this forum and PMs with trusted forum members seem to be the primary ways I vet providers these days........PMs with RM clients has been helpful at times, but it's important to vet even the clients over there!!!....(their length of membership there, # of provider reviews, and tone of personal replies can help with this)........daddysreviews is, of course, the best site of its kind, but the recent shortage of new reviews is hurting......that long-hiatus the site took a year or so ago probably drove away some regular reviewers.....the somewhat-cumbersome review form is too much for some, I presume......
and those always-present "YMMV" and "chemistry" concerns will always be important and no review can solve those