Auto Back vehicle and asset recovery program
Why use a professional investigative service? Why not just use a bailiff?
While your bailiff can be an effective means of getting your vehicle back, sometimes they don’t have the experience or investigative resources to initially locate vehicles on more challenging situations. Sometimes we utilize surveillance measures, neighbourhood inquiries and searches through our confidential contacts to obtain information that puts us on the recovery trail.
What does the Auto Back service cost?
The Auto Back program rates are currently $75/hr and .55/klm, although volume situations are eligible for discounts. The first file for any new customer is also given a 13% discount!
We don’t like the idea of an hourly rate. Why can’t you just charge us a flat fee?
We’ve been asked this question several times. Each recovery is a unique situation with its own challenges. Some vehicles require more time to recover than others. The time we put into locating a vehicle could be a few hours in a day, or more over the course of a week or two. In short we want you to be happy with the results and the related fee. We are looking to establish a long lasting relationship with you, not just a one-time dealing, therefore it is in all of our best interests to keep the costs as low as possible, and we will do so. A flat fee might also cause an investigator to ‘give up’ after certain number of attempts if they felt that they were not going to be compensated for any further time on the case.
Seems costly, should I try to save some money by just waiting it out?
Think of it this way. Would you hand somebody $700 if they gave you back $30, 000? Would you give them $1300, $2700 or even just $500 if they gave you back a $15, 000, $50, 000 or $100, 000 asset? Of course you would. Sometimes, due to the neglect of a lessee, you are faced with this situation, but ‘waiting it out’ is not a good option. There are many reasons why, such as:
- Depreciation
- Rising insurance premiums if the vehicle is not
found - Loss of monthly lease/financing income
- The vehicle could be involved in a serious or
fatal accident - Liability when vehicle operating without
insurance coverage - Lost manpower/wages/time attempting to relocate
the vehicle/lessee
….. and the longer you ‘wait it out’ the less chance the vehicle will be found!
What investigative procedures do you use?
We have many investigative techniques at our disposal including online and offline record searches (including Ministry of Transportation, telephone, employment, business ownership, etc.), interviewing/questioning (neighbours, friends, family and coworkers), covert surveillance, electronic tracking devices, utilizing our network of bailiffs, and tapping our numerous investigative contacts. All of these and more assist us locate a subject and or the asset.
What is your recovery rate?
Close to 100%. Some vehicles are unrecoverable as they have been removed from the country, or have been ‘stripped’ and sold off for parts, although this is very rare in the case of most leases. Some high-end vehicles are fraudulently obtained from the outset and therefore have a greater chance of ‘disappearing’. Even in these cases, we are usually able to obtain enough information to allow our clients to file a claim with their insurance companies and/or have the vehicle reported as
‘stolen’ with the authorities.
How long does it typically take for you to locate a vehicle?
Again, every file is unique. Some vehicle are located within the first day, others involve more exhaustive investigative measures. We will keep in touch with you during the course of the investigation so you can assess our ongoing progress to ensure your requirements are being met at a cost reasonable to you. We aim to find a vehicle within 5-10 investigative hours.
What do you do when you find the vehicle?
We will pre-arrange with you a method of recovery. Typically we can call in your bailiff, or a tow service of your choice. If the vehicle still has valid insurance coverage, you can even have one of your (or our) staff come out and drive it back to your lot.
What if you don’t find the vehicle? Will we still be charged?
While our recovery rate is very high, sometimes a vehicle remains unrecoverable for the time being. Some are shipped overseas, or driven to another country, or even re-VIN’d right here in Canada. Our invoicing reflects the time we put into a recovery and not a guarantee (see below) that we will locate it. We hope to develop a long term relationship with you and let our recovery statistics speak for themselves. Please see our Testimonials page.
What is your recovery guarantee?
If the client and the investigators agree that all reasonable measures have been exhausted and your vehicle remains unrecovered, we will discount the final invoicing by 30% on files where the initial budget is $2000 or more.
How can I make some money from you?
Our referral program allows you to refer any new client to us (for Auto-Back or any other of Canadian Special Investigation’s services) and we will give you $100 cash. This requires an initial budget of $1500 or more. If they choose a smaller budget, you will receive $50. If you feel like referring a large number of clients, we can even credit your account so that your work will be done for free!
Contact us for a free consultation.
