[ *** I originally started this business in Georgia; please look below for a link to my 200+ reviews (!) from my GA Thumbtack account *** ]
We go the extra length to find a solution. and consider having to tell the customer to "start over" a failure on our part. Helping people who have only been told to "Buy A New hard drive/computer," is fundamental, as these machines sometimes just need a little attention/upgrade to keep on working for you; Stretch that investment as long as possible I say(!).
I am not looking to get rich off of every single job. I am instead looking to build a customer base.
Our typical $80 fee is 1/2 hour of labor that both identifies the issue and (in most cases) also applies as the labor to fix it. Parts needed will be extra; I can price them or the customer can obtain them themselves -- of course then they are responsible for functionality and correctness of part.
My data recovery $150 service (less for thumbdrives- depending on capacity), if I cannot get the data, pretty much ensures that opening it will be the only way to go; that's why I don't charge the full fee if I cannot get it.