What Should You Ask Before Hiring a Private Investigator?

Why the questions matter

Hiring an investigator to look into a partner is personal, and people often book in a hurry, the night before a trip or after seeing something that worried them. That is exactly when it is easiest to hire the wrong person. A few direct questions protect you legally, financially and emotionally, and a professional firm will be glad to answer them.

You can ask Nashville Girls Trip Check every one of these questions by calling or texting (629) 310-8667 (answered 24 hours, 7 days) or emailing contact@delatorgroup.com before you pay.

Licensing and legitimacy

In Tennessee, Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-26-204 makes it unlawful to act as a private investigator or investigations company without a license from the commissioner. The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance runs the Private Investigation program and offers a public license search, so you can check a name yourself rather than taking anyone's word for it. The same department publishes a disciplinary action report and accepts consumer complaints.

• Is your company licensed in Tennessee, and under what exact name?
• Is the investigator who will work my case individually licensed?
• Do you do the work yourselves, or do you pass jobs to other people?
• Where are you based, and how do I reach you during the job?

Methods and legal limits

This is the most important part of the conversation. The answer you want is that all work happens lawfully in public places. Nashville Girls Trip Check investigators work only in public places such as streets, bars, restaurants, hotel lobbies and entrances. They never enter private rooms, access phones or accounts, place GPS trackers, or break any law.

Tennessee law backs this up. Section 39-13-606 makes it an offense to knowingly place a tracking device on a vehicle to track its occupants without the consent of all owners, with narrow exceptions, and the statute does not carve out private investigators. Section 39-13-601 generally allows recording a conversation only when the person recording is a party to it or one party consents. If a firm offers to do any of these things, that is a reason to leave, and it can create legal problems for you as the client.

• Exactly what will the investigator do during the hours I book?
• Will all observation be from public places?
• Do you ever use GPS trackers, phone access or hidden recording? (The right answer is no.)
• What happens if she goes somewhere private?

Pricing, timing and policies

Get the numbers before you book. Hourly billing is common in this field, and you should know the rate, any minimum, any extra fees and how tax is handled. For reference, both Nashville Girls Trip Check services, Hotel Staging (/hotel-staging) and Mobile Surveillance (/order-surveillance), are billed at Delator's standard investigative rate of $100 per hour plus applicable tax, and you choose the number of hours when booking. In most cases an investigator can be in place 1 to 3 hours after booking, and orders placed less than 12 hours before the requested start carry a rush fee.

Also ask how hours are counted. Does billing start when the investigator arrives in position, or when they leave their office? What happens if she stays in the hotel all evening and nothing visible happens? Under an hourly model, quiet hours are still worked hours, because the investigator is in place and watching. Knowing that before you book prevents misunderstandings later, and it helps you choose a number of hours that matches the part of the trip you care about most, such as the late return to the hotel rather than the whole afternoon.

Ask about cancellations plainly. Some firms refund unused time and some do not. At Nashville Girls Trip Check, all sales are final once an investigator is dispatched, so if plans change before dispatch, you should call right away.

• What is the hourly rate, and is there a minimum number of hours?
• Are there rush fees, mileage, or other charges? Is tax included?
• How soon can someone be in place?
• What is your cancellation and refund policy, and when does it apply?

Evidence, privacy and expectations

Ask what you will actually receive. Typically that is time-stamped photos, video and a written summary. Ask how it is delivered and who else will see it. With Nashville Girls Trip Check, evidence is delivered privately to the client, and nothing is shared with anyone else.

Then ask what they promise. The honest answer from any investigator is that nobody can guarantee what surveillance will show. What a firm can promise is professional, lawful documentation of the hours booked. Many trips turn out to be innocent, and a clean result is a good outcome. If you think the evidence might be used in a divorce, ask whether the investigator would be available to explain or testify about their work, and talk to a Tennessee family law attorney about what your case needs. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

• What will I receive, in what format, and how soon after the job?
• Who else will see my information or the evidence?
• If my attorney needs it later, can the investigator explain or testify about the work?
• What do you need from me to give this the best chance of being useful?

Questions a good investigator will ask you

The conversation should go both ways. A careful investigator will want to understand your situation before taking your money, partly to make sure the hours are worth booking and partly to make sure the request is appropriate.

Expect to be asked for a recent photo, the hotel or Airbnb address, an outfit description, the group's plans and the timing you want covered. You may also be asked about your relationship to the person and what you hope to learn. Those questions are a sign of professionalism, not suspicion. A firm that will follow anyone, for anyone, with no questions asked is not one you want handling something this personal.

An investigator should also be honest with you if the information you have is too thin to make surveillance worthwhile, or if a different approach (such as fewer hours focused on her return to the hotel) would fit your budget and goals better. If a firm only tries to sell you more hours without explaining why, ask them to walk you through how they would use the time.

Red flags to watch for

Any one of these is a reason to slow down or look elsewhere.

• A guarantee that they will "catch" her or prove anything specific.
• Offers to get into her phone, email or social media accounts.
• Offers to put a GPS tracker on her car or to record conversations secretly.
• No license you can verify, or a name that does not match the state license search.
• Vague pricing, pressure to pay immediately, or refusal to explain fees.
• Promises that she will never notice. No honest investigator can promise that.