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Why surveillance is always hourly
27 July 2021
Why surveillance is always an hourly affair when dealing with Private Investigators
A common question or query we get is when offering our services to private individuals is "what happens if you don't get xyz? Video/photograph etc." The answer is always the same and that is we offer our time for an hourly rate and what happens, happens. We cannot control the world around us and we are an simply observer and recorder (most of the time). As such we do not make guarantees. But why not offer a fixed price?
Let's use an example to show:
Surveillance A
Task: Monitoring a property for establishing the occupants.
Outcome needed: Photograph or video of the occupant/s
Time needed for a high chance of success: 7 hours starting at 6am.
Hourly rate of £1 per hour, £7 total cost
The client would like a fixed price for the footage. The investigator could charge the 7 hours on a fixed price for the footage.
The investigators could get the footage quickly or slowly. If they get the footage quickly, great they've made extra money for their time and the client is happy. If it takes longer, say the home is empty and they spent 3 days waiting and go back empty handed. They may not get paid, only retain 50% or worse.
If the investigator charged a larger fee they could offset this risk. Perhaps charging for 15 hours. Now the client is paying more then they otherwise would on the basis that it could take longer. They may not be happy with this price. No one wins.
It is far better and fairer for both parties that a set hourly is set so that the results are given that match the level of commitment and fees paid to the investigators. For some this may be better or worse however the results will match the time needed to complete the task rather then paying a larger fee due to the investigator having to take out insurance by charging more on all cases on the chance they encounter a situation which eats into too much time or is not fruitful.
This is the same reason why we do preliminary checks on trace cases to ensure our fees match the time needed to gather the information needed rather then fixed fee models which mean everyone pays the same. Communism is great for those who need more but the people who need little are left bemused. Competitive pricing is key to success and so we price most work on a case by case basis the primary exception being surveillance which is always charged hourly.
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Can I legally track someone? Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special or a unique service that you offer.
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Many people ask: "What do private investigators get hired for?" So, we've compiled a list: What do private investigators get hired for? 1. Surveillance. 2. Finding addresses. 3. Finding someone. 4. Verifying information. 5. Gathering intelligence for further action. However, this is not an exhaustive list of what a private investigator can do. There are many different applications and benefits of hiring a private investigator. Here are some of the benefits of hiring a private investigator: 1. Save money - Instead of dedicating an in-house employee to do the job, a quick and easy way would be to hire a PI short term to get the job done properly. 2. Save time - Time is money; private investigators investigate for a living, they can do the job quickly, professionally, and accurately getting the best results. The term 'Private Investigator is not that specific', but rather an umbrella term for people that act in the area of investigation - each with varying skill-sets and specialisations. Here are some of he common skill-sets a private investigator may specialise in. 1. Financial & Cryptocurrency investigations. 2. Business intelligence. 3. Surveillance. 4. Social engineering. 5. Tracing. 6. Fraud. 7. Background checks. 8. Employee absenteeism. 9. Property. 10. Company checks. Sometimes private investigators are picking up the pieces of a previous investigation, and can include many of these above listed investigations in one case.
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