Choosing for data recovery?

How does a person go about choosing a place for data recovery?

I'm trying to find a place to revive my very old hard drive, and there's nothing to help make a choice. I don't see recommendations in various forums, I don't see articles recommending the better companies, there's no such thing as a BBB for data recovery. Every company tells you, naturally, how great they are. Even after you choose, there's no way to judge the work - it either succeeded or failed, but there's no way to assess the place's competence.