I've seen this question pop up a few times lately and I'll put my 10 bits in this time. I was in a similar position fairly recently. I had finally decided to take the plunge into the hobby after watching from the sidelines for a couple years. When I went to arrange my date I was declined as I had no references, I asked the provider the best way about going about getting references and she pointed me towards P411.
I chewed on that for awhile as I had considered doing this over the years I was watching from sides anyway. Some time went by and one day either the planets were in a certain alignment... or "the stars are right" and I didn't hear anyone chanting Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn so I figured it was time to bite the bullet.
It was the best thing I ever did, I paid by CC that showed up discretely on my statement as they said it would, I then took the option of providing all my contact info and my place of employment, a number to my employer and the best time to call.
The next day at the office was one of eager anticipation and fearful dread that the phone call would not be discreet. I received an e-mail with the specifics of what was required on the call, and after some mix ups with our front desk I finally got to speak with the p411 rep and I was officially in. The call was very professional and there was no way to tell what the call was about or anything of that nature. All in all a relatively pain and hassle free process.
After that I did a search and found a newbie friendly provider as some even require further "verification" after you join ie basic+x where x=number of provider ok's. Funny thing is the girl I saw for the first time is still the only provider I have seen and have my next date already arranged. I have yet to see the provider who pointed me towards P411 but that is because the timing, every time I am about to start looking for someone to have fun with it never fails I have an E-mail informing me that my friend is thinking of coming to town and wondering if I would like to spend some time with her.
So TL;DR yes it's worth it, there are independents and agencies as well. Beware of what Basic +x means, and all the info you need to know is right there in plain English with at lest 1 picture but usually 3 or more.
I may have to ask my friend if she minds me posting a review after our upcoming rendezvous for my birthday
Originally Posted by Little Bobby Tables
I appreciate your thoughtful response.