Arbor Private Investigators…read more
Worn out from recent tussles regarding nonexistent customer service from a variety of sources, I tried to let this one sit as much as I could. I lasted five weeks before I went a bit postal...and now it's been two more.
I hired Linda at Arbor Investigations in Vancouver on January 27 to begin the search for my father, see original post here). She had talked a good game, tried to make an Ontario connection with me as she was from the west end of Toronto, and sounded perfectly reasonable in our "free phone consultation". My credit card was immediately debited nearly $500 as a retainer, which was the only sign that they had received my e-mailed contract. I thought it was a little odd not to receive acknowledgement of any sort, and this unease grew over the next two weeks. Each day I would find myself checking my inbox obsessively, wondering at any moment whether I would solve the mystery of my father's whereabouts.
I finally sent an e-mail tentatively asking what I should expect in terms of communication, as I had no idea how this process worked. There was no response, which should have been my first clue to how this experience would turn out. I followed up with a phone call after another five days, and was told that they typically don't get in touch until there is news to share, but she would ask Linda to follow up with me. I was sent an e-mail (unsigned) later that day acknowledging receipt of my contract materials, and letting me know that it could take up to 30 days for progress to be made. And so I waited.
After the 30 days passed with still no word, I sent another e-mail expressing my disappointment and asking where things were at. Is it really rocket science, people? All it takes is a two-minute e-mail or phone call to say look, we've taken these steps, and here's what's next. It's common sense what it would take to make your clients feel even remotely secure that you're actually working for them. This time a woman named Julie e-mailed me back and said they were working on it but hadn't located him, and that she would ask Linda to contact me again with an update. No surprise, no call from Linda.
Another week went by and I phoned again, finally reaching this bitch in person. Linda said they had determined that my father had not died in the province of BC, nor did he own property (I had already checked that through a friend prior to all this, and had told them so), nor did he have a telephone in his name. They were now waiting to hear back from another contact about a cable account. This all struck me as pretty lame for five weeks of work. I asked her what was next, and she said if there was no sign of him in BC then they'd move on to other provinces since he could be anywhere, and would likely begin checking in Ontario. She promised they would be in touch as soon as there was any news.
After a night to replay this conversation (repeatedly) in my mind, I decided I didn't understand nor trust these people at all. It made no sense that it had taken 5 weeks to find out such minimal information, nor that the next step would be to check a province he'd never lived in as far as I knew. I sent another e-mail asking for an accounting of what had been spent so far, expressing concern about the investigation moving to Ontario as a next step, and saying that I was at the point of wanting to terminate the agreement and request a refund for the remainder of the retainer. I should not have been surprised that again there was no response.
I have let two more weeks pass, and not a word. I finally called, went straight into voice mail, and left an emotional message asking for the owner of the agency to be in touch. I followed this up with an e-mail. Not just any e-mail, but one that utilized the exclamation point status I generally try to avoid.
