Computer repair

martini_slim

dreamypuma said:

Have you actually spoken to computer planet? Are you certain the data you need hasn't been saved in a separate partition on your hard drive?

Yes I tried calling them and was on hold for over half an hour.. but both times, after 15 minutes or so the hold music went to a voice that proclaimed “we are very busy at the moment and can’t deal with your request, please try again later.” In the end I went to their online chat and spoke to a guy from customer service who told me he couldn’t deal with my query but said he’d pass it on to customer service. 

martini_slim

TrickyDicky101 said:

What do you hope to gain from Computer Planet?  They presumably can't retrieve your files if lost so what outcome do you want?

From what I’ve read data CAN be retrieved depending on how the drives were wiped. But what I’m specifically asking about is consumer rights advice, not technical advice. 

davidmcn

And if you mean you're self-employed as a composer, then this is a business-to-business transaction and consumer rights aren't applicable anyway.

pbartlett

since you are asking specifically about your rights i refer you to their terms and conditions :

9. 9.2 The Client accepts sole responsibility for the storage, protection and backup of its data (including, without limitation, website content, email content, database content, logs and records) in a manner it deems fit and appropriate before, during and following the provision of the Specified Service. The Supplier accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage caused either to the Clients data or equipment (including any effect such damage may have in respect of any warranty or maintenance contract relating to any such equipment)

martini_slim

Thanks for all your help

IvanOpinion

Computers are complex beasts.  Many issues are software related rather than hardware related therefore it is good to rule out half the equation as quickly as possible (basically put the computer back to factory set up (or as close as possible) and work from there).  When people leave computers with me I tell them that I may have to wipe it and that they should ensure they have a backup first.  If I need to take a backup you will be paying for that;  if I have to work around a fully loaded system then you could be paying a lot more for my time.  If a problem means that I can't take a backup or can only get a partial backup and have to start investigating then my hourly fee rate will probably amount to a lot more than the computer originally cost you.  So generally I refuse to do backups for people and insist that they do one before bringing me the computer.

Then of course there is GDPR to consider.  If you leave your computer and data with me I don't want to take any responsibility for what you may or may not have on your computer - so I am happy to derisk.  I will never accept responsibility for peoples data and everyone signs a form saying that all data may be wiped (I doubt if many actually read it though).  I am sure the company that sorted out your computer will have T&C that cover this - you will have agreed to this before they started.

The bottom line is that EVERY computer owner should be taking backups - it is not a case of 'IF', it is a case of 'WHEN' something is going to fail.  This is probably about as much of a given as 'here is how you turn it on'.  So there is no consumer rights issue here.

You may be able to recover some stuff using a specialist recovery service - however the more you use your computer before giving them access then the less data you are likely to recover.

paulttt

STOP USING THE COMPUTER Now! 

Further usage may lead to your files being unrecoverable. Either take it to a recovery specialist, or try to recover your data by using a program such as "testdisk"

h**ps://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

paulttt

Can't find an edit button so sorry for double post.

It is possible that the hard drive was at fault, so they could have swapped it out.  If this is the case, your data is gone I'm afraid. 

JJ_Egan

If indeed they have replaced the hard drive then its possible they may still have the old one .
May be possible to reveal some data .

macman

I find it inconceivable that someone whose livelihood is in the work they compose and store on disk would neither keep a physical backup on a separate drive nor on a cloud backup as well. All drives die sooner or later, it's when, not 'if'.
Do you have business insurance that would cover data loss?