During her travels around the country our MD, Rita Leat meets some very interesting people and this ‘Life in the day of’ blog is our way of sharing our networking with our members.  First in this series is an article from Dave Clark, who shares with us his day as a PI.

A Day in the life of a PI

Up and about early today, need to be in the office by 6am, we have a busy day ahead.

First order of business is to get the staff organised and on the road. John will be in at 8am, he has several Winding up Petitions, and Statutory Demands, all Limited Companies, to be served. These almost invariably are served in office hours and within forty eight hours of receipt by us.

Terry is working later, he has various Process serves as well, but these are individuals, usually easier to find in the early evenings and weekends.

Once their papers and routes are ready, I can turn to the e-mails, hard to believe this many arrived whilst I slept! Some are update requests on work in hand, quotes for new work, tracing instructions, and general enquiries from the mundane to the bizarre.

The overnight ones tend to be private clients and overseas. During the day I will get the professional clients, other Agents, Solicitors and Paralegals, all of whom understand the demands on us and are usually better organised and don’t suffer from over expectation!

Now I can organise my day, although organise is a fluid term.

I check the electronic trackers on the web platform, see if our targets have been busy, and how much battery life we have left. One is quite low, (note to self ), out at 3am to change the battery pack. I collect the process serves I have to fit in en route today, and head out to my morning networking meeting, praying for a decent breakfast. I know the phone will start around 8am must remember to put it on silent.

Networking over, couple of interesting contacts, now to the day proper.

We have a request for a surveillance this evening, cheating husband apparently, where does he get the time? Bearing in mind I am now out very early to change the tracker batteries, I ring round to find who wants the job, as always John is keen, and my preferred option as we were both Special Branch trained.

Always a minefield these jobs. Private clients want you to peer through windows and get “in flagrante” photos, completely outside of RIPA. At least our professional contacts, especially our PPR Paralegals talk the matter through and understand the legislative constraints.

Try explaining RIPA, HRA or even PACE to an outraged partner, never goes well.

I also have two repossessions to collect today, both cars, so off goes Chris my towing expert, armed with his paperwork and usual grumpy attitude, hey ho.

My favourite local Solicitor (because he hates going out and gets us to do most things!) has asked for a quote for attending a commercial property, changing the locks and completing an inventory, need to get that out today.

I also need to arrange a couple of test purchases this week in a bar selling unbranded booze as the real thing, list of volunteers for that is growing daily.

As always some new stuff will arrive, invariably urgent, just to ruin the day, some will be cancelled and some will go so horribly wrong you just wonder what you did to upset the big guy!

But on the upside the range of work means I am never bored, and also the range of people I meet is always interesting. If I had more space the stories I could tell!

So if you need a PI or Process Server give us a call at Adams for help anywhere in the country on 020 3745 5711, or speak to Dave direct on 07787 555 932.