Hiring a private investigator is likely a task that you have limited experience doing. However, the services of these professionals can be essential in a number of scenarios. If you are considering using a private investigator and have limited experience working with these professionals, you may need to consider the following few questions and answers to make sure that hiring one of these professionals is the right choice for your situation.
What Types of Services Can a Private Investigator Provide?
A private investigator can offer their clients a wide range of services, but it is particularly common for PIs to be needed to locate individuals and perform surveillance. While it may seem like these are tasks that you can handle without professional help, you can expose yourself to potential liabilities and legal issues if you attempt to perform your own surveillance. In these instances, it may be possible for the target of your surveillance to pursue stalking charges or invasion-of-privacy lawsuits against you. An experienced private investigator will have the training and expertise needed to understand how they can avoid these legal issues.
What Should You Expect During Your Initial Meeting with the Investigator?
During your initial meeting with the investigator, it will be important for you to clearly state the goal of your investigation. Additionally, if you are needing a person located or researched, the investigator will need you to provide as much information about the target as possible. By providing the investigator with addresses, workplace information, and contact numbers, it will be easier for the private investigator to track down the target. At the end of this initial meeting, the investigator will provide you with a quote for the cost of completing your tasks.
How Will You Be Charged for These Services?
When hiring a private investigator, it is important to understand that there are a couple of different types of billing structures that you may encounter. Many of these professionals will base the way that they bill their clients on the type of work that needs to be done. For example, it can be common for these professionals to charge their clients flat rates for relatively simple tasks. However, if you will need a person trailed or put under surveillance, it can be common for these professionals to charge by the hour. When an hourly rate is required, you can arrange to cap the total costs of the services performed to help ensure that the costs of using these services is kept within your budget.
Talk to a PI firm such as HMS INVESTIGATIONS LLC for more information.
Share30 June 2016
