General Terms and Conditions of Business

These Terms and Conditions govern the provision of private investigation services by Did It In Heels Private Investigations, hereafter referred to as “the Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”.

The individual, company or organisation instructing us is referred to as “the Client”, “you” or “your”.

By signing our Client Agreement or otherwise expressly accepting a written quotation incorporating these Terms and Conditions, the Client agrees to be bound by them, subject to applicable law.

Each investigation will be subject to an agreed scope of work, quotation and any additional written instructions accepted by the Company.

Where there is a conflict between these Terms and Conditions and an individually negotiated written agreement, the individually agreed terms shall take precedence, except where prohibited by law.

All investigations will be undertaken using methods considered lawful, proportionate and appropriate to the circumstances.

The Company reserves the right to decline any instruction where there are reasonable concerns about legality, safety, privacy, harassment, misuse of information or the Client’s stated purpose.

The Company does not guarantee that an investigation will produce particular evidence, establish wrongdoing, locate an individual or achieve a specific outcome.

The Client agrees to provide accurate, complete and truthful information relevant to the investigation.

The Client confirms that their instructions are given for a lawful and legitimate purpose.

The Client must disclose any relevant court orders, restraining orders, protective injunctions, existing legal proceedings or other circumstances that may affect the investigation.

The Client must not knowingly provide false information or request that the Company undertake unlawful activities.

The Client agrees not to use information obtained through the investigation for harassment, stalking, intimidation, discrimination, threats or any unlawful purpose.

The Client must notify the Company promptly of any material changes to the circumstances of the investigation.

The Company may request identification, supporting documentation and clarification of the Client’s lawful purpose before accepting an instruction.

Investigations will be conducted with reasonable care, skill and professional diligence.

The Company will determine appropriate operational methods within the agreed scope of work, subject to applicable law and any reasonable contractual requirements.

Surveillance may be affected by weather, traffic, access restrictions, the movements of the subject, safety considerations and other circumstances beyond the Company’s control.

The Company may adjust operational arrangements where reasonably necessary for safety, legal compliance or effective service delivery.

Any material changes affecting agreed fees, investigation objectives or the scope of work will be discussed with the Client and require approval before additional chargeable work is undertaken.

The Company will not undertake unlawful interception, unauthorised access to accounts or devices, trespass, impersonation to obtain confidential records, or other prohibited investigative activities.

Fees will be confirmed in a written quotation or Client Agreement before chargeable work begins.

Services may be charged at an hourly rate, daily rate, fixed fee or other agreed pricing arrangement.

The Client will be informed whether VAT applies and whether quoted prices include or exclude VAT, in accordance with applicable law.

Expenses will be itemised where appropriate, and any material additional expenditure must be authorised by the Client.

Where an hourly rate applies, the minimum booking period and charging increments will be stated in the quotation.

No expenditure exceeding an agreed maximum budget will be incurred without the Client’s prior approval, except where separately agreed or required by law.

For fixed-fee investigations, the Company will ordinarily request a deposit of 50% of the agreed fee before commencing work, unless otherwise agreed.

For hourly investigations, the Company may require an advance payment or retainer based on the estimated work.

Advance payments will be credited against fees and expenses properly payable.

Unless otherwise agreed, the outstanding balance will be invoiced on completion of the agreed work and is payable within 7 calendar days of the invoice date.

Payment may be made by bank transfer or another payment method accepted by the Company.

If payment becomes overdue, the Company may provide a written reminder and, where reasonable and lawful, suspend further work after notifying the Client.

For qualifying business-to-business transactions, the Company may exercise applicable statutory rights concerning late payment interest and recovery costs.

Deposits and advance payments are not automatically non-refundable. Any refund or deduction will be assessed in accordance with the work performed, properly incurred costs, the agreed terms and the Client’s statutory rights.

The Client may request cancellation of an investigation by contacting the Company in writing.

Where the Client has a statutory cancellation right, that right will take precedence over any conflicting contractual provision.

Where applicable, consumers entering into distance or off-premises service contracts may have a 14-day cancellation period.

If a Client expressly requests that services begin during an applicable statutory cancellation period, the Company will obtain the necessary request and acknowledgements before commencing work.

Where the law permits, a Client cancelling after requesting early commencement may be required to pay a proportionate amount for services already supplied.

Outside any applicable statutory cancellation period, the Company may deduct reasonable charges for work completed and properly incurred or unavoidable costs, subject to consumer protection law.

Any remaining refundable balance will be returned within the period required by applicable law.

Where the Company cancels an investigation without Client fault, it will provide an appropriate refund for services not supplied, subject to the Client’s legal rights.

The Company recognises that private investigation matters are often sensitive and confidential.

Information supplied by the Client will be treated confidentially and accessed only by those who reasonably require it for authorised purposes.

The Company will not voluntarily disclose confidential Client information to unauthorised third parties.

Confidentiality does not prevent disclosures required by law, court order, lawful regulatory requirements, safeguarding obligations or other legally justified circumstances.

The Company may use suitably vetted subcontractors or specialist service providers where necessary, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection arrangements.

The Client agrees to handle investigation findings responsibly and confidentially.

The Company will process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Personal data will be collected and processed only where an appropriate lawful basis and any additional legal conditions required for the particular information and processing activity have been established.

The Company will assess the necessity, proportionality and lawfulness of investigative data processing where required.

Personal information will be stored using appropriate technical and organisational security measures.

Information will be retained only for as long as necessary for legitimate purposes and applicable legal obligations, in accordance with the Company’s retention policy.

Individuals may exercise applicable data protection rights, subject to lawful exemptions.

Further information about personal data processing is provided in the Company’s Privacy Notice.

Surveillance will only be undertaken where the Company has determined that the proposed activity is lawful and appropriately justified.

The Company does not guarantee uninterrupted observation of any individual, vehicle or location.

Photographs, videos, written observations and other evidence will be recorded and handled using reasonable procedures intended to preserve accuracy and integrity.

Investigation records will distinguish factual observations from assumptions, allegations and opinions.

The Company cannot guarantee that material obtained will be accepted as evidence by a court, tribunal, employer or other organisation.

The Client must not alter, misrepresent or selectively present investigation findings in a misleading or unlawful manner.

On completion of the agreed investigation, the Company will provide the reporting materials specified in the quotation or Client Agreement.

Reports may include written observations, timelines, photographs, supporting documentation and conclusions supported by available information.

Reports will be based on information reasonably available during the investigation.

The Company will not knowingly falsify, fabricate or misrepresent evidence.

Unless otherwise agreed, reports are prepared for the commissioning Client and the specified lawful purpose.

The Client must obtain appropriate advice before relying on an investigation report for legal proceedings, employment decisions or other significant decisions.

The Company will exercise reasonable care and skill but cannot guarantee particular investigation results.

An absence of observed activity or evidence does not necessarily establish that an alleged event did not occur.

Information obtained from third-party sources may be incomplete, inaccurate or subsequently changed.

The Company does not provide legal advice or legal representation unless separately authorised and appropriately qualified to do so.

The Client remains responsible for decisions made using investigation findings.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or restricts liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions affects the statutory rights of a consumer.

The Company will be responsible for losses arising from its breach of contract or failure to exercise reasonable care and skill to the extent required by applicable law.

The Company will not be responsible for losses caused solely by inaccurate information supplied by the Client, unlawful use of investigation findings by the Client or circumstances outside the Company’s reasonable control, except where the law provides otherwise.

Any additional limitations of liability must be reasonable, lawful and expressly agreed.

The Company reserves the right to suspend or discontinue an operational activity where continuing would create an unacceptable safety risk or involve unlawful conduct.

Investigators will not be required to place themselves or others in unreasonable danger.

The Company may contact emergency services or relevant authorities where reasonably necessary to protect life, prevent serious harm or comply with legal obligations.

Either party may terminate the agreement where permitted by these Terms and Conditions or applicable law.

Where appropriate, the Company will explain the reason for termination, subject to legal, confidentiality and safety restrictions.

Following termination, the Company will provide an appropriate account of work performed, payments received and any refund due.

Clients are encouraged to raise any concerns promptly.

Complaints should be submitted in writing by email to diditinheels@gmail.com.

The Company aims to acknowledge written complaints within 5 working days and provide a substantive response within 20 working days, or notify the Client if further investigation is required.

Both parties agree to make reasonable efforts to resolve disputes through discussion before commencing legal proceedings, without restricting any statutory rights or applicable limitation periods.

Copyright and intellectual property rights in original reports and materials created by the Company remain with the Company unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Once the Client has paid the applicable fees, the Client is granted a non-exclusive licence to use the delivered report for the lawful purpose agreed between the parties.

The Client may share the report with legal advisers, courts, insurers or other authorised recipients where lawful and reasonably necessary for that purpose.

The Client must not materially alter a report and represent the altered version as an unmodified report issued by the Company.

The Company may update its Terms and Conditions for future engagements.

Changes affecting an existing engagement will only apply where lawfully agreed by the parties or otherwise permitted by law.

The version accepted when the engagement begins will ordinarily govern that engagement.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Subject to mandatory consumer jurisdiction rules and other applicable law, disputes will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales.