Hello Retriever Review: Is It The Best Laptop Retriever Solution?

Can Retriever facilitate safe and successful monitor or laptop returns? Do you want to know if Retriever is easy to use and affordable? Or is it even the right investment?

In this Retriever review, we list its key features, pricing details, and reviews from real customers—everything you need to make an informed decision.

TL;DR

• Retriever helps safely retrieve laptops and monitors from onboard employees at affordable prices.

• It helps with prepaid batch returns, real-time tracking via a dedicated portal, API integrations, secure storage, and redeployment.

• It streamlines offboarding processes, reduces manual effort, and enhances data security through certified data erasure.

• Retriever’s scope is limited to laptops and monitors, pricing is opaque, and it lacks comprehensive support for procurement and deployment.

• Laptop retrievals start at $95 per return, and monitor retrievals at $195 per return.

What is Hello Retriever?

Source: Hello Retriever

Retriever is a platform that helps small businesses and enterprises safely retrieve laptops and monitors from their employees worldwide.

Here’s how Retriever typically works:

• You share your and your employees’ addresses with Retriever.

• They will send your employee an easy-to-pack, padded laptop shipping box with a prepaid return label.

• Retriever shares instructions and reminders with employees, keeping you informed, and securely stores or delivers the equipment.

With Retriever, you can:

• Automate and simplify offboarding processes to ensure the secure retrieval of laptops and monitors.

• Improve end-user experience, reduce manual effort, and reduce the likelihood of losing devices.

Key Features of Retriever?

Retriever has 3 key solutions:

• Laptop and Monitor Returns

• Laptop Warehousing and Deployment

• Laptop Disposal

Let’s explore each of these solutions and the features they offer:

Laptop and Monitor Returns

Source: Hello Retriever

Retriever offers both standard and enterprise solutions for returning laptops and monitors. We’ll discuss the features of the Enterprise solution, which includes everything the basic one offers and more.

Retriever helps you with end-to-end laptop returns. You can set up and track every return, enabling easier retrievals, especially for remote workforces.

Here are the stand-out features of Retriever’s laptop return solution:

• Send your employees eco-friendly, padded boxes designed to fit laptops or monitors, ensuring easier and safer returns.

• Shipping boxes are sent within one business day, accompanied by a prepaid return label, ensuring a hassle-free end-user experience.

• Your employees receive the necessary packaging material, including tape and simple instructions, for a seamless process. Retriever also notifies employees and sends reminders if required.

• You can track everything and stay informed during the return process, from box shipment to device return. If you need help, contact Retriever's support team 24/7.

Here are the added Enterprise features:

• Retriever Portal Access: You can access the Retriever portal to manage all laptops and monitor returns from a single location. 

• Prepaid and Quick Returns: Prepay for batch returns that never expire, offering more flexibility and control over device management.

• Real-time Tracking and Collaboration: Utilize the real-time dashboard to monitor the current status of your returns in real-time. Invite team members to collaborate and manage returns effortlessly. 

• API Integrations: Access the Retriever API to integrate with tools like Oomnitza, Workday, Okta, Jira, and Zapier.

Retriever offers seamless integration with other tools, such as Oomnitza, an asset management solution. This integration helps trigger automatic retrievals when an employee is offboarded on Oomnitza:

Source: Verified G2 Review

While Retriever makes retrieving laptops and monitors effortless, it doesn’t allow you to retrieve other equipment and procure, buy, or rent new devices. You need to use a separate tool for that.

That’s when Workwzie enters the picture—a global IT hardware management solution. It can help you buy, sell, or rent IT equipment and automate asset lifecycle management, from procurement, deployment, and management to retrieval and disposal.

Laptop Warehousing & Deployment

Source: Hello Retriever

Several users consider Retriever an offboarding solution. Here’s an example:

Source: Reddit

However, it can also help with onboarding by deploying laptops as needed. Let’s learn how:

• Secure Storage Management: You can securely store your laptops at Retriever’s warehouses upon retrieval. They will perform condition checks and cleaning, necessary repairs, OS provisioning, and store your devices in a 24/7 monitored facility.

• Deploy, Track, Retrieve, and Dispose: Know and control the location of your laptops and see who has them. Check which laptops are ready for deployment and instantly trigger a deployment or retrieval based on your needs. 

Retriever simplifies laptop retrieval and deployment, making onboarding and offboarding employees easier. 

Secure Data Destruction and Laptop Disposal

Source: Hello Retriever

Retriever handles laptop disposal for your end-of-life devices. Just raise the request and route the device to their facility; Retriever will take care of the rest:

• Seamless Asset Disposal: Expert disposal teams prioritize data security and implement industry-standard protocols, including U.S. Department of Defense 5220.22-M and NIST 800-8.

• Proven Security and Privacy Standards: Experience complete data erasure with a 100% tamper-proof erasure certificate, which ensures compliance with:

• EU-GDPR

• SOX

• GLBA

• HIPAA 

• And other international data protection regulations.

Retriever is SOC 2 Type 2 certified, ensuring your assets and data are handled with data privacy in mind.

You can access and download the data erasure certificates from the Retriever Portal.

• Earn Rewards: Each laptop you send to Retriever for destruction and disposal earns points. Use these points towards future laptop return credits.

Interface, Usability, and Customer Support

Based on the user reviews, Retriever is an easy-to-use and reliable solution:

Source: Verified G2 Review

A Reddit user says it takes just 30 seconds to initiate a retrieval request, which proves how simple the tool is:

Source: Reddit

Here’s a user review from Retriever’s website:

Source Hello Retriever

Although we could not find an instant support option or an email on their website, Retriever claims to be available 24/7 for any questions. Make sure you test their customer support features before making a long-term commitment.

Security and Compliance

Retriever upholds strict security standards. For instance, it is Soc 2 Type 2 certified, which means it maintains a secure environment for processing its clients’ data.

Retriever does not sell, trade, rent, or exchange any customer data, except with select vendors solely to provide its services (e.g., fulfilling device return orders).

It ensures its cloud and software vendors are SOC 2 Type 2 or Type 3 and ISO 27001 compliant and support 2FA. Additionally, Retriever uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect the data at rest or in transit.

In a nutshell, they take security seriously and complies with the necessary best regulations.

Pricing and Plans

Retriever offers two plans:

Starter (for growing teams that need occasional device returns)

• Laptop Return: $95 per return

• Monitor Return: $195 per return

Enterprise (for teams that need to manage laptop returns at scale)

• Laptop Return: $75 per return

• Monitor Return: $195 per return

Check the complete pricing here.

User Feedback and Reviews

We could only find 2 user reviews of Retriever on G2:

According to users, Retriever is easy to use and offers all the information related to equipment return in one place.

Source: Verified G2 Review

Another user talks about Retriever being a reliable solution that easily integrates with other tools:

Source: Verified G2 Review

However, a user says it would have been great if Retriever sent generic boxes for retrieving accessories in addition to the laptop:

Source: Verified G2 Review

A user on Reddit says their return rate is high and takes just 30 seconds. 

Source: Reddit

Final Verdict: Is Retriever a Good Choice?

Retriever simplifies retrieving laptops and monitors from employees who are leaving your organization. It also helps you store and redeploy devices, as well as dispose of end-of-life laptops or monitors.

However, Retriever is limited to laptops and monitors only. You cannot retrieve furniture and other accessories. Additionally, it is more focused on retrievals, meaning you need a different tool for asset procurement.

Verdict: If you already have an ITAM solution that lacks retrieval capabilities, you can add Retriever to your tech stack.

For a dedicated ITAM solution to automate procurement, deployment, management, retrieval, and disposal, check out 10 Best IT Asset Management Software for Distributed Teams.

Retriever Vs. Workwize: What to Choose?

Let’s briefly compare Retriever and Workwzie to help you make a better decision:

Book a Workwize demo if you want a single solution to manage procurement (buying or renting IT equipment or furniture), deployment, management, retrieval, and disposal.