Are you feeling too embarrassed or ashamed to hire a Private Investigator?

We hear this a lot, along with, “This is the first time I’ve used a Private Investigator.”

If you have never used a Private Investigator before, then it can feel like an absolute minefield. You may be thinking, “Can a Private Investigator actually help me with my issue?” Or it might be that you are merely too embarrassed or ashamed to actually call a Private Investigator to share your situation.

Firstly, I’d recommend that you do your due diligence. This is an unlicensed industry and only regulated by the Information Commissioners Office, which is a Governmental department looking into breaches of data protection. By the time they get involved, it’s generally too late, and you’re making a complaint to them.

1. Research the investigation agency on Companies House to identify whether they are a limited company. This will give you the names of the Directors and the date the company was incorporated or set up. You can navigate to Companies House on the below link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house

You can also search under their name(s) for other companies Directorships that they are associated with.

• Are they a member of a professional organisation such as The Institute of Professional Investigators or The Association of British Investigators? These are the two main professional bodies in the UK and have a strict code of conduct and can be used for mediation if you are not happy with the service you have received.

• Check their reviews on Google to make sure they don’t have adverse reviews from former clients and that they have a Google Business Page with a registered and verified address.

• Are they registered on the Information Commissioner’s Office Data Protection Register? All companies or individuals who handle personal information should be registered on here, definitely an investigation agency! You can check by following the link below.

https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Search

• Do they have a physical office which you can visit or a virtual address? This is important as if you do have any issues with the investigation agency you need a point of call for any letters or legal documents to be sent to. Most Private Investigation firms have a virtual address or use their home address. I can only think of a number of investigation agencies that have a physical office or offices like Titan.

Once you’re happy from your research that the investigation agency is a genuine and professional company, then there are usually numerous ways to contact them. You may not feel confident enough to pick up the telephone and contact them directly. You may prefer in the first instance to ask a question anonymously through their website online chat facility during their opening hours. If this isn’t answered then this may be a red flag or just that they are busy with other chats. I’d suggest trying again later during office hours and if this isn’t answered, move on to another investigation agency.

Email is commonly used to initiate first contact. This will identify whether the investigation agency can help you with your enquiry and outline any associated costs and timescales of the service.

You may then wish to proceed to speak to a person at the investigation agency. This is when you can build up a report and professional relationship with your contact at the investigation agency and develop trust.

A lot of clients feel at ease to speak to an investigation agency using the three steps outlined above if it is the first time that they have contacted an investigation agency or are feeling a little unsure. A Private Investigator in most cases becomes almost like a social worker as they are an independent person who the client doesn’t really know, and they feel that they can offload feelings and emotions without there being any judgement or come back. Especially if this is something that hasn’t been shared with friends or family, or it is felt inappropriate to do so.

Who do I contact for Private Investigation advice?

For further advice and information in regard to whether a Private Investigator can help your situation, then please feel free to speak to one of our case handlers and advisors in complete confidence via an online chat, email, telephone or at one of the offices nearest to you.

London Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations London Office 020 39046622
Birmingham Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Birmingham Office 0121 7162442
Cambridge Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Cambridge Office 01223 662022
Derby Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Derby (Head Office) 01332 504256
Leeds Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Leeds Office 0113 4574066
Leicester Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Leicester Office 0116 2436520
Nottingham Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Nottingham Office 0115 9646950
Manchester Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Office 0161 3023008
Sheffield Private Investigators – Call the Titan Investigations Sheffield Office 0114 3499400

Alternatively, you can contact us directly using our fully confidential contact form at enquiries@titaninvestigations.co.uk or chat directly using our Live Chat facility and one of our private investigations team will get right back to you.