As I was surfing the plethora of ListServes I noticed a topic that was beginning to become common among the Private Investigation firms throughout the state of California and the Nation. The topic was about "BIG CORPORATE INVESTIGATION FIRMS" who go in and vacuum up all of the TPA investigation contracts and then "sub" the work BACK OUT to the qualified investigators who were doing the work prior to the BIG COPRS smoke screen of how they do it better and THEY are not doing the work at all. It’s hard to believe that this deception was or is being bought by the TPAs. There appears to be no research prior to buying the scam.
Some time ago, I was employed by an investigations firm who was gobbled up by one of these BIG CORP Firms. They kept the administrators around until the former administrators sold the “BILL OF GOODS” then they put them out. Those administrators are now scattered working for other BIG CORPs who are cutting the legs from underneath every other private investigator and Oh, giving them their legs back at a lessor rate, what generosity! Or, they are working back in their own small firm doing their own thing.
I personally watched this firm go from quality investigations with quality employees to losing all of their own say in anything they did. Their reports became “cookie cutter” without detail, their reports were compiled by a computer and proof read by English students in “Ten Buck Two” somewhere USA. Their investigator had no idea what was contained in that report as a finished product, but, “THEY WERE UNIFORM”! Then the company expected their investigators to take the stand in court and say that they had written the report. Well, most refused, at least those that had ethics.
Well, not all this is common place and TPA’s are buying it or at least tolerating it, deceit, after deceit, after deceit.
Where far will all of us professional investigators allow this to go?
I have extracted some comments from research I have been doing and here are some comments;
Here is what one adjuster of a large TPA said, This topic is very interesting!!! It kind of sheds some light on a few things that came up a few months back. There were a couple of large PI companies (Mr. BIG #1) that really bombarded all of our locations with what we thought were a press or takeover all investigations marketing attempts. When none of the local in-house investigators would respond to them we ended up getting word from the "higher ups" that we had to "throw them a bone" and give them a try. Most of the in-house investigators got upset with Mr. BIG #1’s tactics and "holier than thou" approach when their work product left much to be desired. No other PI vendor in the past had, what we thought then, the type of pull needed to get the ear of the administrators who were "higher up" in our company and yank their chain so hard that it would rolled down to the field offices making them give them a try.
Here is one Private Investigator's comments, "The word on the street is that this is a CYA process and that the decision has already been made by the TPA involved to allow Mr. BIG #1 to take over as the TPAs "Vendor Management Provider" statewide. We have been invited by, but refuse to work for, Mr. BIG #1 on two occasions in the past. They wanted to manage the case, pay us as sub-contractors at $35.00 per hour (which is below industry standards); direct us as employees while misclassifying us as sub-contractors. Why? So that all of the liability would rest on our E&O, WC and general liability insurance policies. This TPA has a history of always going with the cheapest vendor to do the work and then when it is time to appear before the WCAB court, no one at this TPA can locate the investigator, the evidence, no one knows where the "sub-contractor" is because they have gone out of business or had a falling out with them over timely payment, etc. This is not a good decision for this state TPA client or any of the vendor/subcontractors if in fact this is the way this TPA has chosen to provide investigative services for their policy holders.
So... that's how I see it".
Here is another Private Investigator's comments, "Our client is not in the loop on this stuff. Mr. BIG#1 has been taking their work for over a year now and I have shown them the proof. I’m talking, I have seen Mr. BIG#1’s reports on their employees doing their business. That means that our client’s TPA is in violation of their contract with our client and their clients.
I have many friends on the inside of several TPAs as well as in Mr. BIG #1 and Mr. BIG #2’s camps, all prior to working for this client. One of the larger TPAs is currently restructuring and Mr. BIG #1 has been pounding on their door. The TPA has no idea of the diminished quality of work product, inexperience and lack of well trained personnel Mr. Big #1 will bring into the industry. I have seen some of Mr. BIG #1’s reports, all cookie cutter, no details. My client is not a large client for me but I have watched their losses grow and their leadership seems to just be sitting and watching. That’s why I revealed to you all that Mr. BIG #1 and Mr. BIG #2 are owned by brothers. Doesn’t matter to them where the work goes, it’s still stays in the family and neither are US based.
There are many more of these comments out there, but I will leave this here for your comments.
I know that many of you have heard about this turbulence and deceit going on, what is your comment, what should be done, how do all of us who are professional and ethical approach this, do we let it alone, do we blind our eyes of truth, do we turn our heads? What are your comments?
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