You have to give credit it’s due, but you just don’t have to believe all the hype.
For the past several decades, San Francisco private investigators have done a fantastic job in obtaining some of the highest fees for private investigation on the planet.
The premise for this is rooted in the claim that the San Francisco Bay Area has the highest cost of living of any place in the United States, but that honor does not go to San Francisco. Most polls (Kiplinger’s and The Council for Community and Economic Research) award New York City and Honolulu above San Francisco.
But, so what if San Francisco doesn’t top the list? These polls show San Francisco at #3 and #4 after all.
Let me explain.
The sales pitch given that San Francisco private investigators need to charge more than cities ranked higher on these lists like (New York, Honolulu) is a flawed argument.
- Most private investigators do not live in San Francisco proper, they reside in outlying area where the cost of living is similar to many parts of the United States.
- The vast majority of private investigators do not have offices and therefore you can safely eliminate the cry of the San Francisco “high rent district.”
- Private investigators pay the same for gas, supplies, equipment, computers, cameras and vehicles as the rest of mankind.
- The vast majority of private investigators also use similar databases (with similar costs) to obtain the same information they all resell to the public, attorneys, corporate America and the insurance industry.
Higher fees should be directly commensurate with the experience and expertise of the private investigators themselves.
All assignments in our five offices (including San Francisco) are supervised and completed by former agents of the FBI, DEA, IRS or Secret Service. Most of our investigators are unsurpassed within the current investigative establishment when it comes to the critical investigative tool of interview and interrogation. In fact, many (including myself) have taught this subject matter at the Federal academies and at the Departments of Justice and Treasury.
You will pay the same competitive and fair rates both in our San Francisco branch as you would in our four other offices located in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, San Diego and Mission Viejo, California.
We also offer the only known full money-back guarantee in the private investigative business. If you are not pleased and we can’t make it right, or to your satisfaction, we will return your retainer in full.
You may want to avail yourself of my book “If You Only Knew” which is a free, online e-book. Your attention is drawn to Chapter 15, The Truth About Private Investigators and Chapter 16, Steps To Hiring A Private Investigator.