I totally agree. There are many cowboys in our industry. I recommend that you always see examples of the "web designers" previous work and that you read some testimonials or better yet, talk to some of his previous clients.
We always quote a price up front and stick to it. And we always guarantee a completion date.
But when it comes down to it - I recommend looking at existing sites that you like and if it isn't too much of a competitor then call up the owner of the site and ask him some questions about the agency he used. | 
