Is this a good idea and do you think it will work? Worth the $1,200? My only hesitation at this point is asking the friend and they go through the hassle but then it goes sideways and still do not gain access to my account.
No one knows if it will work unless you will try.
Do everything to convince a friend and I'm sure they will listen to you if you just explain everything to them. The risk is, even submitting KYC we don't really know if that site you are referring to will clear things up. Up to you if you will move on and forget that $1,200 or aggressively do everything to get access to your account.
Since the creation of this thread, do you submit now? Please update us here.