Email, Chat or Call the pi agency and talk directly with a licensed private investigator.  Don’t waste your time with a secretary, ask to talk to a licensed pi.  Why tell your personal details to a receptionist or perhaps it is even a call answering service. 

Make sure you have questions written down already to ask.   Include questions such as the following:

1. Are you a licensed and insured private investigation agency?  Make sure they say yes to being licensed and insured, as well as being a private investigation agency – as some are just a security company who offer investigations by subbing out your contract.

2. Ask if the person you are talking to will be your contact person, should you wish to retain their services.  If not – then stop right there and ask to speak to the person that will be overseeing your case.   You most likely will not be talking to the actual investigator who will be conducting your investigation – but rather your case manager – which is fine as they are the people who are responsible that all goes well with your investigation.

3. Ask about fees. 

4. Ask what is included in these fees.  I am hoping they will say photos/video, and the investigator’s time on the case. 

5. Ask them to send you their retainer and authorization form for you to read over before making a decision.  In the retainer and authorization form you should find “other disbursements” read these very carefully – as this will outline other costs which will include mileage fees, photocopying, possibly photos and video as well as tapes, cd’s  – that the video is to be transferred on, parking, admission, etc if you are worried about some of the costs and fee they will be applied – EMAIL – at this point do not call the pi agency back, but rather email, so you have a legal document stating your concerns and their answers should a discrepency arise later. Email your contact person and ask what are the specific charges for each of the “other disbursements”.  

6. If there is not a mention of “disbursements” and you do not see mileage fees, photocopying, or any other of the above items – then email your contact and ask if they are all included.

7. If your contact will not send you a retainer and authorization form – then I would just move on to another pi agency.  I would think to myself why won’t they send me the form to look over? What do they have to hide?  No matter their excuse, you need time to look offer the contract, as that is essentially what the retainer and authorization form is – a contract for services. 

8. I would call a few agencies in the area, and obtain their forms and sit down and really look them over.  Do not and I repeat do not necessarily go with the lowest costing agency – as that is exactly what you will get – a low, inexperienced team of investigators.   You get what you pay for.  If the retainer form is a half of a page basic enter your information here and sign form, then this is obviously not a reputable or organized firm. 

9. Go with your Gut! … Out of all the investigators who you talked with from the different agencies you called – who sounded the most sincere and understanding about your situation? …. whether it be a locate of an uncle you haven’t seen for years, an infidelity concern, theft issues, or perhaps even just obtaining a legal document from the courthouse.  You must feel that your investigator / Manager handling your case is sincere and determined to do everything they can to bring closure to your situation. 

10. Pay your retainer, sit back and relax.  You have done all you can to hire a professional, expereinced and dedicated pi firm to solve your issues and bring immediate closure to your situation. 

** One last note **

When paying your retainer – only pay a portion of what you feel your case will cost.  ie: if your case should cost anywhere from $400 – $700, pay $500.  Then the agency has to give you what they have to date, before you will pay any more.  Just a precautionary measure.

Abigail Pearce

www.privateeyes.net

This is not to say that more men cheat than women – just that women will not just walk away. They need to have closure, they need to know who the other woman is and take their husband to court, show his family and friends that it was him who cheated. This is not a bad thing, as closure is necessary for people to move on. Closure for men however usually happens when the suspicion starts. If a man has a suspicion and is fairly certain his wife or girlfriend is having an affair, then that’s it – end of story – they leave and move on.

Debbie Peever
President
Private Eyes Investigative Services
www.privateeyes.net

When should you hire a private investigator?

If the police have done everything they can possibly do yet, your case is still not solved – you need to call an investigator before the case gets any colder.

If you have a suspicion that internal theft is happening at your business, whether it be time theft of salespeople, theft of actual items, harassment, or from a personal level – suspicion of infidelity, abuse, custody – it is time to call a private investigation firm. 

We can talk you through what primary work you need to do in order to make our job easier and less expensive to you.  But generally, our clients have gone further – once a suspicion arises, our clients try to obtain as much information as possible – narrowing down employees or if a personal issue – the dates your spouse stays out late – checking telephone records, etc. 

The more information you can provide to a private investigation firm – the less costly and timely your case will involve.

Call a number of private investigation firms in your area.  Gather information from them such as fees, and how experienced they are dealing with cases such as yours.  The hourly rate of an agency will run anywhere from $50-$85 per hour.  But as we tell our clients when referring them to a lawyer -  if a lawyer costs $400/hour and  another is $200/hour – the $400 lawyer will ultimately cost you less in the end, as they are experienced enough that they know what they are doing and can do it quicker and with less issue – thus saving you hours and hours of extra work that really was not needed.

Private investigation services are expensive, but the results are well worth the cost!

Debbie Peever

www.privateeyes.net

debbie@privateeyes.net

1-877-375-1949