[FERN1234]

I hired a private investigator in 2006 and he gave me all wrong information about the women my husband was cheating with. I gave him $3500.00 up front and all I had left he claims was $926.00 now I want all my money back for services never received. I received no photos, no videos, and he hired someone else to follow my husband ,without my knowledge,I did not hired them.He sent a check for $926.00 for my left over retainer but I never cashed it and I called him to sent me another and he refuses. He lives in seattle and I live in California so I am not flying to seattle to sue him. Please what do I do now?

[JudyKayTee]

I hired a private investigator in 2006 and he gave me all wrong information about the women my husband was cheating with. I gave him $3500.00 up front and all I had left he claims was $926.00 now I want all my money back for sevices never received. I received no photos, no videos, and he hired someone else to follow my husband ,without my knowledge,I did not hired them.He sent a check for $926.00 for my left over retainer but I never cashed it and I called him to sent me another and he refuses. He lives in seattle and I live in california so I am not flying to seattle to sue him. Please what do I do now?

The PI gave you the information as he found it - there are no guarantees in this line of work. I would be interested in the sources he used which turned up incorrect info. If he went on line, pulled info, provided it to you and charged you premium prices, he did NOT do his job.

You should have requested and received an itemized billing for services rendered. It should be hourly and should also list disbursements and expenses. Did you?

You are not entitled to all of your money back - there are NO guaranteed results in this line of work. If, for example, you pay someone to conduct a surveillance the person is paid from the moment they leave the office until the moment they return (obviously getting paid for travel time) whether there are good/bad/indifferent/no results or not. If you ask that a person be trailed on a certain evening and the person never leaves the house, you are responsible for the bill.

Was there a contract to provide photos and videos? Was there an opportunity to obtain the same? The fact that someone else actually did the field work is not a problem UNLESS your contract says that one certain person must conduct the work. One PI cannot be in more than one place at one time and it is not the least bit unusual for another "operative" to conduct some of the work. If you contracted with a male and he felt a female would obtain better results, that's not unusual.

If you intend to sue you have to sue in his jurisdiction so I see no way around that.

Why were you unhappy with the results? What was not done that should have been done or that you contracted for?

You are one of the reasons a majority of PI's no longer work for individuals and only work for law firms.

[ScottGem]

The fact that he returned almost a third of your retainer also indicates to me that he was honestly billing you.

As Judy said, unless your contract with him included some specifics of what he was to obtain for you, then it sounds like he did his job.

What info was wrong and how did you find out it was wrong?

[JudyKayTee]

The fact that he returned almost a third of your retainer also indicates to me that he was honestly billing you.

As Judy said, unless your contract with him included some specifics of what he was to obtain for you, then it sounds like he did his job.

What info was wrong and how did you find out it was wrong?

And I should have added that if the information obtained if not the information the client wants to hear, that does not make the information incorrect.

PI's are not magicians. Oftentimes suspicions are just that - suspicions.