Costs and quotations
How much does a recovery cost?
There is no fixed price, and we will not invent one. The cost depends on the type of failure, the work the laboratory has to do and the specialists the case requires. That is established by the technical evaluation, and only then do we give you a quotation.
Does the technical evaluation have a cost?
Yes. The evaluation is a paid service, because it involves specialist diagnostic time on real equipment. It is what genuinely determines what can be recovered and by what route, which is why it comes before any quotation.
Can you give me a price over WhatsApp?
No. Two devices with identical symptoms can require completely different work. Any figure given before the evaluation would be made up, and we would rather tell you that than quote a number we would later have to change.
Do I pay if nothing is recovered?
The evaluation is charged in any case, because the diagnostic work is carried out regardless of the result. What the evaluation tells you is precisely how viable your case is, before you commit to the recovery itself.
Which payment methods do you accept?
If you are outside Venezuela, you can pay by PayPal, international bank transfer or Western Union. In Venezuela we accept bolívares by bank transfer or Pago Móvil, cash in US dollars or euros, and PayPal.
Timescales and process
How long does a recovery take?
The technical evaluation comes first: it takes 5 working days under the standard service and 48 hours under the emergency service, weekends and public holidays included. Those times can be longer if the device is severely deteriorated or depending on the availability of spare parts. How long the recovery itself takes depends on the fault, and we state it in the report together with the quotation.
What happens when my device arrives?
It is registered and secured, then evaluated in the laboratory. You receive a technical report with the findings and a quotation. Nothing else happens until you decide.
Do you work at weekends?
Yes. Emergencies are attended 24/7/365, because data is not lost only during office hours.
Can you work remotely?
When the failure is logical, yes. Physical damage requires the device to reach the laboratory.
What to do, and what not to do
My drive is making a clicking noise. What should I do?
Switch it off and do not turn it on again. That noise generally means the heads are touching the platters, and every further attempt to power it up causes more damage to the magnetic surface.
Can I try recovery software myself?
On a device with physical damage, no: it makes things worse. On a logical failure it can work, but it can also overwrite exactly what you are trying to recover. If the data matters, the safest first step is to stop.
My phone got wet. Should I put it in rice?
No. Rice does nothing useful and the delay does harm. Do not switch it on, do not charge it, and get it to a laboratory.
Should I open the drive to look inside?
No. A drive opened outside a clean room (laminar flow chamber with positive pressure) is contaminated within seconds, and airborne particles on the platter destroy the magnetic surface permanently.
Confidentiality and scope
Who has access to my information?
Only the specialists assigned to your case. Where your organisation requires it, we work under a confidentiality agreement signed before the equipment is received.
Do you keep a copy of my data?
No. Once the case is closed and the data delivered, our copies are destroyed.
Do you provide expert reports for court proceedings?
No. We provide technical recovery and analysis. An opinion with standing before a court requires an accredited expert appointed under the relevant procedure, which is a different service that we do not offer.
Can you invoice a company formally?
Yes. We operate as Tecnología y Negocios del Caribe C.A., with commercial registration and RIF J-31208670-0.
Still have a question?
Write to us and a specialist will answer you directly.
We answer in English by email and WhatsApp. Phone calls are answered in Spanish.