I was offered a chance to test out one of those SEO expert places for free, so I gave it a shot and while everything on their website looks awesome the freebie I got was not. How do you tell the good from the bad without actually paying money for something that could turn out so bad?

I am sure its just like anything else out there really - you need to research beforehand to make sure what you are getting is what its really worth. Have you contacted to see why the results you received were not up to par?

I think that smogger is right; you should follow up with them to find out exactly why the freebie wasn't up to par. One would think they'd want the free one to hook people for paid business.

I have been looking around at some of these as well and what bothers me (for these places as well as others) is when there are services listed but no prices. You have to ask for a quote, I do not want a quote, I just want a general price guide - its not that hard to ask for.