Crime Scene Cleanup Referral Fees

Often is the case in the crime scene cleanup industry when a company receives a call for help from outside their service area.  In most situations the caller is a distressed and heart broken spouse or family member in need of the services we provide.  As true professionals, most of us would never dream of simply telling the caller, “sorry we don’t cover that area. You may want to look for a local company”.  Instead, we do everything in our power to help the caller, even if that means referring him or her to one of our competitors.  In our industry, dealing with people in need of help, it’s the right thing to do.

Within the crime scene cleanup industry, there exists an unwritten rule that stipulates a referral fee be paid for business received from other cleanup companies.  Most business owners throughout our industry understand and accept this as a friendly and courtesy gesture which goes a step beyond a simple ”thank-you”.  Some business owners go so far as to attach a copy of their invoice to the referral fee payment, just to prove that they are an honest and trustworthy company.   Others follow up with a phone call to confirm that they did in fact secure the job and that a referral fee would be forthcoming.  Most crime scene cleanup companies are great to work with, yet there are a few who kindly accept the jobs we refer but pay nothing in the way of a referral fee.  

For the past couple of years, Bio-Trauma 911, Inc. has found it necessary to call upon dependable and reputable companies throughout the nation to assist with the numerous calls for service they receive outside their service area.  The management staff of Bio-Trauma 911, Inc. has established several mutually beneficial relationships with other similar companies, which receive the bulk of their referrals.  It has lately come to light that a few of these companies have not been kind enough to send referral fees for jobs completed.  It could be argued that the work was never completed, thus no referral fee is due.  However, the staff of Bio-Trauma 911, Inc. routinely follows-up with clients to make sure their situations were resolved in a courteous and professional manner, so there’s no question as to who completed the work.  

Are other companies experiencing similar problems, such as those faced by Bio-Trauma 911, Inc.?  Should all of the companies who refuse to pay the industry accepted referral fee be placed on a “blacklist”?  Please provide your feedback below, as I’m sure many of us are curious as to how often referral fees are not being paid.