datatrack-labs.co.uk Avis 

Sent several emails to Micheal Owen about sending back my hard drive- this has been ongoing since April 2025. Completely ignored. Extremely distressed and reading other reviews nothing will change unless I start court proceedings.

Paid for the gold service - absolutely terrible! How hard is it to send the hard drive back?!

Gutted as the hardwire had memories which I will never be able to recover!

Sent a drive to have data recovered off it in 2022, they couldnt recover anything, fair enough but its 4 years on and they have still not sent the old drive back despite repeated attempts at contacting them. Certainly communication is not in their best interest. If you have something that needs data recovering then use a more reliable place, not these unreliable lot.

I recently used this company for data retrieval when one of my external hard drives failed after 30 months. I was extremely impressed with the service I received especially as information I thought I’d lost was successfully retrieved.

For me, it was very important to use a UK-based company. Once an external hard drive leaves the UK, you can feel like you’ve lost control of what happens to it, so having the reassurance that my drive and data would remain in the UK was a major factor in my decision.

The main person, Michael Owen was always contactable, understanding and helpful throughout the process. I also found the company to be very transparent about the charges. Data recovery is never going to be cheap, particularly when the data has significant personal or business value, but I felt the costs were clearly explained and justified.

The service was also surprisingly speedy, even though I opted for the more reasonably priced service with a slightly longer turnaround time. Overall, I was very pleased with the professionalism, communication and service I received.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this company to anyone needing professional data recovery, especially if keeping your data within the UK is important to you.

Thank you Data Track Labs!

Datatrack did an excellent job with my lost data. We went with the Gold option which Michael explained clearly to us. Fortunately, he was able to retrieve all my precious photos and much-needed documents. Absolutely delighted and would strongly recommend.

I would not use this company again. My experience involved months of delays, opening a court case before my property was returned, being sent another customer's hard drive, and communication that I found inconsistent throughout.

I sent a hard drive for assessment together with a brand-new, empty hard drive that was intended only to receive any recovered data if I chose to proceed with the recovery. I did not authorise the recovery because I was not satisfied with the clarity of the information I received about the service and costs. From that point onwards, the process became increasingly difficult.

It took months of repeatedly requesting the return of my property and, ultimately, initiating court proceedings before I received any meaningful progress. During this time, I was also asked to pay return postage, despite the company's website stating that property would be returned free of charge if the recovery did not proceed.

After court proceedings had begun, one hard drive was returned to me. However, I have never been able to verify with confidence that it was my original drive, as the enclosure was not returned with it. Instead of receiving my second hard drive, I was initially sent a hard drive belonging to another customer. It was only after communication took place through the court process that my own new, empty hard drive was returned. It came back with a scratch on the enclosure and marks that, in my view, appeared consistent with an attempt to open it, despite it being intended only as the destination drive for any recovered data rather than a drive requiring examination.

Receiving another customer's hard drive raised serious concerns for me about how customer devices and data are handled. Given the nature of this business, I expected much stronger safeguards to prevent this from happening.

Throughout the process, I found the communication to be inconsistent, vague and dismissive. On several occasions, I was informed by email that my property had been returned when it had not. When I queried these inconsistencies, I did not feel that my concerns were properly acknowledged or that accountability was taken for the issues I experienced.

After reading other reviews, I found similarities between my experience and those described by other customers. Before choosing this company, I recommend reading both the positive and negative reviews, as well as the company's responses, and making your own assessment.

Like many others I had a terrible experience and failure of retrieval.

They had it 19 months! Slow responses, no data, tedious to get it sent back.

Opted for the "gold" no win no fee service. Started "working on it" before I paid, then said no, they can't help me with this package. I needed to pay more for Platinum (no money back if they don't succeed). Paid. Got nothing back. It's a con if you ask me.

Either way, hundreds down the drain, now looking for a better company

I managed to lose some precious videos and photos and searched online for ages to find someone who could help without costing an arm and a leg. I contacted datatrack labs before reading reviews so when Michael called me I explained how this was my only chance to get the memories back as I only had a certain amount of money. I explained my reservations after reading the reviews, but Michael was very honest and explained everything clearly to me. I decided to take the chance and I am so glad I did. Throughout the process, Michael replied to emails and was willing to talk to me about it whenever I was concerned. Within two weeks he let me know that he had retrieved all my data. I could not have been happier and the price he gave was the price I paid. I usually go by reviews but in this instance I am so happy I went with my gut after having an open conversation. Please don’t just go by what you read, talk to Michael first and get all the information before deciding.

​I had a deeply distressing experience with Datatrack Labs.
​The Bait: I was given a professional quote of £99 + VAT. Based on this, I sent them my hardware.
​The Switch: Once they had my property, the price suddenly jumped to £283.20.
​The "Ransom": When I challenged the price, they refused to return my equipment unless I paid the higher fee.
​Result: This has been reported to Action Fraud (RF26050231986C) and Citizens Advice (CCA-7187302).
​My bank is currently investigating this as an APP Scam. Avoid this company if you value your data and your money. They use high-pressure tactics and misleading pricing

I sent a hard drive to Datatrack labs in that I was unable to access. Their initial attempt to fix the problem failed and they suggested another approach that might work but wasn't guaranteed success, which I understand. This also failed and they asked for more money. Their customer service is appalling, I have contacted them numerous times to ask for the unit to be returned to me, which they have not. Now they won't answer my emails, or the phone or their online chat service. I now have serious doubts about their technical abilities and strongly recommend that you do not use this company for data recovery work. Avoid like the plague.

I sent a hard drive to Datatrack labs in October 2025 that I was unable to access. Their initial attempt to fix the problem failed and they suggested another approach that might work but wasn't guaranteed success, which I understand. This also failed although they forgot to contact me to inform of that. Their customer service is appalling, I have contacted them numerous times to ask for the unit to be returned to me, after spending over £700 with them and not only has it not been returned but they won't answer my emails, or the phone or their online chat service. I now have serious doubts about their technical abilities and strongly recommend that you do not use this company for data recovery work.

Avoid them at all costs!

Avoid. It's been 2 years since I sent my HDD to them. They haven't even returned my property to me yet. A few months ago I posted the whole story here and somebody contacted me to tell me that if I deleted that review it would solve my problem. In my innocence after being in the hospital for a very long time following a car accident I believed him. I deleted that review and waited in the hope that he would send me the HDD or the data on it in the end. Of course that didn't happen and at this point he doesn't even answer my email. I was sure it can’t true but I still gave them another chance. I think positive reviews are only received from people who payed thousands pounds. I wish you, Mr. Michael, to buy medicine with that money.

My 2TB Western Digital ex HD (STAY AWAY FROM THIS MAKE!), decided to completely and utterly pack up on on me a few months or so ago, without any warning whatsoever. Long story short, I was told by a PC repairman that I would have to send it off to a data recovery lab, because he couldn't fix those particular drives, and I'd probably be looking at shelling out £500 or £600 :(

So, I typed into Google 'data recovery', and Datatrack Labs, I believe, was the first result? As I'm completely new to any of this (and I'm only too aware of how many sketchy places are out here on t'internet), I tentatively put in my details and then opened up a chat window. As luck would have it, the owner (Michael) himself answered me. and he gave me a quick rundown of the company, how they are much more reasonably priced and accurate compared to some others out there etc.

In short, I sent off my knackered ex HD, and thus began my journey which was fraught with drama and hijinks! BUT, as of this evening (and having to shell out for a M.2 NVMe adapter, because Michael reformatted the new SSD drive that I sent him with SATA, I think?)...I FINALLY have my precious data, all (as far as I can tell so far), completely restored and working! \o/

So my rating is based on the fact that it did end up unfortunately costing me a LOT more than I was originally quoted (£286 originally, but then it was another £610, because my ex HD was completely ruined, judging by the in-depth summary report). It was only speaking to someone I know who works in IT, that told me (when I was mentioning all this to him in a WhatsApp chat), that unfortunately, data recovery can indeed be very costly AND time-consuming (my next point coming up)...

This has taken a lot longer than I thought than it would to be finally sitting here with everything back. But I do appreciate that Michael's company is on the smaller scale, and he was fairly good with coming back to me by email (although I did have to do some chasing sometimes).

But, as I said above, I have got everything back and finally all set up with a new adapter (which I now realise he mentioned in a previous email about getting, but it didn't make sense to my layman brain at the time?).

So, in summation, I think that a 4-star rating is a fair and very reasonable rating to give out. It also indicates that a few nitpicks aside, Michael and his team did a great job AND, they do seem to be legit, which is of paramount importance when one is entrusting a lot of faith and money into getting a good service.

I would go with these guys again if god forbid, I ever find myself in a similar bind.

And a very expensive lesson learned, in going with SSD drives from now on, and not ex HD's, ESPECIALLY Western Digital *spits*

Thank you, Mike and co :)

I strongly advise anyone considering Datatrack Labs to read this before sending them your device.

Before I sent my hard drive, I specifically asked a representative (Michael Owen - who seems to be also the owner and only staff member of the company) whether there would be any charge if I declined their recovery quote. I was told clearly that the hard drive would be returned at no cost. Based on that assurance, I sent it in for evaluation.

After turning down their quote, they suddenly demanded a £20 return fee or said I would need to arrange my own collection — the complete opposite of what I’d been told on the phone. When challenged, they tried to justify it by saying I had “agreed to the terms and conditions” via an online tick box, even though I had asked specific questions about their return process — proof that I hadn’t read those terms and was relying on their verbal assurances.

To make matters worse, after weeks of back and forth, they eventually returned only part of my hard drive, not the complete unit. The remainder has not been sent back.

This experience directly contradicts what’s written on their own website, where they claim:

“Datatrack Labs were the first company in the UK to offer a FREE 4 Hour Evaluation Service, with FREE Collections and FREE returns. This transparent approach to business is the reason why Datatrack Labs are probably the most trusted data recovery provider in the UK and Ireland.”

There has been nothing “free” or “transparent” about my experience. Their handling of the situation has been inconsistent, dismissive, and unprofessional.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (Sections 49 & 50), verbal information given by a trader that a consumer relies on forms part of the contract and must be honoured. Datatrack Labs have failed to do that.

After significant effort, I received only part of my property back — which is simply unacceptable.

In short: avoid this company. My experience has been one of misleading promises, poor communication, and a failure to act in good faith.

I cocked-up my external hard drive and lost 8 months or so of work files, which were not essential but certainly would have been helpful to retrieve. I took a chance with datatrack, after having looked around online for a company that was reasonably priced and also well-reviewed. The service is very good, good human communication and clear explanations/options. I opted for a partial recovery (after assessment) because the full service was more expensive than the work was worth to me. I received a fresh external drive with a good amount of recovered files, for which I am very grateful and very pleased. I would have no hesitation recommending Datatrack labs to anyone who has lost data, and have no doubt that they would have been able to recover almost all my data, had I have wanted to go further. Thank you!

While I was looking for a company to send my defective hard drive I noticed DTL had just as many bad reviews as good. Avoid that lot I thought...but then I noticed every bad review had a personal reply from the company owner mitigating all complaints. I was impressed by this and against my gut feelings I contacted DTL for a quote. The DTL chief replied promptly and I opted for the Gold service which is not the cheapest option but it is a 'No Data, No fee' service. A win-win really because if DTL can't recover anything I'm no worse off than when I started. It took them a while but they recovered some of the data on my disc. I overviewed what they retrieved and paid up as some recovered data was better than none at all. DTL suggested they may be able to recover more data by upgrading to their most expensive Platinum option, but this was not a 'money grab' as other reviewers put it. In fact Michael ultimately advised against it as it would probably be waste of the extra expense. This is a small company that punches way above it's weight. Some responses to emails are slow but I put this down to lack of staff more than anything else. For the money I paid I got a large chunk of my data recovered and all sent back to me on a new external hard drive. Very satisfied with the final outcome. DTL certainly worked for me. I reckon 90% of people will get successful data retrieval but only 10% of them will bother to leave a review. Where-as of the 10% of people who don't get their data back 90% of them leave a bad review..!

These guys recovered my data from an external hard drive that had suffered significant internal damage thanks to my 6 year old. I was really worried that I wouldn't get any of the data back and I needed it for my livliehood. It did take time to recover but Michael was really quick to respond when I asked for updates. We had a few setbacks but he offered me a really good deal and they carried out extensive work.
Thank you ever so much to Michael and team. I am very very happy with the results.
Paul

The biggest scam ever!
I sent my SD card over a year ago. They failed to recover anything; every though they sell a dream about being able to recover everything and being experts in the industry. I asked to receive my SD card back as that is part of the package (if nothing is recovered, your media is sent back free of charge). Fast forward a year I later still haven’t my SD card back and the communication is non existent. I’ve sent countless emails and messages to Micheal and nothing has been received back.

Whilst the title might seem hilarious, it’s the reality.
This is the initial conversation had (attached below)-
Remember.. your data will be in the best hands possible’ - what a lie that was!
‘Reply to this message and I’ll be happy to help’ - as soon as you quoted you could not fix the device you wasn’t happy to help at all!!
It’s also a NO OBLIGATION quote, I didn’t state you charged me anything. My argument is the fact I still have not received my actual SD card back and you fail on replying to your customers. You also state on your website a customer service line which has never responded to any of my messages just like yourself.
Again I state, I’m still awaiting on my memory card… a year later - no return confirmation; NOTHING! So that is a scam?

It wasn’t even a micro SD card as you say, it was a normal SD card so you’ve probably mixed me up with another customer. Also, I can’t quote the price of how much the SD card was, and regardless if it was £6 or not just shows your mentality. Memories are priceless which is why I wanted data to be recovered - but your response just shows you obviously don’t really care about recovering someone’s data.

Good Morning Priyanka, this is Michael from DTL Data Recovery.

Thank you for submitting an online quote request. We have sent emails and texts containing information regarding our services. If you still have any further questions or require some advice then please feel free to reply to this message and I’ll be happy to help. Also until 28/04/2023 we are offering a free portable hard drive with each free assessment carried out. Even if you decline our no obligation quote you will still receive a free portable hard drive. Conditions do apply and strictly one hard drive per customer only.

Thanks.

Remember…we offer…

Free collections, free evaluations and free no obligation quotation, supported by a no data no fee service and 16 years successful trading history. Your data will be in the best possible hands.

Looked online for a couple of data recovery companies , looked at Datatrack-labs , and another Data Recovery Services ( also known as Fields ).
So decided to go with Data Recovery Services , initial payment up front was £834 they had the hard drive for over 3 weeks and when they sent me it back I was informed that they could not retrieve any data from it.
I then I contacted Datatrack - Labs e-mailed back and forth with the company sent the hard drive down to them after a couple of weeks we were pleasantly surprised to find that Michael and his company managed to retrieve all the data that was on it although at a higher cost .
Which was a godsend to my eldest daughter as now she is in possession of all the baby pictures of her second born child that we thought were lost forever according to the other company Data Recovery Services.
After contacting Data Recovery Services and proving to them that Datatrack -Labs managed to do what they couldn’t and waiting a couple of weeks they refunded me back my £834 , so if you have tried DRS and got the same response as me it could well be worth your while contacting Datatrack - Labs you might be surprised as I was by the results.
We then sent in my other daughter’s hard drive and bar a couple of hiccups retrieving her data .
Datatrack - Labs managed to retrieve some of her data of which the daughter was moderately impressed with , so in conclusion I would recommend Datatrack - Labs in the future if anyone asked me about a Data recovery company .

Received all my data back, took slightly longer than I thought however really pleased with the result.

I have claimed that sum myself. You had no help. Right from the beginning you knew I was foreigner and (you pointed almost everywhere about my poor English) you tried to get money out of me as much as you can. Couple of your e-mails proof that when I was saying it is too expensive you were asking me what was my budget and you were saying shame not given to you the opportunity.
Because I did not do business with you, you were not helping at all to find out where is my drive because of my review. I did not make review strait away I waited a month to receive my drive back, again your rude attitude made me to do it. I have no interest about your business.
Again most of e-mails and replies to my reviews are horrible. You even not deserve a star. I wish I did read the other reviews about you before sending my drive to you. Seems I am not the only one.

Wasn’t after the mediation it was before I submitted to answer your last reply. Still no apology. Never mind. Let’s se what the judge says.