A family from Thatcher, Arizona, found themselves caught in a battle with a major bank after their 10-year-old daughter, Kinley Maner, sold chickens she had raised for thousands of dollars but couldn’t access the money.
Kinley, an ambitious preteen with a love for animals, had raised and shown chickens at the local county fair, where she auctioned six chickens for a total of $2,100. The buyer wrote Kinley a check for her hard-earned earnings, and her mom, Kalli, deposited it electronically at Chase Bank. However, the next day, they were shocked to learn that Kalli’s account had been closed, and the check was frozen, meaning Kinley didn’t get her money.
Kalli spent hours on the phone with the bank, only to be told that the check was suspicious because it was issued by the Small Stock Association (SSA), and the phone number associated with the SSA was out of service. Despite the fact that the check was legitimate and verified by the seller, the family continued to be told that unless the bank could verify it further, they wouldn’t release the funds.
Kinley, who had planned to use the $2,100 for her college fund, was understandably upset. “I was a little bit upset because I deserved that money, and it was supposed to be mine,” she said.
Her father, JR, expressed frustration, saying, “She’s a ten-year-old girl who worked hard for this money. And we think that she deserves to get the money that she rightfully earned.”
The family even went so far as to ask the SSA to help verify the check, and the man who issued it visited the bank multiple times to vouch for its authenticity. Yet, Chase insisted that verification could only be done through the unresponsive phone number.
The situation remained unresolved for over a year, with the family feeling helpless and frustrated. But just when they thought all hope was lost, they reached out to the investigative team at KHPO-TV. Within hours of the team contacting Chase for answers, the bank reached out to the Maners to apologize and immediately issued a $2,100 check to Kinley.
“I was surprised when I got it, but I also was excited,” Kinley said upon receiving her long-awaited money.
JR credited KHPO-TV’s involvement for the resolution, saying, “This wouldn’t have happened if KHPO-TV hadn’t looked into it.”
While the situation had a happy ending, it sheds light on the frustrations many customers face when dealing with large institutions, especially when trying to resolve issues involving legitimate transactions. It also highlights the importance of staying vigilant and ensuring that any bank-related problems are addressed directly and promptly.