TODAY’S TALKER

Reading fine print pays off for UGA grad and Fla. teacher: $10,000

It pays to read the fine print. It was worth $10,000 to a Florida high school teacher.

Donelan Andrews was reading the small print in the $400 travel insurance policy she bought from St. Petersburg-based Squaremouth when she noticed an interesting clause.

On page 7 of the nearly 4,000word document for the Tin Leg policy she bought, Andrews, 59, noticed a section titled “pays to read.”

The terms read,“In an effort to highlight the importance of reviewing policy documents, we launched Pays to Read, a contest that rewards the individual who reads their policy information from start to finish. If you are reading this within the contest period ... and are the first to contact us, you may be awarded the Pays to Read contest Grand Prize of ten thousand dollars.”

The policy listed an email address to contact the prize, which Andrews did immediately. She received a telephone call the next day and was $10,000 richer.

Andrews, who calls herself a “nerd,” always reads the terms of any contract she enters into.

“The main reason I always do it is that I went to the University of Georgia and I majored in consumer economics,” Andrews said. “So it’s always been a passion of mine to be consumer aware, and particularly, not to be taken advantage of. I even read that HIPAA document they give you at the doctor’s office.”

The company estimates only about one percent of its customers read their policies. Squaremouth sold about 73 policies with the hidden instructions before Andrews cashed in.