Storm Relief: Fair Treatment from an Insurer Made All The Difference

by Stefanie Powers

We’re at the height of hurricane season here in Southwest Louisiana and some still feel the effects of the disastrous 2020 season. Issues with insurance companies linger; premiums have skyrocketed, and damage is still prevalent.

But there were many insured who had positive experiences with their insurer. One of them is Ashton Cessac. Although she had been a renter for over 15 years, she had never considered taking out renters insurance.

“In July of 2019, I moved into a house on piers over the Calcasieu River,” she says. “Craig Doland of Hight-Doland Allstate contacted me to discuss the importance of getting renters insurance.” Cessac found it affordable and decided to go for it. “It was super cheap and super easy. He got me set up the very next day.”

At that time, Cessac didn’t realize how soon she would need the insurance. Fast-forward to Hurricane Laura, a little over a year later. “The roof was ripped off my house and almost all of my possessions were destroyed,” Cessac recalls. “I contacted Craig the day after the hurricane, on Saturday, August 29. He walked me through the steps to start my claim, as I had never done anything like that before.”

Cessac is an artist, and with that came complications. “Some of my work and most of my supplies were destroyed,” she recalls. “Not only was this really hard for me emotionally, but I also didn’t know how to claim them. My claims adjuster Tony Whaley helped me so much with this part of the process.”

Coincidentally, Whaley happened to be an artist as well, so he could relate to her concerns. “He talked to me for an hour and half to make sure we got everything covered,” she says. “It was a huge relief to feel like I had people who would be patient and help me.”

Just three weeks after Laura, Cessac’s claim was settled. “I got the full amount!” she says. “I just started crying because I was so relieved. I could begin to get my life back. The very first thing I did was buy a bed.”

Since her rental was unlivable, Cessac moved into a room above her parents’ garage for several months before finding another place to rent. “I was already living at my parents when Delta hit,” she says. “The house I had on the river was already demolished by then, too.”

Cessac says she would either be in serious debt or have a lot less at this point if Doland hadn’t suggested she get renters insurance and helped her with the process. And he’s certainly earned her trust. “A few months later I switched my auto insurance to Allstate too,” she says. “I just feel safer with them.”