How do I ship my device to South Africa?

ALL IS NOT LOST

Now that you have decided your data needs to be retrieved or investigated by data recovery and digital forensic professionals, we recommend you follow these steps:-

STEP 1 - DO NOT PANIC

Help is at hand :-)

STEP 2 - WORK ORDER REQUEST

Download and complete our Work Order Request Form.

PLEASE NOTE:
* Hover over the link and select "Save link as" - Save the PDF to your desktop in order to complete the form.
* Complete the form with as much detail as you possibly can.
* The more information we have the quicker, and more accurate, we will be able to diagnose the problem, and recover, or investigate your data.
* Include a printed copy of the completed form with the parcel and email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

STEP 3 - COMMERCIAL TAX INVOICE

* You must inlcude a Commercial Tax Invoice for all imports into South Africa.
* Use the template below to avoid customs delays as a result of incomplete invoice information.

Commercial Tax Invoice Template

Notes:

Do not use Pro-forma invoices as they are not accepted for clearance purposes.
Export order/reference numbers are optional but useful as a reference for the transaction.
Our customs ID number (1902181) must be present on the Customs Bills of Entry and other prescribed forms.
- Without this, the shipping company needs to contact us for this information which will result in longer clearance turnaround times.
Clearly indicate the reason for export stating "Temporary import of a faulty (broken) computer hard disk drive for repair and return."
- You do need to specify a commercial value for the parcel despite the item(s) being damaged or broken.
  - Import duties will be levied on the value placed on the parcel.
- It is extremely important to specify the serial number of all items included in the parcel.
The commercial invoice needs to be signed, including your name, title or your position, and date sent.

STEP 4 (Optional) - PROCEDURE FOR ZERO RATED VAT INVOICING

A value added tax 262 (VAT 262) form needs to be in place for us to raise a zero-rated VAT invoice - Only applicable to "direct temporary imports".

Please Note: If you are not using a shipping company and plan on delivering the parcel to our offices in person (or via a colleague, friend, office in S.A. or any other indirect means) then this would not be applicable and we would have to issue the invoice including VAT as this would NOT constitute a "direct temporary import". The VAT portion of the invoice, in this case, can be claimed at customs when leaving the country.

You (or your shipping company) must complete Part A on the VAT 262 form in quadruplicate (4 x copies).
- Download the VAT 262 Form
- Do NOT place the VAT 262 form inside the box as the form needs to be stamped by the South African Revenue Services (SARS) when the parcel enters the RSA and again on exit (SARS keeps the original).
Once the data recovery is complete, we complete part B of the form so that on re-export, SARS can acquit the parcel (your recovered data) of Value Added Tax (VAT).

STEP 5 - PREPARING THE PARCEL (Packaging instructions)

Package your hard drive as if you are sending us an egg to prevent further damage:
- Make use of a sturdy cardboard (corrugated) box at least twice the size of your device.
- Wrap the device using {tip Plastic packaging material in sheets containing numerous small air cushions designed to protect fragile goods.::}Bubble Wrap (Foam Wrap){/tip} ensuring adequate padding to prevent any movement and also to be able to absorb any impact while being transported.
Package multiple drives with enough {tip Plastic packaging material in sheets containing numerous small air cushions designed to protect fragile goods.::}Bubble Wrap (Foam Wrap){/tip} so that there will be no contact between them.
Seal the box with packing tape and mark with our shipping details and your physical return address.
Mark the box as "FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE."

PLEASE NOTE:
* Hard drives are extremely sensitive to shocks that may cause damage to the data areas. cardboard-box
* Additional damage may make the recovery or investigation less or even unsuccessful (unrecoverable).
* Do not use a damaged box.
* If in doubt use Box-in-Box packaging.
* Remove old labels and stickers should you use a used box.
* Do not include any brackets, adapters, and cables.

STEP 6 - SHIPPING THE MEDIA (Shipping instructions)

You have 2 options:

Option 1 - Bring the media in personally.

Download a printable version of our location map and travel directions

Option 2 - Have the media sent via courier.

Download a printable version of our shipping label

OUR SHIPPING (PHYSICAL) ADDRESS

Tecleo Data Recovery and Digital Forensics Lab

20 Uitzicht Park
2 Bellingham Street
Centurion
South Africa
0157

Tel : +27-12-665-2945

Follow for a printable version of our shipping label

STEP 7 - WE RECEIVE YOUR MEDIA

Our data recovery quotation process starts by booking your media at a central point, where the serial number is scanned, labelled, captured on our system, assigned a unique case reference number, and an image scan of your devices.
Our technicians will then evaluate the media, at no cost to you, and will typically, within 10-15 working hours, be able to email you a final quotation for your approval specifying:-
- Whether the data is recoverable or the chance there-off.
- A fixed cost for the work.
- The estimate time to completion.
- Any other information depending on your situation.

Please Note:
* If you wish to upgrade to our priority or high-priority service, the quotation can be sent within four working hours of receiving your media
* See also Our No-Nonsense Terms and Conditions.

STEP 8 - YOU APPROVE THE QUOTATION

Billable work is only undertaken once we have received your approval in writing, payment in advance, and any other non-refundable fees.

STEP 9 - YOUR VALUABLE DATA IS RETURNED

In most cases, your data should be shipped within 5-8 working days from the approval at our STANDARD rate or within 48 hours at our PRIORITY service rate or within 24 hours at our HIGHT PRIORITY service rate or 10-15 working days from the approval at our ECONOMY service.
You will be contacted should the recovery process take longer than anticipated with an explanation and possibly a few more questions about your media.
- For more information see our Comparison Matrix on the Different Service Levels available to you.
The recovered data will be transferred to a destination drive, of adequate capacity, either supplied by yourself or we can quote for any other hard drive currently available.

Our commitment is to do whatever is necessary to give your data the best possible chance of being recovered or investigated as quickly and in as good a condition as possible. We will only give up on the recovery or investigation of your data once we have exhausted all possible solutions.