It’s rarely an easy task to find reliably credible third party reviews for Data Recovery services on the Internet. Of course, their own web sites are carefully crafted to portray themselves only in the most glowing terms. Most of their words have been crafted by some anonymous marketing person who is more concerned with “keeping it positive” and SEO than authenticity or making claims or promises they can actually live up to. I become so weary reading through such predictable, generic, and too often, insincere text that I may even forget what question I was hoping to find answers for.
One must also be wary of the articles and reviews they find on these very dubious looking sites with names like “The Five Best Data Recovery Companies of 2019”. These are often created by at least one of the same companies featured in the article. Other misleading practices include having paid bloggers or company employees create false identities to use when posting glowing reviews to their Google or Yelp profiles. These are the sort of games that companies play to gain advantage over one another, while eroding the confidence of consumers that are trying in vain to make an informed decision.
My advice to all when choosing any vendor is to “read their reviews”, namely on Google and not just their own website. If you see a good number of complaints or bad reviews, this should be a big red flag for you. Even good companies can make mistakes or earn the occasional black eye from their customers, but it shouldn’t be a pattern. Also, be wary of older companies with fewer reviews as they may have reset their profile in an effort to hide their past behavior.
You may also occasionally encounter some bogus reviews written by someone within or close to the company in question. Consider the source and placement for these reviews carefully. It’s maddening that people want to muddy the waters in such ways, but this is unfortunately our current reality in the business world of the 21st century.
One of the main reasons I started my own company was because I had so dismayed by how so many were being taken advantage of through these disinformation campaigns. It has always bothered me a great deal that the practices of these more disingenuous companies has only served to foster distrust towards my industry. Obviously, this problem isn’t exclusive to just data recovery companies, but it does appear to be rather pervasive.
When I was first learning the ropes in this industry, I can vividly remember the words of one CEO. He told me that “Most data recovery companies are just one transaction away from credit card fraud”. I’m sure that he said it with a wink and a smile, but I’d always found that quote to be a little disturbing. It later made me question whether he was referring to our competition or his own company.
After many years, I concluded that my former company were “more often than not” looking out for our customer’s best interests. There were enough good people working within my company that I didn't completely lose faith in them at the time. But in desperate times, many companies begin cutting corners and even resort to predatory practices in order to make their quotas. It's smart to be at least a little wary and ask also find the right questions to ask when their quote arrives.
Many companies will give you lists of reasons you should choose them. But if they aren’t being honest with you to begin with, then how reliable to think their bullet pointed list or reasons truly are? This is why I’d encourage to choose a company that has a proven record in customer satisfaction. When it comes right down it, you just need someone to solve a problem for you effectively and at a fair price. All of these other “reasons to choose my company” are little more than fluff and posturing, which I'll discuss more in another blog post.
Again – read their reviews carefully and then decide whether they are the right company for you. And if you can't find many for them, you might want to consider why this is. Any company that prioritizes customer service should make a point of collecting these.