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Investigative_Resources_Worldwide
| Investigative Resources Worldwide
Investigative Resources Worldwide
ION maintains information on over 33,000 investigative agencies
throughout the world. The majority of these are part time
agencies operated by people with good credentials, skills and
abilities. They are capable and available but being very small
lack the resources for far reaching marketing. Although they
might be the best resource for a given job, they are difficult
for clients to locate when needed. The actual ION Network of
investigators we know the most about and to whom we refer 85% of
the cases includes over 500 members in 37 countries. Being full
time is not a criteria for belonging to ION's Network but,
operating in a professional manner with integrity is at the top
of the list. The scope of ION's Resource Line was expanded from
nationwide to worldwide in 1996 and currently, 10% of the more
than 300 referrals made each month are to investigators outside
the U.S.
Private investigation does not delegate well. The majority of
investigation agencies are small. Many have only one or two
investigators. There are almost as many models for a private
investigation business as there are full time agencies. The
private investigation agencies around the world have more things
unique about them than they do things in common. This makes
selecting a foreign local investigator you have confidence in
difficult.
With each international referral, we learn more about the
available resources in other countries and how their rules,
regulations and customs differ from ours. In certain countries,
for example, getting something done in certain months can be an
extra problem because nearly all the businesses in the country
close down for the entire month and everyone goes on holiday.
Countries with certain religious cultures have holidays that
sometimes last for days. Some of what we consider public records
in the U.S. are not only non public in other countries but
illegal to obtain without proper authorization. The practice of
payments to government officials known by several names such as:
"grease", baksheesh or la mordida, must be dealt with. The
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act apparently does not prohibit all
"bribe" type payments. According to Phoenix international trade
attorney, Frank G. Long, there is an exception that allows
payments, gifts or promises to be made for "facilitating or
expediting" any "routine government action" whether "by a
foreign official, political party or party official."
In the U.S. the cost of investigation ranges from $35.00 an hour
with no minimum to over $100.00 an hour. Strong competitive
pressures in the U.S. keep the cost of investigation low
compared to other professions. Internationally, the cost of
using an investigator is generally higher than in the U.S. Even
in many countries where wages and earnings are low by American
standards, investigation costs more.
In years past, clients in countries where private investigation
is common, have occasionally needed investigative services in
one of the countries where private investigation is not common.
They have called associates and asked around until they came up
with the name of an investigator in the target country or in an
adjoining country. Much like in the U.S, when they tried to make
contact with local investigators the phone numbers were
frequently disconnected. If the needed work was crucial, price
became a non-factor in deciding whether or not to hire whatever
investigator could be found who was available to do the work.
The client ended up hiring an investigator from the U.S. or
another location almost as remote from the work. The cost of
sending someone from another country is very high. It is made
even higher because the non local investigators usually don't
have the local knowledge or connections to avoid lost time.
Agencies received cases that under domestic circumstances would
have earned hundreds of dollars. When worked internationally,
the equivalent cases earned thousands. Sensing big money, they
sent investigators to set up satellite offices in foreign
locations. Establishing a foreign national in an office is
expensive so consequently, the new offices did not reduce the
high cost of investigations in the countries they were in. High
fees for non domestic investigations have discouraged clients
from investigating many things that should be investigated, and
the volume to support the remote offices usually failed to
develop. With a high failure rate of foreign outpost offices and
clients reluctance to commit high fees for routine cases,
investigation facilities have developed slowly in most non
western countries. The problem of locating a competent local
investigator in a remote place for a once in a lifetime need had
not changed much until ION expanded the Resource Line to
Worldwide. Fees for international investigations that have
traditionally been very high are showing signs of becoming more
competitive.
Last year, during one of our trips to find investigative
resources in other countries, we met with several investigators
in Bangkok, Thailand. The two most notable were good examples of
what can be found in many countries. One was located in an
expensive high rise building in the city center. The manager was
an employee of a large investigation/security firm based in
another country. He was professional and appeared well
qualified. That office has since been closed. The second agency
was located on the outskirts of Bangkok in a single story
building with small, Asian type cubicles. The principal was
local but spoke fluent English. He explained they also do
collection work and it was obvious the business was a going
concern. He expressed reservations about doing work for foreign
clients without money up front but said he would work with us to
allow us to gain knowledge of each other. We have referred
several cases to this agency with good results and the fees
charged have been reasonable. The same type of progress is being
made in many other countries.
Another factor that causes foreign investigations to be
difficult and expensive is the difficulty of establishing trust
with someone unknown. A foreign investigator who receives a
request for investigation usually does not respond in the way
most clients are used to. In the U.S. work is usually commenced
on a verbal agreement. Foreign investigators generally want
detailed instructions, in response to which they quote a fee for
the job which they expect to receive before beginning the work.
Considering their problems collecting from a foreign bureaucracy
when a check gets "lost in the mail", their position is
understandable. The investigation process is non-linear and
since it is impossible to know exactly what any investigation is
going to involve until it is completed, flat fees quoted before
work starts are usually based on the worst possible scenario. An
investigation that, in the U.S. would cost $2,000 worked by the
hour, would probably be quoted at a flat fee of $5,000 or more
in most foreign countries. As confidence between clients and the
foreign investigative professionals increases, this disparity
can be reduced. We are already seeing more reasonable fees from
the countries we refer cases to regularly.
ION's Resource Line is bringing better competition to this
overpriced market, but it will take time and a volume of cases
to bring about a system fair for both clients and local
investigators. We will continue building the database and trust
relationships because the only alternative is for clients to
hire agencies that charge substantially more than competent
locals charge. When ION is unable to provide the needed
resources in a foreign country, the client is so advised and put
in contact with the best alternative in the U.S. or some other
country.
Copyright © 2000 by ION Incorporated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
About the author:
Leroy Cook worked as a private investigator for over 15 years
and is presently President of ION Incorporated, a worldwide
referral service for private investigators.
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