lay off the hateraide people!
anyhow..

Beatmatching isn't easy, and there's no one right way to do it. do it how you like, whatever makes you feel comfy!

I too have trouble when beats are just slightly off... I'm perfecting three techniques:

a) using the dots to move the platter ahead of behind just a teeny little bit, using the dots to gauge myself
b) pinching the spindle in the center of the record (yea, the little metal piece that keeps the record centered) and applying pressure to slow it down a little.. or giving it a twist to spin it up. watch the dots as you do so to see how much pressure is really needed.
c) applying a little pressure with my finger to the side of the platter to slow it down just a bit. very limited success here.

i find B to be a little less work - because you dont have to touch the pitch... you can leave it where it was as a reference point. i do find that getting the platter to slow down via this trick is not very easy on 1200's, they have too much torque.

personally, the best way to practice beatmatching is with the both low and high EQ's at 1oclock (a little gain) the mid at the center detent, crossfader in the center, and the levels matching. then just start dropping down record after record, beatmatching and doing nothing else...

match record a to record b.. remove record a and and replace with record c.. beatmatch again.. and on.. and on.. and on. this will help your ears adjust to different basslines.

don't forget the highs!!!! you can use the symbols and other high notes to beatmatch with! your ears can distinguish high frequencies better, and on some tracks i find it far easier to just get the bass beats close and match them exactly listening mainly to the really high notes... doesnt work on all tracks, and doenst work on alot of trance... but for house/hardhouse, it's f'in magic sometimes!

don't be afraid to use the headphones, they give you a clearer bassline (if youve got GOOD headphones) than speakers can and will help you, since your ears have not been trained yet... you should learn to beatmatch in adverse conditions... like loudass clubs.. but dont worry about that until your comfortable in better conditions.

if you want to give yourself a challenge to the ears, try turning down the level (trim) on the incoming track quite a bit and try to still beatmatch it - force your ears to hear less and still work out... or try killing the bassline on the incoming track and matching only off the highs or the mid-kick of the drums... it is good to challenge the ears, it helps them learn quicker (but can also result in frustration, headaches, and general annoyances)

also... don't worry so much about what your doing wrong.. not just yet! play around.. practice and practice ! find something that works for you, you can worry about tweaking your style once you feel more comfortable! just remember that the majority of the really successful musicians never followed standards - many highly skilled guitar players never even learned the formal way of playing before them got real good - and alot of DJs never really worried about standard ways of doing things... that's the thing about music - it's CREATIVE!

so dont be hard on yourself and just have fun
-mer