Will Private Investigators See an Increase in Business in February?

• January 29, 2013
• by Kimberly Faber

With Friday marking the first day of February, many investigators will be readying themselves for what may be the busiest month of the year. For those who focus on domestic cases, the approach of Valentine's day may mean an increase in case volume, while others who do not offer domestic services may receive more inquiries during this time of the year. We asked several professionals how their business fluctuates throughout the year and how the holidays affect their business. Here's what they had to say.

Speaking particularly in reference to Valentine's Day, Renita D. Hamilton of Alabama replied yes, business will increase in February. “Any PI knows that the holidays are the best and easiest times to catch one unfaithful,” she said. Keith Hollen of Eagle Eye Investigations in Charleston, North Carolina expressed a similar sentiment while explaining the effect that Valentine’s Day has had on his call volume over the past twenty years. “I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and every Valentine’s Day our call volume increases and is usually one of our busiest days of the year,” he said. He added that the holiday also generates some attention from local media and news sources. “We usually get a local news group that wants to do an interview,” he said. “If Valentine’s Day is during the week, usually that day and whatever day before or closes the weekend are busy.”

But some investigators shared a contrasting view, that business, in fact, slows down during the holidays. “All I do is domestic cases, and around Thanksgiving and Christmas I see a slowdown in cases,” investigator Kevin Walters said. Walters did explain that although his business tends to slow down during the holidays, when he does get a case it's pretty straightforward. “When I get one [during the holidays], it usually is a slam dunk on getting enough evidence for the client,” he said. 

While many noted that business slows during the winter holidays, investigator Rober Wonsch has seen a boost in business in the time following the major holidays and leading up to Valentine's Day. “I agree with Kevin,” he said. “Every year I am slow from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Typically I start to see an increase of calls in February and then closer to Valentine’s day I take on a few extra cases.” A private investigator in Long Island furthered simply, “I’ll be waiting by the phone for the calls.”

Investigators who do not offer services in domestic cases are still aware of the effect holidays have on business, simply by monitoring the volume of their inquries. Eric Griego, a private investigator in New Mexico, explained that although he does not take on domestic cases for a number of reasons, he still gets the calls. "I usually see an uptick in inquiries, but after the holidays," he said, "not before." BD Poirier of Houston, Texas expands on Griego's comments. "I generally avoid domestic work unless times are slow, but I still get the inquries," he said. "There doesn't seem to be an uptick in them around Valentine's Day though."

Still, investigators like Jeffrey Smith of Oklahoma City count on Valentine's Day to bring in new clients. "Valentine's week has basically kicked off my business for the past seven years in a row," Smith said. 

As investigators continue to share their experiences and thoughts on business trends, it's clear that there are many factors that influence how busy an investigator will be. Whether it's a result of the holidays or not, many are noticing changing trends in their business volume. "Suprisingly," investigator Rick Miles said, "December has been my busiest month so far."

Do you think investigators will see an increase in business in February? Share your opinion in the above poll.

Signs of a Cheating Spouse Infographic

A survey of private investigators revealed the common signs of a cheating spouse. According to survey, the 6 most common are:

For the average cost of an infidelity investigation, the range of time period, the percentage of cases that verify infidelity, and other compelling statistics about infidelity, view the full Signs of a Cheating Spouse Infographic.