Melissa Kite Melissa Kite

Real life | 11 December 2010

Melissa Kite's Real Life

issue 11 December 2010

Insurance is a mug’s game. It begins with a sensible attempt to guard against catastrophe and escalates into risk hysteria. With the onset of the cold weather, I only wanted to take out some simple cover on my radiators, but I ended up in a frantic scramble to insure myself against everything bad or even just mildly annoying that could possibly happen to a human being, ever.

Last winter, my boiler broke down so I made sure it was heavily insured this year. Naturally, therefore, my boiler did not break down this year. My radiators leaked. Or rather one of them leaked and fell off the wall for good measure.

I rang British Gas who confirmed that I had opted out of radiator cover so I took the hit and called Tony the plumber. But as I’m really good at insuring things after the catastrophe has happened I also rang back and took out the radiator policy, just in case lightning strikes twice, which it won’t now I’ve paid for it.

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