Bail Bonds Nation

Much effort has been put into research and to get the information you’re about to read. You will learn a fast way to find a reputable bail bondsman in your area and also learn how to “check” whether a particular agent of a company you want to use is licensed.

Never believe online reviews for bail bond companies. When choosing one, don’t look at online reviews as a reliable indication of performance or reputation. First, make sure the company you prefer still has an active license. More on that to follow.

A Quick Way to Find a Reputable Bail Bondsman In Your State

The Better Business Bureau is your shortcut to finding reputable companies in almost every industry. As you can see from their Wikipedia page, The Better Business Bureau was founded in 1912 and help to weed out the good companies from bad companies. In the bail bonds industry, The Bureau helps to weed out the licensed from non-licensed entities and the ones who will resolve your issues without a problem.

To expedite your search, go to the BBB search page. Eenter “bail bonds” in the “Search for:” field and the city/state where you’re looking to find a bail bondsman in the “In:” field. Check “BBB Accredited” before clicking search. The BBB only checks license status and other satisfaction-related complaints of its accredited companies on a regular basis. In the example below, I’ve used Albuquerque, NM:

As you can see, I now have 4 bail bond companies for this particular city. The drawback of this method is that not many good bail businesses are accredited since it requires them to pay small membership fee of $33+ per month, depending on the size of the company. Of course, you would prefer to work with a serious provider.

Is The Bail Bonds Company Licensed?

In case you haven’t found any accredited company for your location, you need to do due diligence and check whether the bail bond company is licensed. Below, you have quick links to resources where you can enter a company’s name or a license number and check the status of the license:

Arizona – http://az.gov/app/doilookup/ProfessionalSearch (enter the company’s name under “Search by a Licensed Business Entity’s Name) to search by name or enter their license number in the third field.

Arkansas – http://insurance.arkansas.gov/is/companysearch/CoSearch.asp (be aware that the online search functionality is poor for this state, so I recommend that you call the numbers listed on that page and determine whether the company is licensed.)

Expect more states soon. In the meantime, just type “license search YourStateGoesHere” on Google and look for sites ending with .gov.

Ask For a License Number

I’ve noticed that some of the most reputable bail bond companies include their license number on their website. The license number provides an easy way to check the company’s license expiration, their past practices and other information. If the business or agent you want to deal with doesn’t have the number listed on their page, call him and ask the status of the license. You can also ask the bail bondsman to provide verification that he’s an active business and can point you to a government website which will allow you to verify his status.

Tips for Avoiding Scams

1. Be careful if a bail agent charges you below 10% of the total bail required

Cheap bail usually comes with a lot of fine points. Nearly all reputable companies charge you the bail percentage as required by the state’s Department of Insurance. That rate is usually between 10-15%.

Quick tip: To check the current rate of a particular state, it’s a good idea to call 5-6 bail agents and ask. Most likely, the correct answer will be the answer you get most often. If 4 agents say 10% and 1 agent says 5%, be wary of the 5th agent. Alternatively, call the Department of Insurance for that state and they could accurately tell you the status. Speed is a disadvantage here. You probably know how long it took you to obtain some information from government the last time you needed it..

2. It’s illegal for bail agents to cold call you

That doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad, but think about it: If they did 1 illegal thing before the bail process, what makes you think they won’t act irresponsibly while you are their client? It’s better to hire a bondsman who conforms with industry standards.

3. Ask specific questions

The purpose here is to determine whether the bail agent knows what he’s talking about. Some ideas are:

• How long exactly is it going to take to get my friend/relative out of jail?

• Can you point me to a government site that explains this better?

• Where can I call/what sitecan I visit to check the status of y0ur license?

Do not be afraid to be blunt. After all, you are giving the bondsman money and he should answer all the questions you have.