Hurricane Harvey taught us some invaluable lessons: Don’t drive on flooded streets, don’t enter toxic waters, and always carry flood insurance, since you never know when you might be pummeled with 60 inches of rain.
Harvey reminded us of the importance of insurance – the type we carry, how much we carry, and how easy or hard it is to process a claim and receive a check. It taught us that it may be worth a higher premium to have the coverage we need when tragedy strikes.
Eric Arredondo, owner of Arredondo Allstate Insurance Company, was in a unique position when Harvey rained down on Houston. He was in the process of transitioning from commercial to personal insurance. That means he got to see both sides of the equation at an historic time in our city. Arrendondo had been in commercial insurance for 20 years, working with large brokerage firms and Fortune 500 companies. His previous experience dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008 helped him tremendously in what to expect from Harvey. During Ike, he had worked with the iconic Tillman Fertitta to help him settle his claims on multiple properties in the Kemah area. This experience, plus his 20 years of working complex claims for large companies, made the transition into personal insurance easy, despite taking place during Harvey.
“I worked with businesses to help them capture the claim dollars they deserved,” Arrendondo explained. “I wanted to make sure carriers were owning up to their promises. On the personal insurance side, I was able to go out and help customers, including friends and family.”
Arrendodo talked clients through the process and connected people to contractors. “It was an eye-opener to people without flood insurance,” he said. “Too many people found out too late that they should have purchased it. It was a perfect example of why people who don’t live in a flood zone still need it. Ninety percent of my clients have flood insurance and why not? It’s cheap and when you need it, you’ll be thankful you have it.”
Allstate is a mainstay in insurance circles, but what makes it unique? Arrendondo said, “When you pay your premium, you are paying for a relationship with someone who promises to be there if something happens. We’re not a call center. The true cost of insurance is in claims and being able to call someone you know to get help. With a call center, you’ll re-tell your story to different people multiple times, and that’s the last thing you want to do after tragedy. With us, you’ll tell your story once, and we’ll take it from there.”
Arrendondo believes that in addition to Allstate’s well-branded name, it’s really the personal touch that sets his agency apart. All of his clients have his cell phone number and can call him directly. As he said, “Shopping premiums is important, but when you’re talking tens of thousands of dollars, you want someone reputable who will help you through a difficult process like that. We try to take the burden off our clients and work the claim for them.”
His involvement doesn’t stop with his clients’ claims. Arrendondo is also heavily invested in giving back to the community. He has coached Select baseball U11 and U9, coached Little League, is on the Board for the Men’s Golf Association, and sponsors and donates to community efforts. Recently, he became the exclusive Allstate agent for Operation Kid Safe, a program that provides free fingerprinting and photos of children and a free ID card in case the child goes missing. He is also the exclusive Allstate agent for The Kindness Revolution, a school-based anti-bullying campaign in Houston and the surrounding areas. His agency passes out wristbands for acts of kindness and asks others to pay it forward, encouraging kindness and respect among students.
If you are looking for a local agent with extensive experience and ties to the community, contact Eric Arrendondo at 832-500-5907. His office is located at 17310 W Grand Parkway S in Sugar Land.
