The question is at the expense of the industry though?

What good does paying a fee really do in the obtain some 'certification'? Sure it's going to wipe out some of the cheapest of companies, but paying a fee alone would not stop all of the mess.

There's the option of some sort of 'training' or something of that genre, but the costs would be quite large in the end and it leads into my argument below.

IMHO it comes down to free industry. You simply couldn't have the government come and crackdown hard on the industry at this point, so that's all but out of the question. Perhaps some independent organization would work, but what stock are potential clients really going to play in that organization? What good would a voluntary organization really do?

In order for clients to be protected, they must first at least try and protect themselves. Owning and/or operating a website is an investment and as with in investment one should do a bit of research and caution when diving into it. I understand a client should not be expected to know everything, but on that very same token a little bit of sense can go quite a long way. A large part of the reason you see these fly by night operations is the same reason SPAM continues to thrive. People jump right into something without taking a look around. Often comparing a bit will let you learn many things.