DriveSavers Quoted $900-$2000 for a Screen Replacement
A customer dropped his iPhone. The screen stopped working. Apple referred him to DriveSavers for data recovery. The phone just needed a new screen.
The Problem: Repair Misdiagnosed as Recovery
Daniel dropped his phone. The display stopped responding, but the phone itself was still on; he could hear his alarm going off the next morning. Apple told him they could not help and handed him a DriveSavers business card. DriveSavers quoted $900 to $2000 for data recovery.
The actual problem was a failed LCD. A local repair shop replaced the screen, and the phone powered up with all data intact. The entire repair cost a fraction of DriveSavers' quote. No data recovery was needed because no data was lost.
Why the Quote Was So High
DriveSavers' pricing model comes from hard drive recovery, where partial recovery is common and the percentage of recovered data determines the final cost. On iPhones, that model breaks down. When a technician repairs the logic board enough to decrypt the data, all of it becomes accessible. The recovery percentage is always 100%, which means the customer always pays the top of the quoted range.
As Jessa Jones of iPad Rehab has documented, many phones sent to national recovery companies for expensive data extraction just need board-level repair. A broken screen is not data loss. A dead battery is not data loss. These are repairs, and they cost a fraction of what recovery companies charge.
Before You Pay $2000, Let Someone Look at It
If your iPhone is not turning on or the screen is dead, it may just need a repair. We provide free diagnostics and will tell you honestly whether you need data recovery or a $150 screen replacement.