You can take a stab at asking on your local board if anyone knows her, but that's about it.

There is a provider I'm interested in seeing that is listed on another hobby website. The problem is that she doesn't have any reviews on the site (although she is listed as a vip). I've tried emailing her but didn't get a response, I'm not sure if that address is even active. How do you go about researching a provider when all you have to go on is a generic name and no email/website? She's got a phone number listed but I'm not sure if I should call it out of the blue.

To go a step further, if I do call and make contact and she says she isn't reviewed anywhere then how do I confirm that she's legit and isn't LE?

Assuming you have done your research (as you state in your post) and cannot find any useful information on the lady, I would be suspect as to seeing her.  You could certainly call her and ask if there are reviews posted under a different name and hope it is really her.  I would not recommend that you pursue this any further as you are a "newbie" and should really not be in a position to guess (TOFTT).  Stay with well reviewed ladies until you have considerable experience here and can more confidently assess the lady with no reviews.

Wow..it's like u were speaking to me. I'll follow that advice too.

I remember scheduling those first couple of dates and being really, really attracted to these other ads and frustrated I did not hear back in 15 minutes and tempted to try to schedule 5 dates at once (well, send out 5 invitations anyway), and why was I limited to these two or three providers with sufficient, current reviews, at least it felt like two or three.

Then there were the providers who never replied, or did not reply for a week or so. It was frustrating.

The thing I learned is that there are a whole lot of providers out there with good track records, classy, beautiful, smart, experienced women who know how to show you a very good time, women of many different types - some will mesh perfectly with your photo fantasy and others who will show you a very real and quite different good time, and it is all good. Take your time and explore what is out there, and do not take unnecessary risks.

Me, I like to think I am in a good position, and if LE came a knocking it would just be a misdemeanor so long as I am not with someone underage (and I will not be because that would be a total disaster). I think I know what to do, and it would not impact me much personally or professionally (though I do have a different hobby that it could bring to a crashing end) - but even so, having defined and understood a worst case scenario, I have no desire to go there - it would be very unpleasant, and, as I noted above, I do not think there is any reason at all to risk it.

Then there are all the different rip offs, where the ad presents something very different from what you actually get. Maybe more experienced hobbyists can read an ad and tell if the provider will really deliver (though I doubt it from what I have read here), but I do not think I can, and I would prefer to have the experience I expect, get what I pay for.

Take your time, stay safe and you will still have every opportunity to enjoy yourself very, very much. That is my .02.

Zig

to search the email address (independantly) & the phone number.  She might be using a different name or...  she might have reinvented herself to get away from bad reviews...  or she might be new.   TER does things to provent false reviews...  other site reviews may or may not (I know some which don't).  

Seeing an unreviewed lady (termed TOFTT:  Taking One For The Team) is more risky in terms of poor performance, scams & LE.   It is recommended that newbies see well reviewed ladies.  I was a newbie once myself...  I was taken, before I found TER.  It's not happened since I learned how to research.
skb

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll stick with someone I can confirm via 3rd party.