I would report it immediately.

Report it to the bank manager? The 1800 #?

While she didn't follow protocol, I doubt very much she looked in the box. Now if she was gone for 15 min or something, yeah. But if just a minute, I'd doubt she had time to do anything else. I do believe there are cameras, though it would depend upon the bank. Was anything missing? I'd mention it to her the next time and not hand over my key. IIRC, when I had a safe box, I would hand over the key, but I'd be standing in the doorway of the vault where I observed her using her key and mine to open it and she handed me the inner box unopened.

Whenever I go to the safe box ( maybe 2 or 3 times a year) they ALWAYS have me come with them. Our latest box is the lowest down one, and they have to get on the floor to put both keys in- but they have me come in.

A few times I've just wanted to put something back ( like passports) and I've asked if I can just toss it in rather than go the little room and go through the whole thing again. They always say they just cant do that.

I'd definitely report it to the bank. I really don't think anything was looked at but it's VERY poor process and should not be tolerated.

She probably needs training. Just report it to the branch.

Just back from the bank. I politely reported it to the branch manager who was very upset and shocked. She said that she was going to roll back the film and if the person did nothing wrong while alone with my box, she would use this as a training opportunity. If something that compromised my privacy happened, it would be addressed. I kinda felt like a heel afterwards--I never want to get someone in trouble. I was really uncomfortable about the whole thing though.

" I kinda felt like a heel afterwards--I never want to get someone in trouble. "

Don't feel badly, because that employee broke protocol, and those rules and routines are there for a reason. It may not be an issue now, but if she continues to make that mistake it might be a problem in the future. Even if she does nothing else wrong (no snooping, no stealing) it could put her and the bank in a bit of hot water if someone less honest than you were to falsely claim that something had gone missing from their box.

I think you gave the exact right amount of attention to it. Saying nothing would have been wrong. Blowing up to corporate probably would not be the right thing to do. And I don't think it's something she intended to do wrong, probably. Most all of us have had to learn a job at some point, and we didn't get everything right. I'd rather somebody gently bring it to my manager's attention (and as a manager, I'd rather somebody gently bring it to my attention), so that I was doing everything 100% correct. Don't feel like a heel, you were kind about it.

Going forward, get a fireproof lock box to keep at home. We did that several years ago when our bank merged with another. The safe deposit boxes were in another location making it difficult to get to. They also raised the rental price.

I wonder how truly fireproof a home "fireproof loxkbox" would be in actuality. If the items being stored are combustible, I can't imagine any above-ground container would be very safe unless encased in a fair amount of concrete.

I would think other alternatives are obviously safer choices. Many lock box providers can be found for just a few bucks a month, and sometimes free in the case of accounts maintaining minimum balances. I have one at a bank I used to use primarily but no longer do. I have a $75 balance and my box is $8 per year.

Hi Everyone. Elmer--there is nothing in my box that is pentagon top secret--it is just more the idea of privacy. And you are right--I should have not given the key but in the moment, I just didn't react and that will not happen again.

Good job, Annie. You’re ok.

I want to chime in on the home carry-able fireproof safes - we have several that were my dad’s that have some heavy items in them. We acquired them when my dad passed away, and my brother insisted on keeping the keys. An exercise in futility, we found out. When moving we accidentally dropped one and it popped open, spewing its contents everywhere. Not to mention its greatest drawback in that it can be picked up AND CARRIED AWAY. Duh.

" I wonder how truly fireproof a home "fireproof loxkbox" would be in actuality. If the items being stored are combustible "

Fireproof lock boxes aren't for storing combustible items, they're to protect item in case of a house fire. Most won't last long, but hopefully long enough before the fire in that area is extinguished.

" Not to mention its greatest drawback in that it can be picked up AND CARRIED AWAY. Duh"

I have a small fire- and water-proof lockbox in my home that I bought knowing it could be picked up and carried away (after all, picking it up was how I got it into my home in the first place). It wasn't to protect things from theft, but to protect things from fire or (mostly) flood.

annie, no worries. I questioned the privacy comment because privacy is one of those nebulous words, like freedom, that I think people misunderstand, overuse and misuse. No one always gets it right the first time around, not even those who frequently insult others to retaliate against folks who point out their comments that are incorrect or suggest a misunderstanding of the subject matter.

"Fireproof lock boxes aren't for storing combustible items, they're to protect item in case of a house fire"

Then why described and marketed as being fireproof? Much of what people think they have needing safekeeping is most certainly flammable.

My dad had his uncle’s jewelers safe in the basement. No way it was going to be carried off. We left it with the house. oh, and the combination! We did take the fireproof file safe, which took several people and some equipment to inch it up the stairs and a guy with a trailer and a strong dolly to get it to our house, It’s like moving a piano. Nothing flammable in it!

Many valuable items can be damaged by fire.

And chiming in that you did the right thing. It's a matter of legal liability for the bank, as suggested above. A bank employee should not be lax when it comes to security protocols.

It's not just what is inside your box. If you are like me the safe deposit key is on the ring with my house and car keys. No one but Husband & I touch that key ring. ( the rare valet or auto mechanic gets just the ignition key.)

"the safe deposit key is on the ring with my house and car keys"

Why?

I was looking at fireproof boxes. In fine print they state how long they last in a fire. For example, it would say, 'fireproof for 10 minutes.'

That was the majority of the boxes. None were over 10 minutes, some said 4 minutes!

Check the info carefully when shopping for one.

That 👆 brings to mind another comment. My sister in law swears by keeping valuables, including cash, in her deep freeze. She says it’s fireproof, but I have no idea. She’s never had a home fire, so there’s that.

I agree that you did the right thing. The worker should understand the protocol. Or, maybe the person training didn't explain the steps.

" My sister in law swears by keeping valuables, including cash, in her deep freeze "

Haha, this triggers a memory for me. One of my high school jobs was working at a Baskin Robbins 31 flavors. It was a cash business, before the proliferation of credit card usage. At closing, those working would balance the register (cash in till versus what the register had recorded) and the paper money would be dropped into a floor safe that we peons couldn't open.

The store did maintain a supply of change though - bundles of $1, $5 and $10 bills, plus rolls of change. A used but washed cardboard tub with a lid (that the ice cream came in) was the storage container. It had a reserved space on the top shelf of one of the storage freezers in the back.

It would amuse me that at times when making change for a customer purchase I needed to replenish some item in the register drawer, a walk to the back and opening the freezer for what was needed would produce very cold items of money then handed to the customer.

The boss had several stores and all followed the same procedure. He was gone more often than not, they mostly ran themselves with reliable high school employees. Anyway, one day when he was there, I asked him if he realized that the storage spot for money kept for change was very obvious to customers. He asked why and I said that there was no mystery where money was stored when customers were given very cold cash pieces for change. He blushed and said he hadn't thought of it in that way.

The next week, a small floor safe (with a combination lock and combination given to employees) was installed.

That's my fond memory of working with cold cash, as the expression goes but in reality too.

Elmer -- Thanks for the cold cash story.

Annegriet -- You did exactly the right thing.

salonva -- I don't see why you aren't allowed to add anything to your box without all the rigamarole of taking it to a private room. What's the rationale behind that rule? I have frequently added something with the vault assistant standing right there.

Does anyone else ever wonder what on earth is IN all those boxes? I know ours contains legal papers we probably don't need anymore.

Chisue- while I do find it a pain sometimes ( if pressed for time) I think the rationale is that the box is only opened by the customer in the private room. When I receive the box or even when I'm ready to put it back,it'is always closed shut. When the bank employee is handling it,nothing is open.

That's been my experience as well. It's protecting employees as well as customers, I imagine, because that way, they cannot be accused of spying on customers, or stealing.

I would report it immediately. From personal experience I have found not all bank employees are as honest as they seem.

I had a safety deposit box at a local bank branch that closed unexpectedly while I was out of town. The bank gave a very short window for owners of safety deposit boxes to claim the contents. The bank then hired a private company to drill open the remaining boxes. My box was on of those. There was one item in the box a fairly valuable antique document. When I returned from vacation and went to the alternate bank location to claim the document, I was told the box was empty. I immediately asked to speak to a manager who also said the box was empty, at which point I said I would be contacting the police. The manager asked if I would give her the rest of the day to investigate to which I reluctantly agreed. Low and behold a few hours later I received a call that the document had been located. The manager claimed they went back to the closed location and found the document jammed in the mechanism for the box. Yet when I received the document it was pristine not a wrinkle in it!

I filed a complaint with the state banking commission but nothing ever came of it.