Hiring a private investigator in Toronto can be overwhelming or intimidating for a lot of people. The wrong choice can mean an expensive mistake or consequences that cannot be reverted. How do you go about hiring a private investigator while avoiding mistakes?
Most people who call a private investigator are doing so as their first attempt. They?re often nervous, a bit lost about what to say, unsure if they?re disclosing too much or not saying enough, and probably worried about how much a private investigator will cost. On top of this, they often do not know what to look for and how to eliminate less than desirable options. To help those of you who want to avoid mistakes in hiring a private investigator, we?ve compiled 8 common mistakes below:
Hiring a Private Investigator Who Claims to Be a ?Jack of All Trades?
Having a bunch of skills is not an issue but a single person who claims to do everything is a red flag that the claims may be untrue. It could also mean that the PI may truly know how to do everything, but the question is, are they capable of doing everything with the same degree of excellence?
Choosing a Private Investigator Who Subcontracts Work
While no single private investigator can do everything such as surveillance, legal support work, extracting data, skip tracing, etc. all at once, someone who accepts too many cases and then subcontracts them to another firm is not a good hire. This can mean privacy issues as well as communication issues down the road.
Hiring Without Looking at Past Work or Reviews
You can tell a lot about the services of a private investigator by looking at the quality of their past written reports, video surveillance, and photos. Of course, they shouldn?t share the personal detail of previous clients but these can be viewed with the personal information blocked. Alternatively, you can take a look at what past clients has to say or see how updated their website is.
Choosing Someone Difficult to Reach by Phone
Someone who cannot be contacted by phone and can only be reached via email may be sporting a huge red flag regarding how your case will be handled. This could also be an indicator that the private eye has no office, only has outsourced staff, or could be a fake.
Hiring a Private Eye Who You Haven?t Met in Person
Not only is this a risk that the private investigator is a shady one, but in the case that they are legitimate, this could be an indicator that they are handling too many cases and have no time for yours or that they?re not a legitimate and reputable investigative team.
Choosing a Private Investigator Based on Bargain Rates
You get what you pay for is a saying that rings true for this. A private investigator who charges bargain low rates is suspect of some form of cutting corners. It is important to know they are possibly cutting very important and critical corners at the cost of their clients over all best interest. For example; and a very important thing you should look in to is how they safeguard your information. Do they have their own in-house and up to data cyber security protected servers with the appropriate encryption that houses your private and personal information once you become their client? Or, are they storing the data off-site and don?t employ their own designated company servers? Meaning they simply use what is the cheapest and simplest generic form? Ensure you ask how they protect your information. At Haywood Hunt we guarantee that all of our clients information is protected as we continually invest a large amount on a regular basis ensuring all our clients data is safe and protected.This is not a cheap option but, it is the only option and should be part of any reputable agencies infrastructure.
Hiring a Private Eye Without Verifying Credentials
Plenty of private investigators claim that they have a law enforcement background or that they have been in the industry for X number of years. If this information cannot be verified by a google search or a check on LinkedIn, then the information may not be true.
Taking Too Much Time Before You Hire a Private Investigator
Gathering information for a case is oftentimes time-sensitive. Some data trails can get lost if not followed soon enough. More so, the longer you do not have clear information on some issues, the longer you will suffer from the mental burden of uncertainty. If you have some problems that would benefit from private investigation services, the best time to hire a private investigator is now. Contact us for details.
