Private Detectives Corporation FAQs
Below you’ll find answers to our most commonly asked questions. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, please contact us or call our Customer Services team on +44 (0)800 043 6667.
Frequently asked questions
Is this confidential?
Your confidentiality is guaranteed to be the highest priority of your Private Investigator throughout the duration of the case.
Will the person I am investigating know that I am looking for them?
Nobody should ever be able tell that they are being investigated by our Private Detectives. Our services are completely private, discreet and confidential.
We never give out information if someone calls us and asks about our clients.
Is it legal?
Yes. Private Detectives Corporation has access to tens of thousands of records, be they financial, property records, criminal records and more. None of the resources you will access through our service are illegal nor will any Private Investigator working for us commit any illegal acts.
How long will my investigation take?
This really does depend on the service required. We always give a rough estimate of the timings involved during our initial consultation.
What are the payment terms and methods?
We are happy to accept payments via Credit Card, Cheque, Bank Transfer, PayPal and other Online Payment methods.
As a matter of discretion all payments, whether Credit Card, Cheque, Bank Transfer or Online Payment, will be made payable to Zookx Limited - so our trading style of Private Detective Corporation will NOT appear on any statements. Please contact us for quotations regards our rates and costs - these vary, dependant on the case and its details, so we are unable to quote fees online.
What guarantee is there?
In most cases, we are happy to provide a 100% written guarantee before proceeding.
We do our best to provide the highest quality investigative resources, however sometimes it may simply not be possible find the results that you are looking for, if the results do not exist. An example of this would be surveillance; if the subject that we are following doesn't leave home, we are unable to follow him/her.
How do you find people?
In addition to using the regular data base services available to most private investigators and information providers, we have developed our own proprietary databases and sources.
We also, whenever possible, attempt to contact associates, friends, neighbours, employers, creditors and others that may have knowledge of the subject, if this is appropriate in your case.
What do you need from me to get started?
This depends on the service that is required.
For example, if we were being asked to locate a missing person we would like to know any or all of the following:
Full name
Last known address
National Insurance number
Date of birth
The names of relatives, previous employers and friends
How soon can you start?
We endeavor to start work on your case soon as you contact us and we have received your instructions. Of course, this will depend on the service required and the specific circumstances of your case.
What areas do you cover?
We are headquartered in the UK, offering a full national service. When required, we will either travel abroad at short notice, or liaise with our international agents to cover almost all countries around the globe.
What are your working hours?
Our office typically operates a five day, 9-6pm week. However the nature of our business often leads us to work whatever hours are required by the task in hand.
You can contact us via e-mail 24 hours a day or, please don't hesitate to call us outside office hours, on +44 (0)7976 444 444
Surveillance - how does it work?
Covert surveillance is often crucial for both corporate and domestic clients and may be used for a variety of reasons. Some of the common uses would be for infidelity, employee absenteeism, theft and criminal activity. In most cases, the objective is to gather intelligence and evidence of an individual's activities. Surveillance is often the only way to gather a particular type of intelligence or evidence, such as a cheating partner or an employee that is claiming to be suffering from a bad back.
Surveillance is easy and simple to set up. Usually, in most domestic cases, two operatives are used to follow the subject. One operative is the 'driver' of a vehicle and the other operative is the 'footman'. The footman is also the cameraman. We nearly always advise using a vehicle, even if the subject that we are following is not driving; this is because it is always possible that the subject may be picked up by someone, take a taxi, or bus, and would need to be followed. Having a vehicle is necessary when our operatives need to wait nearby a property that the subject is in; it isn't practical to have operatives standing around on the pavement for sometimes hours.
Each case will vary due to the circumstances and the individual objectives. Therefore, the number of operatives required will also vary. In most domestic cases, we use two, but sometimes may advise using only one for cost reasons. We are always cost conscious and will offer the most efficient solution for the task.
Our operatives use the latest state of the art equipment to obtain high quality footage of the subject's activities.
Our reports are produced to court standards, and if necessary, we will come to court and give evidence. Our standard hourly rate applies.
Surveillance is charged by the hour. If a vehicle is provided, we charge a nominal fee per mile travelled. Any expenses incurred (in many cases there are none) are passed on at our cost price. Typical expenses may include sundry items, such as a drink or meal, if we have to follow the subject in to a bar or restaurant.
Electronic surveillance is the use of electronic devices to gather intelligence and evidence. This includes but is not limited to listening devices, tracking devices, and covert cameras.
Tracing a debtor - how does it work?
Tracing debtors is usually more complex than tracing someone you have simply just lost touch with. Debtors are often evasive and may do their best to avoid being traced. They may attempt to cover their tracks by providing false information. We take this all in our stride. We specialise in finding debtors and use methods and techniques that nearly all debtors don't even think of. The vast majority of our debtor tracing cases are offered on a no-find, no-fee basis. That's how confident we are.
Finding a missing person
Our definition of a missing person is an individual that has gone missing suddenly and is out of character for that person. This type of case is often quite complex because the fact that someone has recently disappeared usually means that there are no electronic records or paper trail for the subject. Naturally, we give priority to these cases over others.
Tracing an individual
This category is for tracing a subject that does not fall into any of the other categories listed here. This type of search, on the face of it, is a relatively simple job compared to the other types of tracing work that we do. When you have simply just lost touch with someone and need to get back in contact, we can help find that person for you.
Tracing a long lost friend/relative
This is one of the most rewarding parts of the job that we do. We specialise in tracing long lost friends/relatives, sometimes going back as far as one hundred years or more to find information. Apart from our experience in this type of case, we have access to millions of records which are not in the public domain. Many of our clients have told us that they have spent months or even years searching, only for us to find the subject within days.
I can't see that you offer the service that I require
We offer such a wide range of services that it is not possible to list them all here. Please do not hesitate to contact us to ask. We are very often able to help when the client believes it is not possible.
How much does it cost to find someone?
Each case does vary in cost because our fee will depend on a few factors: