A backup offer is not evidence that your store can be recovered

Turn the advertised feature into an account-specific request

Keep the vendor’s dated offer or proposal, then ask which part applies to the plan and site you actually hold. Request the backup scope, exclusions and the source of the answer: current account terms, an agreed statement of work or an account-specific support reply. A statement that backups are included does not tell you which records were captured or whether a usable copy can be retrieved.

For WordPress, the database and files are separate components of a typical complete recovery. Files include themes, plugins, uploads and configuration; downloading the WordPress directory ordinarily does not also copy the database. Ask the vendor to identify a consistent set for this site. An inventory of copies helps establish coverage, but it still does not show that a restoration succeeded.

Read retention and retrieval as separate commitments

Retention answers which recovery points remain available and for how long under the account’s terms. Retrieval answers who may obtain or request them, through which account or support route, in what form, and subject to what stated charge or restriction. Ask about access if the website or primary hosting account becomes unavailable. Record only the terms the vendor actually supplies.

A regular backup schedule does not, by itself, establish the age of the oldest retained copy, the time needed to retrieve one, or a restoration deadline. Keep the schedule, available-copy list and any written recovery commitment as separate facts. If the contract is silent about a fee, delay or post-cancellation access, mark that item unresolved rather than recording zero cost, immediate delivery or permanent access.

Ask what an existing recovery record actually demonstrates

If a restoration has genuinely occurred, request its dated record: the site and recovery copy involved, database and file scope, destination, operator, observed result and limitations. Reference the evidence in the private handoff without copying customer data. A completed backup job records capture activity; a restoration record describes a different operation. Neither should be relabeled to fill the other’s place.

Read the result narrowly. A report that files were restored does not establish that order history was recovered. A page that opened does not, by itself, establish the condition of its database or checkout. Evidence from a different site, older configuration or narrower recovery scope may be useful context, but it cannot establish this store’s current recoverability. Ask the vendor to state what was actually observed and what was not checked.

If no genuine restoration evidence is available, say so. The useful outcome is a list of available copies, written obligations and remaining uncertainty. Do not invent a recovery exercise, populate a handoff with assumed results or authorize a live overwrite merely to complete the record. Any future recovery work needs its own agreed scope, owner and data-preservation conditions.

Make the handoff decision match the evidence

Classify each answer as a supplied term, an observed record or an unanswered request. If scope and access are documented but restoration evidence is absent, the handoff establishes those documented arrangements while recovery remains unverified. If the vendor cannot identify the backup set or retrieval route, assign that missing answer before relying on the arrangement for a release decision. The business owner decides whether the remaining uncertainty is acceptable for the proposed work.

Use the same distinction in public or internal project claims. The FTC’s U.S. truth-in-advertising guidance calls for truthful, non-misleading and substantiated advertising, including on websites. It does not certify any particular recovery statement. Avoid converting an untested vendor promise into your own assurance that no data can be lost or the store will always be available.

For a Prism checkout-review consultation, describe the store, research-only products, planned change and specific missing recovery evidence. Confirm whether the requested review or coordination belongs in the agreed scope. Scope, responsibilities, fees and terms are discussed before work; the public inquiry does not purchase a restoration or book an appointment. Follow-up is by email. Keep backup archives, credentials and customer records out of that form.

Recovery evidence request

Fill the final column with references to your account terms and genuine records. Label each finding as a supplied term, observed evidence or unresolved question. Compare the scope of any restoration evidence with the store you need to recover; do not mark recoverability demonstrated solely because the feature is advertised.

Worksheet entries are not submitted by Prism’s worksheet and are not saved by the site. Use record types, availability, anonymized observations, or match/mismatch results. Do not enter government identifiers, customer names or addresses, customer messages, receipt-access links, card or bank details, passwords, or keys. Send sensitive documents only through the provider’s verified secure channel.

These are temporary notes. Leaving or reloading this page may clear them. Worksheet entries are not sent automatically. If you copy notes into the consultation message and submit the form, Prism receives them as part of your request.