DriveSavers is a data recovery company founded in 1985 by Jay Hagan and Scott Gaidano in Novato, California. They specialize in recovering data from failed hard drives and other storage media. DriveSavers is one of the most well-known data recovery companies and has been featured in numerous media outlets. However, some people question if their services and advertised high success rates are truly legitimate.
In this article, we will evaluate the legitimacy of DriveSavers’ services by looking at their history, success rates, security protocols, pricing, customer reviews, certifications, recovery process, and pros and cons. The goal is to provide an unbiased look at whether DriveSavers offers data recovery services you can trust.
Services Offered
DriveSavers offers data recovery services for a wide range of devices and drives including hard drives, SSDs, smartphones, servers, NAS devices, and more. Some of their key service offerings include:
Hard Drive Data Recovery: DriveSavers retrieves data from damaged, failed, or inaccessible hard drives from desktops, laptops, and external drives. They can recover data from mechanical, electronic, and firmware issues.
SSD Data Recovery: Solid state drives pose unique data recovery challenges, but DriveSavers claims high success rates with proprietary techniques for SSD recovery.
iPhone/iOS Data Recovery: For locked, damaged, or waterlogged iPhones, DriveSavers provides services to recover photos, messages, contacts, notes, and other data.
Android Data Recovery: Similarly, DriveSavers can recover data from damaged Android devices including Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Google Pixel phones.
Mac Data Recovery: The company offers comprehensive Mac data recovery services for iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis.
Server Data Recovery: For RAID, NAS, and SAN server environments, DriveSavers attempts to recover data and get servers back online.
In addition to device-specific services, DriveSavers offers specialty services like forensic data recovery, tape data recovery, and remote data recovery for customers who cannot ship devices.
Success Rates
DriveSavers claims an industry leading data recovery success rate. According to their website, DriveSavers has a 97% customer satisfaction rating based on thousands of Google and Yelp reviews. They state that they have recovered data from over 300,000 drives with a 90% success rate since opening in 1985.
An independent case study by ACE Data Recovery compared DriveSavers to other leading data recovery companies. They found that DriveSavers was able to successfully recover data in 25 out of 27 test cases involving mechanically damaged hard drives. This gave them a 93% success rate, which was higher than most other providers tested.
While independent verification of DriveSavers’ claimed success rates is limited, their decades of experience and expertise with a wide range of storage devices and failure modes support their high rate of success in recovering data for customers.
Security & Privacy
DriveSavers takes extensive measures to ensure the security and privacy of customers’ data during the data recovery process. According to their Privacy Policy, DriveSavers does not sell, trade, or rent users’ personal identification information to third parties without consent. They also provide opt-out options if they ever change this policy.
All recovered data is kept in a secure and confidential manner while in DriveSavers’ possession. They guarantee the confidentiality of customers’ information. DriveSavers is also HIPAA compliant and regularly audited to ensure compliance with data security and privacy regulations.
Overall, DriveSavers seems to take data security very seriously through access controls, encryption, audits, and strict internal policies. Customers can feel confident their data remains private throughout the data recovery process.
Pricing
DriveSavers offers data recovery services for a wide range of devices including hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, smartphones, tablets and more. Their pricing is tiered based on the type of service needed and ranges from $500 to over $3000 on average (DriveSavers Pricing and Recovery Costs).
For basic recoveries, pricing starts around $500-$1400 depending on the device. More complex recoveries involving rebuilt platters or clean room work typically range from $1900-$3000+. For SSDs and smartphones, pricing is around $1000-$2500 on average. Expedited services with faster turnaround times add a 50% surcharge.
The final price depends on the type of failure, level of damage and amount of data recovered. DriveSavers provides free evaluations to diagnose issues and provide a firm quote upfront. While their pricing is on the higher end, they have a high success rate and security standards for recovering data.
Customer Reviews
DriveSavers has overwhelmingly positive customer reviews, indicating that they have a strong reputation for providing excellent data recovery services. On third-party review sites like Birdeye and Trustpilot, DriveSavers has a near perfect rating, with 98-99% of customers saying they would recommend DriveSavers to others.
On Birdeye, DriveSavers has 1,785 reviews and an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Customers praise DriveSavers’ expertise, professionalism, transparency, and high success rates.
One customer said DriveSavers went “above and beyond my expectations to recover 100% of the data” while another customer who “thought my data were a 100% loss” was amazed DriveSavers recovered so much (Source: https://birdeye.com/drivesavers-152571834273686).
On Trustpilot, DriveSavers has over 400 reviews and a 5 out of 5 star rating. Customers describe the data recovery process as “efficient and hassle-free” and say DriveSavers delivered “absolutely amazing results.”
Awards & Certifications:
DriveSavers Data Recovery has received numerous awards and certifications recognizing their innovation and excellence in data recovery. Some of their most notable awards include:
In 2018, DriveSavers won the Most Innovative Flash Memory Data Recovery Application Award at the Flash Memory Summit for their advanced capabilities recovering data from flash memory devices like SSDs and USB drives.
In 2014, DriveSavers received the Visionary Company Award from Storage Visions for their pioneering work in data recovery and digital forensics.
DriveSavers has also been recognized multiple times by the Better Business Bureau, winning awards like the BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence. This demonstrates their commitment to ethical business practices.
Many of DriveSavers’ engineers hold certifications from organizations like the International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners (ISFCE) and SEAK, Inc., showing their expertise in fields like digital forensics.
Data Recovery Process
DriveSavers provides a step-by-step process for recovering lost data from devices:
1. Call for a Free Estimate – Customers can call DriveSavers 24/7 for a free estimate on any device that has lost data. DriveSavers will diagnose the device over the phone to determine the best approach for data recovery.
2. Send in Your Device – Once approved, customers can ship their device using DriveSavers’ free shipping. Secure packaging is available upon request.
3. Evaluation – At the DriveSavers facility, engineers will evaluate the device to determine the cause of data loss and identify the best methods for recovery.
4. Data Recovery – Using proprietary techniques and tools, engineers work to recover the lost data. Methods may involve repairing devices, bypassing damage, and extracting raw data.
5. Data Verification – Recovered data is stored securely on DriveSavers network until its integrity can be verified. Any corrupted or partial data is noted.
6. Return of Data – Once the recovery process is complete, customers can choose to have their data returned on media or as a secure download.
With over 30 years of experience, DriveSavers uses cutting-edge techniques to give customers the best chance for a successful recovery. More details on their data recovery process can be found at https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/data-recovery-process/.
Pros & Cons
Based on multiple reviews and sources (https://www.anyrecover.com/hard-drive-recovery-data/drivesavers-data-recovery-review/), here is a summary of the pros and cons for using DriveSavers for data recovery:
Pros:
- High data recovery success rates, often over 90%
- Able to recover data from extensively damaged drives
- Cutting-edge tools and technology for data recovery
- Highly trained and experienced data recovery engineers
- Clean room facilities to safely work on damaged drives
Cons:
- Very expensive, with costs ranging from $500 to over $3000
- May take 1-2 weeks to get data recovered and returned
- Mixed reviews on customer service responsiveness
Overall, DriveSavers is able to recover data from drives and devices that other companies cannot, but their high costs and long turnaround times may be prohibitive for some customers.
Conclusion
Overall, DriveSavers’ services can be considered legitimate for high-quality professional data recovery. They offer specialized services and have a proven successful recovery rate. They are upfront about pricing, compliant with legal and security standards, and have positive reviews from customers, business partnerships, and third-party organizations. Some drawbacks are the high costs and lack of do-it-yourself options for basic recoveries. However, for cases requiring their expertise such as retrieving data from damaged drives or encrypted files, DriveSavers delivers reliable and professional service.
Their decades of experience, certified engineers, and customized tools allow DriveSavers to successfully recover data even from the most complex situations. The company works with individuals, businesses, law enforcement, and government agencies worldwide. Customers can trust DriveSavers to handle sensitive data with discretion. While expensive, their services provide specialized solutions when critical data recovery is needed.
In conclusion, for those seeking professional-grade recovery of lost or corrupted data that is irreplaceable and high-value, DriveSavers offers legitimate and reputable data recovery services worth the investment.