I can't help but wonder if these businesses are capitalizing on the hostage-like nature of data recovery & are price-gouging based on that. You answered your o

I can't help but wonder if these businesses are capitalizing on the hostage-like nature of data recovery & are price-gouging based on that. You answered your own question. They don't charge based on the labor involved, they charge based on the value of the data to you. See also emergency plumbing service.