When thinking about hiring a private investigator, you need to consider several factors. Investigators are professionals who are meant to solve cases regarding financial, corporate, matrimonial, criminal, personal, and many other cases, which requires a discreet investigation to be carried out. Some are specialized in solving specific cases.
If you want to keep an eye on your rivals, a private investigator should be talented enough to do that job without letting your rival realize it. If the investigator is caught, the problem could become serious. If you own an insurance company, then lack of a proper investigation might lead you into a financial loss in fraudulent claims.
Here are a few factors that you need to consider before hiring a private investigator.
#1 License
When you first meet the investigator or investigative agency, ask to see a valid license. The government provides this license based on predefined criteria. This license makes them legitimate professional investigators who follow the rules and regulations and are experts in their field. Some investigators out there do not possess a valid license. Therefore, it is necessary that you hire an investigator/agency having a valid license and ask them to provide their license copy for your own record.
#2 Qualification and Experience
As soon as you are satisfied with their license, find out about their qualification and experience in this field. New or inexperienced investigators do not have as much practical knowledge as experienced investigators have. They might not be able to handle your case successfully and might make the situation worse. Qualified and experienced investigators know how to deal with particular situations. Although they have expertise in a specific field, but each situation differs from another and only experienced investigators know how to operate successfully.
#3 Cost
Before hiring them, discuss their fees. The charge of an investigative firm depends upon their qualifications, skills and they type of case. In addition, some cases are not solved in fixed amount time. It may finish early or may take several months more. Hence, you need to discuss the cost properly in advance to avoid any squabble with them later.
It is better to visit different agencies personally to see who suits your needs the best. If you feel like investigators are not confident in handling your case or denies providing a proper contract or agreement, then they are not the right one for you. Simply choose someone whom you can trust.
After hiring an agency, it is mandatory that the agreement should be kept between you and them. These are the things that you should not disclose to anyone and are kept confidential. The same applies to the individual investigators as well.
