund through all available channels. Please reconsider - your employee told me that he had hundreds of cases and couldn't even reply to cases. If this is the case - the fault is YOURS for not responding, putting the onus on me, and not accommodating people who trusted you with the care of our property. It's not my fault you didn't hire more people so I could've spoken to someone weeks ago, before this problem escalated.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *********
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  Our terms and conditions are clearly described on our website.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/21/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They offer Emergency evaluation service with a $500 fee. They advertise that someone picks up the disk for our convenience, but they let me ship it myself. Their offices located in this city look virtual.
  
  In addition, I paid another $40 to get back my drive but they didn't ship it yet. The "case manager" never receive my calls (instantly transferred to voice mail) after I refused their recovery servive and notify my intention for the return.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2023

  We have multiple options for pickup and shipping the device to the lab that is best suited to perform the diagnostics and recovery of a failed media. Not sure what appears to be the issue here or how we can help as the customer refused to even discuss the service. The emergency diagnostic fees are rolled into the cost of recovery if it's approved. Customer declined the recovery service and asked us to ship the device back (yesterday at the end of the work day. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/27/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  

  First, “Door-to-Door pickup” is stated on your website. Do you argue the “Door-to-Door pickup” is included in the “Recovery service” but not in the “Evaluation service”? It doesn’t make sense. The manager who takes charge of my case customers guided me to send my drives to you, take the “Evaluation” first, and then decide whether to take “Recover” or not. “Recovery” is not the option I can choose before I send my drive and before I take the Evaluation. Besides, the manager didn’t explain the situation like you are saying. He told me there was no available person for pick up even though I requested the “Door-to-Door pickup” twice.
  
  I am not confused about the procedures. I definitely could see the “Door-to-Door pickup” on the webpage that guides to choosing “Emergency evaluation”. Interestingly, that webpage is hidden behind the multiple layers of webpages, which can be encountered after requesting a quote. But, fortunately, I made a screenshot and attached it to this thread. Please see attached. 
  
  
  Second, as I said before, your diagnostics just repeated what I informed you. You said that “there is no file list to be provided since the data is not accessible until the recovery is complete”. What I don’t understand is that nevertheless, the manager told me by phone that 70% of files may be recoverable. In addition, the email you sent me shows “We are confident that we can retrieve data from your failed media”. Please see attached. Even if you cannot see the file list, how did you know you were confident that you could retrieve files that I want to recover? How could your manager guide me with assurance to pay $700-$1500 for recovery? That’s why I want to see actual proof of the evaluation. 

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *** ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2023

  Even in the screenshot as we've pointed out - there is no mention of Door-to-door pickup. We've already explained why a pickup was not an option as it would take valuable time away. Once again - no one forced you to select expedited evaluation, that was your choice to proceed with that. What is included in the evaluation has been explained. There is nothing more that we can assist you with.

  We provided the necessary evaluation report, there is no additional documentation that will be available. Evaluation % is offered from data compilation from previous cases. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/11/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company has done everything to not answer direct questions in my attempt to use their services. My WD external hard drive stopped working and when looking up recovery services in my area, Salvagedata came up. I started a case and then was told to send my hard drive with fedex. I was kind of confused by this and called the store from the google maps phone number. Phone number was out of service. I called my case manager and after many missed calls, I finally got them. When I asked about bringing my item in to their midtown location, they responded by saying "we bought them last year." A strange response, but I don't mind as long as my item is repaired. I then asked no to fedex my HD, but have it serviced in NY, not shipped elsewhere. I was sent another location, which turned out to be run-of-the-mill computer repair place. They had nothing about SD on their walls, so I was very confused. The woman took my HD after making some calls and also seemed seriously confused. She told me I was the second person to come in with a SD case. After a few days my case still said my HD was received so I called and texted my case manager but have been ghosted. No one knows where my HD is and the answers I am getting keep changing. I called and asked what happend. When I asked when this can be considered lost, I was interrupted and told "do not jump to conclusions." Every answer I get diverted or ignores my concerns. It is frustrating, and I have no idea if they can repair, or even find my HD. This hidden use of third-party merchants is purposely misleading and using google maps to lure in locals is not a kosher practise. I want a direct, emailed, answer as to what is going on and how this can remedied– something no one can seem to give me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2023

  Check your e-mail box. We've attempted to contact you multiple times since the 15th of March. Your data recovery quote is ready to be viewed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Submitted my hard drive for repair and analysis. Shipped to OH without knowing that is going to be done. Told that I would hear back in no more than 5 days. After many calls and text messages I was able to get them to return my drive more than 30 days after initial contact. I was charged a high fee of $50 for return shipping. I was not aware that there would be any shipping or any shipping charges for this job. I was not given the promised service in the promised time or communicated with.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/02/2023

  All this information is clearly stated on our terms of service on our website. All required information was given to the customer. There are no guaranteed time-frames for any data recovery project because each is unique and requires different levels of attention and may take less or more time to diagnose. Customer was charged a shipping fee in accordance with our policy. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  Give the information that I was given by your customer service rep over the phone regarding timeframes and the instructions as to how to contact your business and then lack of response when I did so, I feel that your approach was predatory in order to gain my business and then to be dependent on you for resolution with any terms you then provide. I cannot recommend business with you despite any fine print that may or may not be on your website as it fails to be in line with any actual contact I had. 

  You have a great responsibility when dealing with data and you have not lived up to that. 

  
  Also, the cost of return of drives was not inline with the actual cost of shipping based on my experience in the ecommerce industry. 

  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******** *****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  November of 2022 I contacted SalvageData for possible recovery of a desktop PC hard drive, understanding that there would be no charge unless my data recovery was completed and I approved. I have repeatedly requested that all communications with Salvage Data take place via Email, starting early on in this process as I have a flip phone and email is more efficient. I was repeatedly sent text messages despite my repeated requests for email contact. I sent the PC to Salvage Data at their expense. I also mailed to Salvage Data a newly purchased ******* **** *** outdrive at my expense.. I was contacted by Salvage Data in a timely fashion stating that recovery was complete and ready for my review. After reviewing what was recovered, I found that all files were in RAW format, losing all folders and labeling. This means that all photos (thousands) and documents (hundreds) would require individual handling and relabeling, likely hundreds of hours of work. When asked, Salvage Data stated this was the only way I could have my data. I have no use for this data in RAW foremat. Salvage Data has threatened me with collections despite being informed that the recovered data is not of use to me. I have repeatedly requested (by email) that my PC and my Outdrive be returned to me at my cost. Despite these requests, Salvage Data continues to hold my PC and my Outdrive, refusing to return them to me. I do NOT expect data to be left on the Outdrive I sent in and I requested that it be returned to original condition. I feel threatened by Salvage Data's offering to send me to collections and I resent them refusing to return my property to me.
  
  I have all saved emails from this process.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  As per our procedure, client was informed regarding the RAW recovery of his data and client has approved the file list which constitutes the agreement to proceed with payment. Client is yet to pay for the services rendered.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] I did not agree to a contract at any time with Salvage Data and dispute that I agreed or contracted with Salvage Data at any time. 

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** **********
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In June of 2022 I contacted Salvage Data about repairs to a damaged hard drive. We specifically needed data that was inaccessible because the drive had stopped working.
  
  After talking with the company and the assigned rep, ***** *******, we sent the drive to the company and waited for an assessment. About a week later we received an evaluation report of the damage and a phone call from *** ******** In that phone call I was told the damage to the drive was constrained to the reader head and by replacing that the company could recover more than 90 percent of the data on the original drive. In addition I was sent a file list that included the names/locations of the majority of the missing files. These were only previews and could not be viewed.
  
  It was at this time the rep asked me to commit to the $1,600 payment to receive the files. A note in the evaluation report stated that some files within a certain location might not be fully intact, but combined with the rep's statement that more than 90 percent of my files were safe and the inability to view more than the files names we moved forward with the contract.
  
  Upon receiving the drive, I checked some of the files and it looked like the recovery was successful (the drive contained about a terabyte of data). About a month ago I needed older files off the drive and I began searching for them, but I realized the vast majority of the contents were corrupted or unreadable. Only 1/9th of the files sent back to us actually functioned.
  
  When this complaint was brought to company we were told that they had already discarded the original drive so couldn't attempt again. When asked about the corrupted files they told us that there was a disclaimer present in the file list.
  
  It's my claim that the company deliberately mislead me about the quantity of files recovered to convince me to complete a $1,600 payment. Salvage Data has refused to provide a refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/25/2023

  We are very sorry to hear about your issue. Upon reviewing your case, we discovered that your recovery has been completed on 08/23/2022. Should you have contacted us sooner we would've gladly revisited your recovery. Unfortunately you're far outside of the grace period and we are no longer able to offer you a refund or re-examine your data since it was wiped per our standard procedure.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/25/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  The company is claiming that because we're outside some grace period, which I dont believe was ever mentioned prior to payment, they cant refund or re-examine the data. I continue to claim that they mislead me about their ability to recover this data and regardless of a grace period could not have lived up to their claims for recovery. Either their claim to me prior to payment about the amount of data recovered was wrong/intentionally misleading or they didn't do a basic quality check of the hard drive before sending it to me to confirm I was not being sent unusable data. Either way the company has not acted in good faith and has not held up their end of our agreement.
  
  At best Salvage Data sent a product without checking to make sure it was functioning, at worst they checked the product, saw it wasn't working and sent it regardless - perhaps hoping the issue would not be noticed until after this "grace period." 
  
  A refund should be issued immediately.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  As a Data Recovery company, we deal with sensitive and personal data on a daily basis. As such, in order to honor our customer's privacy, we do not check the data manually in order to maintain their integrity and peace of mind. An explicit request and permission from customer is required from the customer for us to manually check the data, otherwise we fully rely on our software to determine the data integrity, which was evaluated at 99% for this particular recovery case. Should the customer have asked us to check the data prior to being shipped out and agreeing to the terms and conditions of the recovery service - we would've gladly examined the case further. Needless to say that we have no way of checking the validity of the complaint that the data was not recovered successfully after months of being in customer's possession. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/24/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I sent my hard drive in and was quoted 300$ to repair, they then told me it would cost 1400$!!! When I said I no longer wish to use their service, they insisted they wont return my hard drive, unless I pay their ransom fee.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/24/2023

  The cost of service was never $300 and you customer was explained that we will provide an accurate quote after the evaluation. Since the customer does not wish to continue with the service - he is responsible for return shipping cost which is $40. No extortion involved. We also offer an option to pick the drive up from us or provide your own return shipping arrangements.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  SalvageData bricked my laptop and will not provide any support.
  
  I sent my laptop to SalvageData for data recovery. Immediately upon going through the effort of sending it in, they informed me it was not recoverable because of the type of laptop it is. They could have told me this without sending it in.
  
  Prior to sending in the laptop, I was able to boot it up to an operating system and to the computer's firmware which is installed on the logic board and would allow me to reinstall the operating system when needed. They warned me that they would probably have to delete the data from the hard drive while attempting recovery, which was fine, because that's separate from the firmware and I would still be able to reinstall the OS and use the laptop. But when I received my laptop it now will not even power on to the firmware to reinstall the OS, making it completely useless. They destroyed my laptop. I have called them multiple times and emailed for support and when I finally got a response they told that they will not provide any support. I have been in contact with ***** Support who confirmed the issue and quoted me around $700 to repair it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  Customer was provided with shipping label to have the Laptop sent back for examination to determine if there was fault during evaluation that could've caused the issue.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2022

  As stated previously, we've conducted an investigation of the matter and determined that there was no modification performed by us to the laptop. As such we are unable to offer any repair or replacement service as we have not damaged the laptop in any way. We are very sorry that your laptop is not functional, but we are unable to assist with the matter as we are not liable for repairs or replacement because we have not performed any work on the laptop that could result in its damage.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2022

  Are you requesting the same level of documentation from SalvageData?

  I already explained that ***** said that the issue is the logic board and that if I were to send it in I would be paying about $700. I spent a lot of time on the phone with them troubleshooting and this is the conclusion they came to. SalvageData have not provided any clarification on the questions that I sent to them, which are much more pertinent to the situation. Have you requested this information from them?