Service Policies

Introduction & Client Acknowledgement

These Service Policies (the “Policies”) govern all data recovery, forensic, and related services provided by Data Recovery Group LLC (“DRG”, “we”, “our”, or “us”). By submitting a device for assessment or recovery, providing verbal or written approval to commence work, or making any payment, the client (“you” or “client”) acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Policies in their entirety.

These Policies form a binding agreement between the client and Data Recovery Group LLC. If you do not agree with any part of these Policies, you must not submit a device or authorize commencement of work.

Client Responsibility Policy

The client bears full responsibility for the following before engaging our services:

• Reading, understanding, and accepting all Policies on this page prior to submission of any device.
• Ensuring they are the lawful owner of the device or have explicit written authorization from the lawful owner to submit the device for recovery.
• Providing accurate information regarding the device condition, history, and any prior recovery attempts by another party.
• Disclosing whether the device has been previously opened, repaired, or subjected to recovery attempts before submission.
• Disclosing whether the device contains encrypted data prior to assessment.
• Disclosing whether the device has been dropped, exposed to fire, water, or other physical trauma.

By proceeding with payment or providing verbal or written approval, the client acknowledges and accepts all terms herein as legally binding.

Assessment Policy

• Assessment fees are non-refundable in all circumstances, regardless of recovery outcome or whether the client proceeds with recovery.
• Assessment results are communicated verbally by one of our qualified engineers via telephone. No written assessment report is provided under the standard assessment service tier.
• An assessment determines the feasibility and estimated cost of recovery. It does not constitute a guarantee of recovery outcome.
• Data Recovery Group LLC reserves the right to decline assessment or recovery of any device at its sole discretion.

Commencement of Work Policy

Once a client provides verbal or written authorization and corresponding payment, the following terms immediately apply:

1. Immediate Resource Allocation: Our engineering team immediately allocates cleanroom time, diagnostic equipment, imaging infrastructure, and dedicated engineer hours to your specific case. These resources cannot be reassigned or held once committed.
2. Irreversibility of Process: Data recovery involves irreversible procedures at the firmware, electronic, and physical media level. Once initiated, the process cannot be paused, undone, or reversed regardless of outcome.
3. Non-Refundable Fees: All assessment and recovery fees are non-refundable upon commencement of work. Fees cover professional labour, diagnostics, cleanroom handling, hardware usage, and secure imaging operations — not solely the recovery result.
4. Limitations of Recovery: Data Recovery Group LLC employs advanced Tier 3 cleanroom technology and industry-leading tools. Recovery outcomes depend entirely on the condition and damage severity of the storage media. Our obligation is to apply the highest professional standard and deliver all recoverable data.
5. Client Acknowledgement: By providing approval and/or payment, the client confirms they have reviewed and accepted all terms herein, understand that work begins immediately upon confirmation, and that refunds or cancellations are not possible once recovery has commenced.

Forensic Policy

• Forensic services include chain of custody documentation, legal-grade evidence recovery, law enforcement support, and litigation support services.
• All forensic cases are handled under strict confidentiality. Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are available upon request and must be arranged prior to device submission.
• Chain of custody documentation must be requested and arranged prior to commencement of work.
• Data Recovery Group LLC does not provide testimony, expert witness services, or legal advice as part of standard forensic recovery services. These may be arranged separately.
• All forensic assessment and recovery fees are non-refundable regardless of outcome.

RAID Data Recovery Policy

• Data recovered from RAID systems (RAID 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, or any other configuration) is provided on a new storage device. Recovery does not result in a bootable array.
• Data Recovery Group LLC recovers data from failed RAID systems. We do not rebuild RAID arrays, reinstall operating systems, or provide IT configuration or infrastructure services.
• Clients requiring array reconstruction or OS reinstallation following recovery should engage a qualified IT professional.
• RAID recovery fees are non-refundable once work has commenced.
• The No Data No Charge Guarantee applies to qualifying RAID cases. Cases involving encrypted arrays, previously opened enclosures, or other excluded conditions are not covered.

No Data No Charge Guarantee Policy

Data Recovery Group LLC offers a “No Data No Charge Guarantee” subject to the following qualifying conditions. Always confirm guarantee eligibility with our team before authorizing work.

Qualifying Threshold

A case is deemed a successful recovery when a minimum of 1 MB of client data is recovered from the submitted device. Upon reaching this threshold, the full recovery fee applies and is non-refundable.

Cases Not Covered by the Guarantee

The following device types and case categories are explicitly excluded from the No Data No Charge Guarantee:

If your case does not fall into any excluded category and Data Recovery Group LLC cannot recover any qualifying data, no recovery fee will be charged. Assessment fees remain non-refundable in all cases.

Non-Refundable Policy

All fees paid to Data Recovery Group LLC — including assessment fees, recovery fees, and any ancillary service fees — are non-refundable once work has commenced, subject only to the qualifying conditions of the No Data No Charge Guarantee Policy where applicable.

This policy applies regardless of recovery outcome, client satisfaction, or any verbal representations made prior to commencement. Clients are strongly advised to review all policies carefully and confirm guarantee eligibility before authorizing any work.

Damaged Hard Drive Policy

• Recovered data is transferred to a new USB external hard drive provided by Data Recovery Group LLC, available for pickup or courier delivery.
• The original damaged hard drive is not returned to the client. The original drive is securely recycled within 48 hours of client pickup confirmation or confirmed courier receipt by physical crushing of the drive media.
• Clients requiring return of the original drive must notify Data Recovery Group LLC in writing prior to commencement of work. Additional handling fees may apply and availability is not guaranteed for all cases.

Encrypted Drive Policy

This policy applies to all hard drives, SSDs, eMMC drives, and any other storage media where data has been encrypted using BitLocker, FileVault, VeraCrypt, or any other hardware or software encryption method.

• Data Recovery Group LLC recovers data in its encrypted state. We do not decrypt, bypass, or circumvent any encryption.
• The client is solely responsible for decrypting recovered data using their own encryption credentials, recovery keys, or methods.
• All encrypted drive cases are deemed successful upon delivery of the recovered encrypted data, regardless of whether the client can subsequently decrypt the content.
• Encrypted drive cases are not backed by the No Data No Charge Guarantee. All fees are non-refundable upon commencement of work.

Fire Damage Policy

Non-Refundable Assessment Fee

A non-refundable assessment fee is required prior to any recovery attempt on fire-damaged devices. This fee covers cleanroom inspection, engineering time, and feasibility analysis and is non-refundable regardless of whether recovery proceeds.

Approval and Payment

Recovery will not commence until the client provides verbal or written approval of the estimate and full payment is received. All fees are non-refundable once recovery commences.

Recovery Timelines

Standard recovery timelines for fire-damaged devices are 14 to 30 business days. Due to the nature of fire damage, timelines may extend significantly beyond this estimate. The client agrees to allow the necessary time for thorough recovery efforts and waives any claims based solely on timeline overruns.

No Guarantee of Outcome

Due to the severe and unpredictable nature of fire damage to storage media, no guarantee can be made regarding the extent of data recovered. Partial recovery constitutes a completed case.

Additional Device & Case Policies

Dropped Hard Drives

Dropped hard drive cases are not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee due to the unpredictable nature of impact damage to internal components. Assessment and recovery fees are non-refundable. Clients must disclose drop damage at the time of submission.

Clicking Hard Drives

Clicking indicates mechanical failure — head crashes, stiction, motor failure, or actuator arm damage. Due to the significantly increased complexity and engineering time involved, clicking hard drive cases are not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee. Do not power on a clicking drive repeatedly as this causes additional platter damage.

Previously Opened Hard Drives

Hard drives previously opened by any party — including the client, another recovery service, or a repair technician — are not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee. Prior opening exposes internal components to contamination and further damage. Failure to disclose prior opening may void applicable guarantee terms on otherwise qualifying cases.

End-of-Life Hard Drive Models

The following models are not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee due to parts unavailability and component degradation: all Maxtor series, Quantum Fireball series, and HGST models HTS72323A7, HTS725050A7, HTS721010A9, and HTS727575A9.

Mobile Phone Repair & Recovery

All mobile phone repair and data recovery cases are not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee. All fees are non-refundable once work has commenced.

Custom XOR Programming

All Custom XOR Programming cases are non-refundable and not covered by the No Data No Charge Guarantee. Timelines vary significantly and cannot be guaranteed.

Governing Law, Jurisdiction & Dispute Resolution

Governing Law

These Policies and any disputes arising from services provided by Data Recovery Group LLC shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Jurisdiction

The parties agree that the courts of the Province of Ontario shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising from these Policies or from services rendered by Data Recovery Group LLC, unless otherwise agreed in writing by both parties.

Dispute Resolution

In the event of a dispute, the client agrees to first contact Data Recovery Group LLC directly at 1-888-749-3786 or via written correspondence to allow for good-faith resolution. Disputes that cannot be resolved informally within 30 days may be referred to binding arbitration in Ontario under the Arbitration Act, 1991 (Ontario), with costs shared equally unless otherwise determined by the arbitrator.

Limitation of Liability

Data Recovery Group LLC’s total liability to the client in connection with any recovery case shall not exceed the total fees paid by the client for that specific case. Data Recovery Group LLC is not liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, or special damages, including but not limited to loss of business, loss of profits, or loss of data beyond that already lost prior to submission.

Confidentiality

All client data and case information is handled with strict confidentiality. Client data is not accessed, viewed, shared, or reproduced beyond what is necessary to complete the recovery. Data Recovery Group LLC complies with applicable Canadian privacy legislation including PIPEDA. NDA agreements are available upon request and must be arranged prior to device submission.

Entire Agreement

These Policies constitute the entire agreement between the client and Data Recovery Group LLC with respect to the services described herein and supersede all prior written or verbal representations, estimates, invoices, promotional materials, and communications. In the event of any conflict between these Policies and any other document or communication, these Policies shall prevail.