Currys "repair" team wiped my laptop - is there anything I can do?

outtatune

If you bought Office through HUP then strictly speaking the license is only valid for the period while you work for that organisation.

But you may find it still activates if you log into your laptop with the same Microsoft account.

If not, then it's hardly Curry's fault you didn't bother making a note of the product key.

macman

Seriously, in future just decline these absurdly overpriced add-on services and just take your laptop to a local independent if you want a screw fitting on a hinge. 
The reason they expect you to have taken a back up, regardless of the nature of the repair, is because there is always the chance of damage or loss while the laptop is in their possession. DSG have little in the way of resources in-store and they'll often sub the repair work out to another party, whether within the group, or an independent repair centre. It's not unknown for machines to simply go missing somewhere in this chain. If they do, then they would replace it, or compensate you, but the data would be lost.
Never let it out of your possession without a full system and data back up. In fact, two: one on site and one stored remotely.

victor2

I have a friend who was involved with a small business, needed a new laptop and had seen one he liked at Currys. I warned him about the spotty faced youth he would get masquerading as a salesman, who would try to push as many commission earning "essential" extras upon him as possible, so I ended up going there with him.

We dealt with a very pleasant and knowledgeable man in the business section and got a good deal. My friend couldn't resist saying to me, in front of the salesman "You said we'd get a spotty faced youth only interested in his comission." The salesman just laughed and said he knew exactly what I meant, but the business section was completely different and he'd been there for 15 years.