That's my understanding. It isn't data recovery, just force fixing the firmware on the drive and send it back with the data intact.

I wonder if its possible to swap controller board between two of the same drives?

If the "counter" for the error is saved on the disk rather than in flashrom on the controller board, then with a second drive the user (brave user) could put the bad board on a good drive, which now posts because the lower count is present, and flash the right firmware into it. Then swap it back onto the drive with the high count, but the new firmware ignores the count and the drive miraculously works now.

So tempted to try.