It's John, but the name isn't important. Mike is the guy who works in the tech store who sold him the device.

Let's focus on the recovery phrase. He saved it digitally on his computer. After formatting his OS, the phrase was lost. But Mike promised him free customer support. After he called the store, couldn't Mike just reset his accounts and send him another copy of his recovery seed?
John transferred the coins from an exchange to his hardware wallet. They are now stored on the wallet like pictures and videos on a USB, correct? If not, what is stored on the hardware wallet?