“they should have deposited it and held it till cleared”
She didn’t have an account with them. So, they should have informed her she needed to open a checking account after which they would deposit the check and make funds available after it cleared or alternatively tell her to go to her bank.
I bet that’s exactly what they told her.
The way people think today - especially the perpetually offended ones - I imagine she IMMEDIATELY accused them of calling her a liar. She assumed that since they wanted to wait for it to clear, they were declaring it a bogus check, and her a crook.
People are so self-important now that any time you question anything they say, they go ballistic and assign all kinds of motives to you. Many of us saw it coming years ago, when disagreement was labeled “hate”. It doesn’t matter what you said or what you meant, only how they “felt”.
I would not be surprised if they simply quoted bank policy to her - “We will hold this until proof of funds is confirmed, and then we’ll deposit it into your account.”
Me? You? We understand that, but we’re not looking to be offended.
ON THE OTHER HAND - I’ve encountered some pretty stupid people behind the counters of many businesses before. Those people never realize how stupid they are, so they tend to assume that YOU are, and can be very rude about it... So, there’s that.