10-Year-Old Makes More Than $2K Selling Chickens, but the Bank Keeps Her Money for Over a Year
“I was a little bit upset because I deserved that money, and it was supposed to be mine,” Kinley Maner said
A 10-year-old girl earned $2k selling chickens, but then a local bank allegedly wouldn't allow her family to access the money due to an error on the check.
Kinley Maner, of Thatcher, Ariz., enjoys raising chickens and last year, she sold six of them at the local county fair for $2,100.
However, when her parents electronically deposited the check, which was issued by the Small Stock Association, the account was suddenly closed, according to local CBS affiliate KPHO.
“So we cashed it,” J.R. Maner, Kinley’s father, told the outlet. “Didn’t think it would be a big deal. And the next day, Chase closed Kalli’s [his wife] bank account.”
His daughter's check was frozen in the process.
“I was a little bit upset because I deserved that money, and it was supposed to be mine,” Kinley told the outlet.
Related: Chase 'Bank Glitch' Videos Go Viral as Company Warns It's 'Fraud, Plain and Simple'
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After spending hours on the phone with Chase to find answers, Kinley’s mother Kalli Maner claims the bank said that the check they deposited was labeled suspicious after Chase officials searched the phone number for the Small Stock Association and alleged the number was no longer in service, per KPHO.
One year later, and Kinley still had not received her money for the sale of the chickens, despite multiple attempts by her parents to resolve the issue and prove that the Small Stock Association is indeed a valid business.
“Their ultimate response is that, sorry, Kinley is not going to get her money back,” her father told KPHO. “And there’s nothing we can do unless we can verify that check."
He added, "She’s a 10-year-old girl who worked hard for this money. And we think that she deserves to get the money that she rightfully earned."
Related: Chase Customers, Including 'Masked Man,' Accused of Using Viral 'Money Glitch' to Steal $660K: Suits
Kalli claimed the man who wrote the check has gone into the bank "three different times, saying ‘Hey, this is me. You can verify it in person.’ And they said the only way to verify it is through that number on the phone.”
After Kinley’s family reached out to On Your Side, KPHO stepped in and shared Kinley’s plight, and a few hours later the family says Chase Bank apologized and agreed to restore Kinley’s funds via overnight check.
“I was surprised when I got it, but I also was excited,” Kinley said, adding that most of the money will go into her college fund.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Chase spokesperson Drew Pusateri, confirms that Kinley's money has been returned.
“The funds have been returned and we apologize to Kinley and her family for the delay,” Pusateri says.
