- Report: #105210
Complaint Review: Mate Check - Sandra Hope - Private Investigator - Scottsdale Arizona
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Mate Check - Sandra Hope - Private Investigator
www.matecheckpi.com Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.
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480-391-1010
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Mate Check - Sandra Hope - Private Investigator Stole $500 Retainer Fee from United States Air Force Airman Seeking Help Scottsdale Arizona
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
I was in the process of seperating from the military and was moving with my girlfriend from Hawaii to Washington, DC to start a life as a civilian in the government.
I was spending a lot of my money helping my girlfriend get back to Phoenix, Arizona so we could stay with her parents for a few weeks while I tied up some loose ends with my job hunt in DC. I sold my own jeep to pay for her car to be shipped and to pay for her plane ticket back to Arizona.
Once in Arizona, my girlfriend gave me lots of reasons to doubt whether I should keep paying her way out to DC with me. I was a stranger in her home town and she wanted to leave me at her parents while she went out with friends all night long. So, I looked into hiring a PI to follow her to see if she was actually being trustworthy.
I found Mate Check and decided to give them a try. I had never done this before so I was a little leary to begin with. I e-mailed them from their website and set up a time to meet them near where I was staying. Sandra and a man who I could tell was likely her husband met me. I gave them my trust and spilled my guts with all the doubt and stress I was having with the move and with my girlfriend.
My girlfriend hadn't set a date for her night out and I told them I'd give them advanced notice as soon as I knew. They asked for a $500 retainer fee to cover whatever work they did when the time came. They said that when I told them to follow her that my money would cover the investigation and a WRITTEN REPORT and VIDEO SURVIELLANCE TAPE. The man kept pressing me to get a cell phone call history done and said it would cost exactly $500 to do this. This, on top of the pricey clothes they wore, made me feel nervous about giving them any money. They seemed really into their status. I declined and was hopefully planning on not having to use my entire $500 based on their hourly rates... I figured at least half of it would be enough. I however didn't think of actually getting their address or anything like that. I just had e-mail correspondance and their phone number... that's it.
I kept in e-mail correspondance to let them know anything I found out about the exact day my girlfriend was supposed to go out. Sandra wrote me and asked for an update a few days later. I e-mailed back that I think it could be during the weekend following, but it was sketchy. I wrote specifically that I'd call if my girlfriend was going out, but otherwise don't do anything. Before the weekend even happened, we had broken up and I left the same day to stay with some family in Missouri.
I called Mate Check the Monday following and the man answered. I told him that my girlfriend and I had broken up and that I was in Missouri. I gave him my address and asked to send the retainer fee to me. He said how sorry he was to hear the news, and that he'd send me the refund.........
Instead -- A week goes by with no calls, no e-mails, and no check. I call again to follow up and there is no answer. I leave a message stating my name and business of getting the retainer fee back.
I call again and then Sandra answers. I explained the same thing I had to her significant other/associate and she said that they kept the $500 for fees incurred. I asked for what!? They didn't do anything! They specifically said that no money would be charged unless they did the surveillance and a report package would be given to me. She claimed that since I NEVER got back to them to confirm if my girlfriend would be out that weekend, that her and the her associate were technically "ON CALL" all weekend, and subsequently charged me the $500 retainer fee for that status.
I never got a statement in writing or anything concerning the money they stole from me. I continued to call and to write them e-mails and they were very nasty and just kept saying they were "on call" and that was justification to keep my hard earned $500. I told them they were not only stealing, but stealing from a United States Airman who has served his country defending people like themselves... Sandra replied that she didn't care and that the fee was justified, yet again.
Anyone out there knows that an E-4 doesn't make much money. And they know that seperating and joining civilian life is a very expensive transition. I opened my personal life up to these people in hopes to have a little piece of mind in the transition I was making from Hawaii to DC. The two people at Mate Check simply preyed on that and stole $500 dollars from me. And I highly doubt that I am the first! These people don't finance those types of clothes and drive BMW's by playing the game fair.
Take it from someone who is a very strong and reliable source--- DO NOT trust these people! They are THEIVES... and in my estimation, very ANTI-AMERICAN the way they stole from a military service member.
You can trust my reliability on this matter because the United States Government trusts me. I am one of the many intelligence analysts working to keep America safe from harms way. I am a contractor working for the prestigious DIA.
Thank you and better luck to YOUR Private Investigator search!
Chase
Washington, District of Columbia
U.S.A.
I was spending a lot of my money helping my girlfriend get back to Phoenix, Arizona so we could stay with her parents for a few weeks while I tied up some loose ends with my job hunt in DC. I sold my own jeep to pay for her car to be shipped and to pay for her plane ticket back to Arizona.
Once in Arizona, my girlfriend gave me lots of reasons to doubt whether I should keep paying her way out to DC with me. I was a stranger in her home town and she wanted to leave me at her parents while she went out with friends all night long. So, I looked into hiring a PI to follow her to see if she was actually being trustworthy.
I found Mate Check and decided to give them a try. I had never done this before so I was a little leary to begin with. I e-mailed them from their website and set up a time to meet them near where I was staying. Sandra and a man who I could tell was likely her husband met me. I gave them my trust and spilled my guts with all the doubt and stress I was having with the move and with my girlfriend.
My girlfriend hadn't set a date for her night out and I told them I'd give them advanced notice as soon as I knew. They asked for a $500 retainer fee to cover whatever work they did when the time came. They said that when I told them to follow her that my money would cover the investigation and a WRITTEN REPORT and VIDEO SURVIELLANCE TAPE. The man kept pressing me to get a cell phone call history done and said it would cost exactly $500 to do this. This, on top of the pricey clothes they wore, made me feel nervous about giving them any money. They seemed really into their status. I declined and was hopefully planning on not having to use my entire $500 based on their hourly rates... I figured at least half of it would be enough. I however didn't think of actually getting their address or anything like that. I just had e-mail correspondance and their phone number... that's it.
I kept in e-mail correspondance to let them know anything I found out about the exact day my girlfriend was supposed to go out. Sandra wrote me and asked for an update a few days later. I e-mailed back that I think it could be during the weekend following, but it was sketchy. I wrote specifically that I'd call if my girlfriend was going out, but otherwise don't do anything. Before the weekend even happened, we had broken up and I left the same day to stay with some family in Missouri.
I called Mate Check the Monday following and the man answered. I told him that my girlfriend and I had broken up and that I was in Missouri. I gave him my address and asked to send the retainer fee to me. He said how sorry he was to hear the news, and that he'd send me the refund.........
Instead -- A week goes by with no calls, no e-mails, and no check. I call again to follow up and there is no answer. I leave a message stating my name and business of getting the retainer fee back.
I call again and then Sandra answers. I explained the same thing I had to her significant other/associate and she said that they kept the $500 for fees incurred. I asked for what!? They didn't do anything! They specifically said that no money would be charged unless they did the surveillance and a report package would be given to me. She claimed that since I NEVER got back to them to confirm if my girlfriend would be out that weekend, that her and the her associate were technically "ON CALL" all weekend, and subsequently charged me the $500 retainer fee for that status.
I never got a statement in writing or anything concerning the money they stole from me. I continued to call and to write them e-mails and they were very nasty and just kept saying they were "on call" and that was justification to keep my hard earned $500. I told them they were not only stealing, but stealing from a United States Airman who has served his country defending people like themselves... Sandra replied that she didn't care and that the fee was justified, yet again.
Anyone out there knows that an E-4 doesn't make much money. And they know that seperating and joining civilian life is a very expensive transition. I opened my personal life up to these people in hopes to have a little piece of mind in the transition I was making from Hawaii to DC. The two people at Mate Check simply preyed on that and stole $500 dollars from me. And I highly doubt that I am the first! These people don't finance those types of clothes and drive BMW's by playing the game fair.
Take it from someone who is a very strong and reliable source--- DO NOT trust these people! They are THEIVES... and in my estimation, very ANTI-AMERICAN the way they stole from a military service member.
You can trust my reliability on this matter because the United States Government trusts me. I am one of the many intelligence analysts working to keep America safe from harms way. I am a contractor working for the prestigious DIA.
Thank you and better luck to YOUR Private Investigator search!
Chase
Washington, District of Columbia
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Sandra
Fountain Hills,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, September 02, 2004
I feel really bad for the young man and how his relationship ended, but that is not my fault. I have been in business since 1994 and I have never had someone go off like this before. I can not discuss any of the details of the case directly because I still owe this client complete confidentiality, but I can tell you where things went wrong for this client. I devoted three hours to this young man in drive time and consult just to meet with him free of charge. After going over his situation I offered all services availiable that would best suit his needs. He choose video surveilance which is $47.00 per hour which includes all of the milage that I drive and a video of all activity. The young man hired me to see what his girlfriend was doing when she was not with him. After he hired me he told me that he wanted me to follow the young lady that entire weekend. I could not book any other business since I was on call for this young man. He called me numerous times telling me to wait and stand by because he was not sure if she was going to leave. I told him that I might as well go out to the subjects house and wait since I have to charge him for the time either way. I don't mind waiting but I have to charge for my time in doing so. I waited around all weekend on call and was back and fourth with this young man on the phone having lengthy conversations about his relationship. All I could do is offer insite as to my years of experience to this young man. He gave many apologies for going on and on and having me wait around for nothing. I have to schedual all of my clients that is how I run my business, I lost out on much more business than the $500.00 that the young man paid me. If I did not charge for my time I would be out of business. After the weekend was over the young man notified me that he had broken up with his girlfriend and wanted a refund. I then told him he was responsible for the time I spent waiting around for him to have me come out. He was not happy with that, and I'm sorry for that but that is what happens. I do hope that this young man understands what slander and defamation of character law suits can be based on. A person can not publish any untrue statement about another or they may bring rise to a lawsuit against them. This man had originally told me that he had the free legal assitance of military attorney's to aid him, I only whish that he had used the remedy of the law to address his concerns before he acted as he had. If the court of law found my company liable I would have refunded the money. I am going to allow this young man an opportunity to retract his statements before action is taken. I also am not happy with this web site posting slanderous defaming statements without conducting any investigation into the truth of the matter at hand. I don't know any reputable business that allows slanderous allegations to be posted without checking into the matter. If you go to my website you will see that I have been featured on every local news channel and the front page of the Arizona Republic. I have helped hundreds and hundreds of people over the years, but you can not please everyone. I would not have a licence to be in business since 1994 if I was unfair with my clients. I have to be licenced with the Department of Public and Safety and bonded. I have never had a problem with anyone else. I am sorry for this distraction and I would be more than happy to discuss with you how to avoide the same type of pitfall this client encountered. Thank You for listening.
Sandra
Fountain Hills,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, September 02, 2004
I feel really bad for the young man and how his relationship ended, but that is not my fault. I have been in business since 1994 and I have never had someone go off like this before. I can not discuss any of the details of the case directly because I still owe this client complete confidentiality, but I can tell you where things went wrong for this client. I devoted three hours to this young man in drive time and consult just to meet with him free of charge. After going over his situation I offered all services availiable that would best suit his needs. He choose video surveilance which is $47.00 per hour which includes all of the milage that I drive and a video of all activity. The young man hired me to see what his girlfriend was doing when she was not with him. After he hired me he told me that he wanted me to follow the young lady that entire weekend. I could not book any other business since I was on call for this young man. He called me numerous times telling me to wait and stand by because he was not sure if she was going to leave. I told him that I might as well go out to the subjects house and wait since I have to charge him for the time either way. I don't mind waiting but I have to charge for my time in doing so. I waited around all weekend on call and was back and fourth with this young man on the phone having lengthy conversations about his relationship. All I could do is offer insite as to my years of experience to this young man. He gave many apologies for going on and on and having me wait around for nothing. I have to schedual all of my clients that is how I run my business, I lost out on much more business than the $500.00 that the young man paid me. If I did not charge for my time I would be out of business. After the weekend was over the young man notified me that he had broken up with his girlfriend and wanted a refund. I then told him he was responsible for the time I spent waiting around for him to have me come out. He was not happy with that, and I'm sorry for that but that is what happens. I do hope that this young man understands what slander and defamation of character law suits can be based on. A person can not publish any untrue statement about another or they may bring rise to a lawsuit against them. This man had originally told me that he had the free legal assitance of military attorney's to aid him, I only whish that he had used the remedy of the law to address his concerns before he acted as he had. If the court of law found my company liable I would have refunded the money. I am going to allow this young man an opportunity to retract his statements before action is taken. I also am not happy with this web site posting slanderous defaming statements without conducting any investigation into the truth of the matter at hand. I don't know any reputable business that allows slanderous allegations to be posted without checking into the matter. If you go to my website you will see that I have been featured on every local news channel and the front page of the Arizona Republic. I have helped hundreds and hundreds of people over the years, but you can not please everyone. I would not have a licence to be in business since 1994 if I was unfair with my clients. I have to be licenced with the Department of Public and Safety and bonded. I have never had a problem with anyone else. I am sorry for this distraction and I would be more than happy to discuss with you how to avoide the same type of pitfall this client encountered. Thank You for listening.
Sandra
Fountain Hills,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, September 02, 2004
I feel really bad for the young man and how his relationship ended, but that is not my fault. I have been in business since 1994 and I have never had someone go off like this before. I can not discuss any of the details of the case directly because I still owe this client complete confidentiality, but I can tell you where things went wrong for this client. I devoted three hours to this young man in drive time and consult just to meet with him free of charge. After going over his situation I offered all services availiable that would best suit his needs. He choose video surveilance which is $47.00 per hour which includes all of the milage that I drive and a video of all activity. The young man hired me to see what his girlfriend was doing when she was not with him. After he hired me he told me that he wanted me to follow the young lady that entire weekend. I could not book any other business since I was on call for this young man. He called me numerous times telling me to wait and stand by because he was not sure if she was going to leave. I told him that I might as well go out to the subjects house and wait since I have to charge him for the time either way. I don't mind waiting but I have to charge for my time in doing so. I waited around all weekend on call and was back and fourth with this young man on the phone having lengthy conversations about his relationship. All I could do is offer insite as to my years of experience to this young man. He gave many apologies for going on and on and having me wait around for nothing. I have to schedual all of my clients that is how I run my business, I lost out on much more business than the $500.00 that the young man paid me. If I did not charge for my time I would be out of business. After the weekend was over the young man notified me that he had broken up with his girlfriend and wanted a refund. I then told him he was responsible for the time I spent waiting around for him to have me come out. He was not happy with that, and I'm sorry for that but that is what happens. I do hope that this young man understands what slander and defamation of character law suits can be based on. A person can not publish any untrue statement about another or they may bring rise to a lawsuit against them. This man had originally told me that he had the free legal assitance of military attorney's to aid him, I only whish that he had used the remedy of the law to address his concerns before he acted as he had. If the court of law found my company liable I would have refunded the money. I am going to allow this young man an opportunity to retract his statements before action is taken. I also am not happy with this web site posting slanderous defaming statements without conducting any investigation into the truth of the matter at hand. I don't know any reputable business that allows slanderous allegations to be posted without checking into the matter. If you go to my website you will see that I have been featured on every local news channel and the front page of the Arizona Republic. I have helped hundreds and hundreds of people over the years, but you can not please everyone. I would not have a licence to be in business since 1994 if I was unfair with my clients. I have to be licenced with the Department of Public and Safety and bonded. I have never had a problem with anyone else. I am sorry for this distraction and I would be more than happy to discuss with you how to avoide the same type of pitfall this client encountered. Thank You for listening.
Sandra
Fountain Hills,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Mate Check's distraught client misunderstood the terms of our agreement
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, September 02, 2004
I feel really bad for the young man and how his relationship ended, but that is not my fault. I have been in business since 1994 and I have never had someone go off like this before. I can not discuss any of the details of the case directly because I still owe this client complete confidentiality, but I can tell you where things went wrong for this client. I devoted three hours to this young man in drive time and consult just to meet with him free of charge. After going over his situation I offered all services availiable that would best suit his needs. He choose video surveilance which is $47.00 per hour which includes all of the milage that I drive and a video of all activity. The young man hired me to see what his girlfriend was doing when she was not with him. After he hired me he told me that he wanted me to follow the young lady that entire weekend. I could not book any other business since I was on call for this young man. He called me numerous times telling me to wait and stand by because he was not sure if she was going to leave. I told him that I might as well go out to the subjects house and wait since I have to charge him for the time either way. I don't mind waiting but I have to charge for my time in doing so. I waited around all weekend on call and was back and fourth with this young man on the phone having lengthy conversations about his relationship. All I could do is offer insite as to my years of experience to this young man. He gave many apologies for going on and on and having me wait around for nothing. I have to schedual all of my clients that is how I run my business, I lost out on much more business than the $500.00 that the young man paid me. If I did not charge for my time I would be out of business. After the weekend was over the young man notified me that he had broken up with his girlfriend and wanted a refund. I then told him he was responsible for the time I spent waiting around for him to have me come out. He was not happy with that, and I'm sorry for that but that is what happens. I do hope that this young man understands what slander and defamation of character law suits can be based on. A person can not publish any untrue statement about another or they may bring rise to a lawsuit against them. This man had originally told me that he had the free legal assitance of military attorney's to aid him, I only whish that he had used the remedy of the law to address his concerns before he acted as he had. If the court of law found my company liable I would have refunded the money. I am going to allow this young man an opportunity to retract his statements before action is taken. I also am not happy with this web site posting slanderous defaming statements without conducting any investigation into the truth of the matter at hand. I don't know any reputable business that allows slanderous allegations to be posted without checking into the matter. If you go to my website you will see that I have been featured on every local news channel and the front page of the Arizona Republic. I have helped hundreds and hundreds of people over the years, but you can not please everyone. I would not have a licence to be in business since 1994 if I was unfair with my clients. I have to be licenced with the Department of Public and Safety and bonded. I have never had a problem with anyone else. I am sorry for this distraction and I would be more than happy to discuss with you how to avoide the same type of pitfall this client encountered. Thank You for listening.
