Fine print is everywhere, and nobody ever reads it. I mean, how can you? Everything you sign up for and everything you install on your devices seems to have tens of thousands of words on...well, nobody knows because nobody reads it.
As it turns out, reading the fine print can pay off.
Sure, the first few times you accept a licensing agreement without reading it, it feels like you've signed your life away. But it tends to get easier and easier to ignore that kind of noise.
What a nerd! (It's okay, she describes herself this way too). Donelan Andrews and her friends recently bought insurance from a travel insurance company, Squaremouth. Like a good nerd, she read every last word of the fine print.
Deep into the fine print, deep into the boring stuff, Andrews found something unexpected: details for a contest to win $10,000. It read, "If you've read this far, then you are one of the very few...customers to review all of their policy documentation."
It isn't much of a surprise because, honestly, she may have literally been the only person to bother reading far enough to realize there was a chance to win ten grand.
It might sound like SquareMouth was trying to bury it deep enough that nobody in their right mind would ever find it and win the $10,000. But there's method to their madness.
Part of their "It pays to read" campaign, SquareMouth wrote, "We understand most customers don't actually read contracts or documentation when buying something, but we know the importance of doing so."
The campaign, according to Squaremouth, was "top-secret", created to "highlight the importance of reading policy documentation from start to finish." They go on to expound on the reasons it's important to read the fine print.
When it comes to something like travel insurance, it's important to know specifics. You don't want to wind up sick or injured, far from home, with no idea of whether you're covered for a hospital visit.
"This often leads to claims for losses that are not covered," they wrote. "This lack of understanding is one of the biggest reasons travel insurance claims are denied."
Here you see Andrews showing off the tiny fine print that made her $10,000 richer. It's cool that she won...but what does this say about the majority who don't read this stuff?
Andrews told CBS that she's retiring as a teacher this year after 25 years, and going to Scotland with her husband to celebrate. Ten grand will go a long way towards covering those expenses.
SquareMouth cut Andrews a giant cheque for ten grand, and also cut a second to donate to a children's literacy charity. A further $10,000 donation was split between two local high schools.
It's good to arm yourself with information, but it often seems like terms of service are deliberately long-winded and confusing because they're actively trying to stop you from reading too much. Share your take in the comments!
