Our hard drive failed, as hard drives do, when we were so busy on several projects at once that we had neglected some backups in favor of others. Not that one thing was more important than another, necessarily, but because one project in particular required enormous amounts of backup space and because we were always meaning to do something about our backup situation just as soon as things calmed down, which they continued not to do. So, of course, during a routine software upgrade the hard drive failed and the kind folks at the Apple Genius Bar were unable to revive it and some of our backup media (okay, we had some things on ancient flash drives) failed, too. We were devastated: a book editing project on deadline in jeopardy, our financial records in chaos, billing data missing, some manuscripts gone, not to mention the usual things: all our pictures, itunes. We were stunned and embarrassed and did not know where to turn. I started investigating on line and telephoned a number of data recovery companies recommended on the website of Western Digital, the maker of our hard drive. All had excellent customer service, all were accustomed to dealing with people barely holding panic at bay, all claimed to have superb records on security of data and an excellent history of success. We ended up choosing Flashback Data for several reasons, including their reputation in on-line reviews, but also this: the person staffing their intake line was not only kind, helpful, clear and calm but he was also a person, he did not sound like a marketing professional adept at making a sale as some of the other customer service representatives I contacted did. Once I made the decision to go with Flashback Data this sense of being in good hands only increased. Every step of the way there was clear and immediate communication letting us know exactly where we were in the process. There was clarity about the cost, timing, our options about these things and clarity about the chances for recovery. And in the end: we received a small, slim, portable external hard drive provided by Flashback Data containing ALL of our lost data. The cost for all of this was within the original estimate, precisely what the second bid proposed. We believe this was significantly less expensive than other options. We are extremely satisfied, deeply grateful customers. Could not recommend this company more highly. read more