HOW TO SELECT A REPUTABLE PI?

1. Check that they hold suitable licenses in the state you’re in. You can visit our links page and you will find all the relevant information for each state of Australia. Here in Victoria private investigators and investigations companies must be licensed with the Licensing Services Division of the Victoria Police. Check Victoria’s investigations licenses here PI License Search.
2. ALWAYS ask for a copy of their insurance premiums, a reputable company with have no hesitation is providing such details. I recommend checking is that the company holds both Private Liability insurance and even more importantly Professional Indemnity insurance. Now this is where you may find a private investigator with a rate that is far cheaper than our rates, however you can guarantee that they do not hold any insurance which can leave you paying a very hefty price if they act in an illegal manner. Check About Us for Citywide Investigations’ insurance policies.
3. A private investigations company with nothing to hide and one that always provides the services that you pay for, will always get you to sign a Client Service Agreement (CSA). The CSA is also signed by the investigations company to ensure that you get the services that you are paying for and in turn it provides protection to the investigations company to ensure you will pay any outstanding accounts. However there are plenty of investigators that will not provide an agreement like this, so beware.
4. Next on the list would be to see if the private investigations company is a member of any Government Approved Professional Organisations or Associations. Membership applications to these professional organisations are fully vetted and each new applicant must pass probity checks and are then considered by existing members to ensure that they only have members who reach their high levels of ethical & competency standards and will work within their separate Codes of Conduct and relevant Acts of Parliament.
5. Ask the investigator you are speaking to if they can supply you with some contact details of an existing or previous client so that you can check for yourself. Whilst on the topic of your own self checks, do some basic internet and Google searches yourself to ensure you are dealing with someone reputable.
6. Does the company have a privacy policy? If they company does not have or cannot supply you with a copy I would run the other way. Again it is your private and confidential information they are dealing with, so make sure they are accountable.
7. Another important thing to look at is size. Bigger is definitely not better when it comes to private investigations companies. The larger companies have to use sub-standard Agents when their workloads increase thus meaning a lower quality service to you. Look for the best, not the biggest.

Private investigations companies to stay well away from:

1. Stay right away from any company that can guarantee you 100% success of a file. The majority of investigations are successfully ones, however all investigators are still bound by the same laws and regulations such as road rules. There would not be an experienced investigator out there that would give you a guarantee, so be careful.
2. Anyone that requires you to pay a retainer in advance even for the initial consultation.
3. A company with rates that are well under what other companies have quoted you. This could signify that they have no insurances or have a less the reputable history.
4. A company or investigator without a privacy policy or professional indemnity insurance.
5. Any company that is willing to obtain information for you by an illegal method.