Well you keep reading posts and eventually you find:

http://www.naughtyreviews.com/faq/new-to-the-hobby

Good write up. This site is like work. I ask a question to someone then answer it myself. Seems I just need to think outloud.

But if anyone has any advice over the typical please contribute.

Net

Glad that your experiences have improved significantly since becoming a member of the NR Netdog. Welcome!

Some information and previous threads that may be of use to you and other new hobbyists follow:

You already mentioned our tips for newbies which include all the basic info you'll need before meeting with a provider for the first time. You may also find this previous discussion on how to research a provider helpful.

As far as your question regarding the pros and cons of verification, take a look at this thread about verification services.

The problem with verification services and new hobbyists is that "scams" like you describe above are common. I fell into that trap too. I think these sites set up fake web pages for escorts with the sole purpose of selling you on "verification"...then you never hear from the girl you intended to meet by signing up for the service.

I know that date check is pretty reliable because I've reluctantly used it and never had any issue with "theft" or info leaking out. I can't speak on the other services but I think the well known ones like preferred 411 are reliable because if they weren't we would have likely heard something by now on these boards. (Unless I really missed something).

Just adding my $.02. DateCheck or Preferred411 are reputable and both are used. If I did NOT travel, I would just glance at the providers listed on each of them for my area and then just choose one. While both sites are national, it does seem that, in practice, one site is more prevalent than the other in different areas of the country. Out of respect to NR, I won't name any other sites but there are many out there.

As a very general statement, IMO, you will find more scams, bait and switch, upsell, NCNS, etc via CL than anywhere else. I suspect it may have to do with how easy (and inexpensive?) it is to post there. There are some gems on CL, but it does seem they are getting harder and harder to find.

Newbie hobbyists have to start somewhere and since you found NR, than this is as good as, if not better, than most places to start. One innocent question you can ask after you have seen someone you like is where else they advertise. Make a mental note and go visit that site at your leisure. One other tactic is take a look at who posts here and from where they are based. You can always send a PM to another hobbyist in your area and ask for their input. Perhaps they can point you in the right direction. At worst, they ignore your PM (don't take it personal, just respect their desire for privacy.)

Quick shill for NR, - if you find a lady on another site that is not on NR - no harm in mentioning to her that you frequent here and she should take a look.

Ask alot of questions is what i did when i first started out, I PM a few in my area of town to ask questions and learned alot. Also you might wont to do incall till you get a regular because if you go there and they are not who they said it is easier to leave there place then to get them out of yours.And look through alot of the post on here and you will get anwsers to alot of your questions.

First of all, I agree with what every one else had to say on the subject. I'd add the following:

-Rs2K is reputable and is especially strong in the Illinois area (not from there but I've picked that up from previous discussions).
-p411 is reputable.
-datecheck is reputable.

Now when I say reputable I don't mean that every provider who advertises on their is telling the truth, just that the sites themselves are legitimate verification services with many quality professional providers. Don't trust any other verification site.

Using CL is tempting because you can often find better deals but you'll end up spending more money in the long run due to the high number of scammers. If you continue to use CL, the next time you find a good provider, make sure to keep in touch with her so that you can call her up the next time you want something dependable.

As has been said many times before here and elsewhere, do your research. Google phone numbers and names, cross reference as best you can, don't trust anyone who doesn't come up in Google-while they may just be starting out, 9 times out of 10 its a bad sign when they don't have any history....probably means they just changed numbers to get rid of a bad review.