Administrative, travel, lodging, phone calls, faxes, meals, database searches are just a few of the types of expenses that can be incurred in the course of an investigation. This is why we encourage searchers to be specific in their contract arrangement with a professional investigator. Ethical investigators will help their Clients work within their budget, and strive to be cost-effective in conducting their investigations. Reputable investigators want to be successful at their jobs, as it serves to enhance their good reputations within the community and hopefully results in referrals for their business. Expect to be provided with an invoice reflecting charges for expenses and hourly fees.
Clients have the right to know how their money was spent.
P.I.'s should know that these investigative fees may be recoverable from the offending party in a civil suit and need to be documented. It has been our experience that the pace of a missing child investigation can become rapid in a short course of time. Documenting every detail of the investigation is nearly impossible. An investigator would have to charge a fortune to re-create the investigation in report form, especially if the investigation is complex. P.I.'s should keep a daily recorded log documenting their activity.