The most insensitive ad ever?

Mrs Gripe and I went to Whitstable for a day out yesterday. We hadn't been before - it's a nice place. Good to get some fresh air and sunshine (rather vindicating my last post). I can recommend it.

When we came back, our post had been delivered. In addition to the various begging letters from lombardy pirate banking houses, and the offers of free money for a year from credit mongerers, was an advert from Norwich Union for their Accidental Death Benefit Policy (see scans of the advert to the left).

Now I'm not one to be squeamish, but isn't it a bit f$!£ing rude to be sending me something like this to open, bleary eyed, over my cornflakes? This is something that basically says "you've just come downstairs, haven't you? You were lucky this time, but you probably won't be next time, you careless twat...". Mrs Gripe, always protective of me, was horrified by the possibility and couldn't even be consoled by my indication that there are no stairs in our flat for me to fall down. So she went on the interweb to do some research, to soothe her worries:

• According to government figures, there are 4,095,236 males aged 25-34 in the UK. Out of these men, 50 died last year from any type of fall.


• That means that 0.001% of my demographic die from falls.


• Based on their quote of £1.99 per month for £20,000 of cover, they would earn £23.88 per policy per year, and would have to pay out £0.24 per policy per year, or a loss ratio of 1.0%.

Needless to say, the yellow twats have not quoted me happy this time.