What to Expect During a Private Investigator Consultation
· Roberts Investigative Services
Most people who call have never hired a private investigator. The first consultation is a practical screening conversation: what happened, what fact you need established, what you already know and whether investigation is the right tool.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to what you can expect during your first consultation with a private investigator.
1. A Private Intake Conversation
Share only what is needed to assess the matter. Ask how your information will be stored, who will have access and how the investigator should contact you. Do not send passwords, Social Security numbers or protected records unless their need and handling have been established.
Pro Tip: Bring any relevant documents or information (e.g., photos, timelines, or contact details) that could help the investigator understand your case better.
2. Listening to Your Story
The investigator will ask questions to gather details about your situation. This is your chance to explain your concerns, share evidence, and outline your desired outcome.
Common Questions You May Be Asked:
- What is the primary issue or concern?
- Do you have specific goals for this investigation?
- What information or evidence do you already have?
3. Explaining Services and Capabilities
The PI will explain the services they can offer, tailored to your unique case. This includes their methods, legal boundaries, and the tools they use to gather evidence effectively and discreetly.
Example Services: Surveillance, background checks, forensic analysis, and locating individuals.
4. Scope, Authorization and Cost
You should leave the conversation understanding what will be done, what will not, and how the work is authorized. A scope names the question, the method, the period and the point at which work stops and is reviewed — additional work is then a decision you make, not a surprise you receive.
Ask directly what happens if the budget is reached without a conclusive answer. The honest response is that the scope is reviewed and you decide whether to continue; there is no arrangement under which an investigator can promise a particular finding for a particular price.
5. What You Should Be Told Plainly
A useful consultation includes at least one thing you did not want to hear. Expect to be told:
- That surveillance covers a defined window, and nothing relevant may occur during it.
- That certain methods are unlawful in Florida — intercepting communications you are not party to, placing a tracker without authority, accessing another person's accounts — regardless of who is asking.
- That admissibility is decided by a court, not by the investigator collecting the material.
- That some questions belong with an attorney, a clinician or law enforcement first.
- That the report will state what could not be established, and will say so if the evidence points away from what you believe.
If none of that comes up, the consultation was a sales call.
Questions Worth Asking
- What is your Florida licence number, and is it an agency or an individual licence?
- Who will actually do the work?
- How will findings be documented, and will the report separate observation from inference?
- How is my information stored, and who has access to it?
- What would you advise if you were in my position?
What to Bring
A timeline of what happened with dates, the documents you already hold, correct names and spellings, photographs, addresses, and the specific decision you are trying to make. Label anything you were told by someone else as second-hand so it is not mistaken for established fact.
Bring the deadline too, if there is one — a court date, a hearing, a closing. It changes what is worth pursuing.
Discuss Your Situation
Consultations are free and confidential, and there is no obligation to proceed. If investigation is not the right instrument for your question, we will say so.
Serving Florida and St. Lucie County.
If this is where you are right now, we can help with a free, confidential consultation in St. Lucie County, whether surveillance fits your situation and family and relationship matters.
Private · No Obligation
Find out whether an investigation can help.
Describe the question you need answered. A licensed investigator will explain what can be done legally, what information would help and what the likely scope will be.