...firmware corruption caused the data on the chips to get encrypted
That sounds fishy to me. Encryption is not an accident that happens when something gets corrupted. Encryption doesn't even enter into the equation unless the drive advertises that feature, or you're using some encryption software.
That being said, recovering data from a failed SSD is monumentally more difficult than from a conventional spinning hard disk, and it makes backups even more important than ever. There are data recovery companies out there that can do it, but it's expensive (thousands of dollars) and there are no guarantees.
I cannot recommend any of these companies, but there is no harm in getting a second opinion. It all depends on how much your data is worth to you.
Also, you just learned a valuable lesson about having good backups ;-)