1. Estimates & pricing

All listed prices are flat labor rates. Parts are billed at cost with your approval before anything is ordered. If the job turns out bigger than quoted, work stops and you get a call first — no surprise invoices, ever.

2. Diagnostics

Diagnosis of a drop-off machine is free when you proceed with the repair. If you decline the repair, a bench fee of $25 applies. If Joe can’t fix it, you pay nothing for the repair attempt.

3. Data recovery — the important one

Data recovery is never guaranteed due to the physical nature of failing media. Honest Joe’s performs software/logical recovery only — formatted drives, corrupted file systems, and accidental deletions. Physical teardowns, head swaps, and cleanroom platter extractions are not performed; drives showing physical failure will be referred to a cleanroom lab.

The Diagnostic & Attempt fee is non-refundable: it covers safely imaging your drive and a full logical scan whether or not files are recoverable. The success fee is charged only if readable copies of your requested files are delivered, and the attempt fee is credited toward it. You’ll receive a file listing to verify before the success fee is due.

4. Your data & privacy

Your files are nobody’s business. Data is accessed only as required for the job, never copied beyond working images, and working images are wiped after 14 days. Backups remain your responsibility — Joe strongly recommends keeping one before any service.

5. Warranty

Any service with labor of $60 or more carries a 30-day labor warranty from pickup: if the same problem comes back in that window, Joe makes it right at no additional labor charge. Services under $60 are fixed right the first time whenever humanly possible, but don’t carry a formal warranty. Parts always carry their manufacturer’s warranty (typically one year — Joe handles the claim and the swap). The warranty covers the specific work performed — labor only, not unrelated failures or new damage — and is void if the device shows liquid damage, physical damage occurring after pickup, or has been opened or serviced by someone else in the meantime. Re-infection by malware after a cleanup isn’t a warranty event (but every cleanup comes with honest prevention advice). If a warranty issue can’t be fixed on the second attempt, the labor for that repair is refunded. This warranty is in addition to any rights you have under California law.

6. Abandoned equipment

Please pick up your equipment promptly — the bench isn’t a storage unit. If a device remains unclaimed 90 days after you’ve been notified the work is complete (or 90 days after last contact, if you can’t be reached at the phone or email you provided), it is considered abandoned. As permitted by California law, abandoned devices may be sold, recycled, or disposed of to recover repair and storage charges. You’ll receive at least two notices before that ever happens, and any personal data on an abandoned device is securely wiped before disposal.

7. Remote sessions

Remote support uses RustDesk with one-time passwords. You can watch the entire session and end it at any moment. Joe never asks for banking credentials or payment outside this site’s checkout and never cold-calls.

8. Online payments & refunds

Payments are processed by Stripe; card details never touch this server. If a prepaid service can’t be delivered, it’s refunded in full — minus non-refundable fees explicitly labeled as such (the recovery attempt fee).

9. Liability

Liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the service in question. Consequential damages (lost profits, lost data value, downtime) are excluded to the extent the law allows.

Terms of Service