CHICAGO (CBS) -- They are often the place to store your most important documents and any family heirlooms; the safe deposit box at your local bank. But a South Holland woman reached out to CBS 2 after a trip to the vault left her feeling forgotten.
Because she was. Not once, but twice.
The Fifth Third Bank branch in South Holland is the site of a story you can file under "what are the odds," and it's told by Fe Abayon Ford.
"I've been banking with them since 1987, '86, when we first moved in here," Ford said.
She has a safe deposit box in its basement. In September 2021, Ford was there to check on her things. She said an employee escorted her down to the vault and told her she'd be back shortly to lock the box back up.
"I was already finished, you know, within 15 minutes; and I waited, waited – nobody came - waited," she said.
More than an hour later, Ford was looking for options. She saw a phone in the room that was supposed to dial upstairs, but no one answered. She didn't have her cell phone on her.
"I was really panicking, because I don't know whether the people would close the bank, and forget about me downstairs, and I would be there for the night," she said.
She was afraid to leave her valuable box behind, and it was too heavy to carry upstairs. So she waited and waited and waited. Eventually, fearing the bank would close, she left the vault, abandoning her precious possessions.
"He looked at me, and he said, 'Oh my god. The lady went to lunch and forgot about you,'" Ford said.
Ford was shaken, and later filed a complaint.
CBS 2 exchanged emails about the incident with a Fifth Third Bank spokesperson, who apologized, blaming it on "human error."
"The customer stated to our personal banker that she would need 45 minutes to complete her business. The personal banker left for her scheduled lunch, and forgot to inform another team member. The customer stated that she tried the phone several times and no one answered. We are not sure why, as the phone is always answered. That is why we will have the phone checked now, and will continue to check it weekly," the spokesperson wrote.
Ford kept banking at Fifth Third, and didn't have a problem again until this September.
"I said, 'Oh my God, here I go again,'" Ford said.
She was back at her box, and said an employee told her they'd be back in 15 minutes, but 45 minutes passed with no sign of anyone.
"I saw the phone again, in that desk. I dialed the same phone, you know, all the numbers listed that's supposed to connect upstairs, or somebody. Nobody picked up the phone," she said.
This time she had her cell, but when she called the branch's line, she says no one answered. She finally got through to the bank's national customer service line, asking that they contact the South Holland bank to tell them she was downstairs.
Ford said she no longer has any faith that things will change, and this won't happen again to her or anyone else.
"Somebody did not take this seriously," Ford said.
She wrote a letter to the regional manager of Fifth Third Bank, outlining both incidents, and begging the bank to take "the safety and well-being of customers" into account.
CBS 2 also reached out, again, to Fifth Third Bank to ask about what clearly wasn't an isolated incident. The vice president of public relations responded; promising that, from now on, customers at the South Holland branch who visit the vault will have a staffer with them in close proximity the entire time.
The bank also extended another apology to Ford.
She hopes that really is the last time she and her safe deposit box are stranded.
Marie Saavedra joined the CBS2 Chicago news team in October 2020 as an anchor. She grew up in Evanston and is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism.
First published on October 6, 2022 / 4:53 PM
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©2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.