7 On Your Side helps Jersey City family with lost credit card payment
For some people, retiring isn't about the work you leave behind but finally having time to build the life you've dreamed about.
For a New Jersey couple, that dream is a quiet island escape. But when the renovation money for their home in Puerto Rico seemed to disappear, they called 7 On Your Side to track down those funds.
Michele Marino-Martinez and David Martinez have been saving for their entire careers to retire in paradise.
"I fell in love with the island. I said, 'this is where I want to be, I love it here,'" Marino-Martinez said.
The couple found a spot in Puerto Rico, setting aside money from every paycheck for every nail of their yellow bungalow. The couple received an extra blessing from Marino-Martinez's late mother, who raised her family on a single income after losing her husband when her daughter turned one.
"It was 100% a gift. And she really, she did not spend any money on herself," Marino-Martinez said.
Both still working for Jersey City, the couple's renovation hit a snag with a pricey purchase: new windows. Marino made the $3,000 charge on a store credit card.
"I bought it at Home Depot. And I came back home and paid the Home Depot card through the Capital One app," Marino-Martinez said.
As seen in her bank statement, the money for the window was debited from her account, but then to her surprise, Home Depot contacted her for payment.
"Nobody knew where it was. Home Depot didn't know where it was. Capital One didn't know where it was," Marino-Martinez said.
Capital One sent the payment to a Home Depot P.O. box in Carol Stream, Illinois, but she said it was supposed to go to Philadelphia instead.
"They sent the check to an address that, I don't know, I never even heard of," Marino-Martinez said.
And now the first-time new homeowners were out $3,000.
"But I've been calling every month for six months," Marino-Martinez said.
After trying to get the money back, Marino-Martinez finally took her husband's advice.
"That's what he said, call Nina because she gets everything done. And we did," the couple said.
7 On Your Side contacted Capital One and Home Depot and asked them to hammer this one out. And while the interview with the couple was taking place, her phone rang with the call she'd been waiting for.
"Why is it taking you guys to get it moving?" Marino-Martinez said.
In a statement to 7 On Your side, Capital One said, "We investigated the matter and determined it was caused by a vendor error. We have since made the customer whole and thank them for their patience while the vendor continues their internal investigation. As always, we encourage our customers to reach out to us if they have issues or concerns with their accounts."
While standing outside her home, Marino-Martinez recalled looking at her phone, checking her bank account.
"I said, 'why do I have so much money in my account?' And then I said, 'wait a minute' and I scrolled up and, there it was this morning, $3,000," she said.
Now they can get back to becoming permanent Puerto Rican retirees and finally finish that dream home.
"You are a blessing, I'm telling you, a blessing. Thank you so, so much," Marino-Martinez said.
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