From my own mistakes in selecting a PR firm, I can tell you that you should take precautions before signing any sort of deal with one.  If they are asking for money up front, you should definitely ask if you will ever be able to receive a refund if you are not satisfied, or you do not use their whole services as they agreed.  They should be willing to provide a full refund, if for any reason you are not satisfied, or they have not yet provided the work.  You should also evaluate if it would be less expensive to hire someone in house than a PR firm.
6 things to look for when interviewing a PR Fir:

1. Refund policy: What is it? Does it exist?
2. Do you have to pay in full in advance?  If so, run away.
3. Do they have eferences and company campaigns similar to yours, can you call other clients?
4. How far away are they from your business?
5. Do they have expertise in your business?
6. How long have they been in business, what experience do they have?

Other things you should be on top of or follow:
Do they return calls promptly?Can their account executives answer routine questions about their clients? Do they designate particular contacts within the company for specific stories? Do they call with story ideas at the proper time? Does the agency have a certain reputation, a history of being called in during a crisis, or a long list of clients in certain industries?

Source(s):
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/public-relations/847-1.html


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