Travelers Insurance Claim nightmare Hartford Connecticut

My fiance wrecked her car on Saturday, June 22, 2013. She filed a claim with Travelers on Monday, June 24, 2013. Travelers had her take it to their prefered body shop for an estimate on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. She had hit a stopped car and don some damage to the front end. On Tuesday night, June 25, 2013 her car began puking coolant all over the diveway. On Wednesday morning, June 26, 2013 I filled the radiator and putted it to the body shop that we selected to do the work. On Wednesday evening, June 26, 2013 the body shop began tearing down the front end. On Thursday morning, June 27, 2013 the body shop had the front end apart and had all the parts ordered.

The claims adjuster and I have been butting heads all day because "They will not authorize a rental car until work has begun on the car because the car is drivable." The car is sitting in a bosy shop with a busted radiator, all the front supports removed, and waiting for parts. It is FAR FROM DRIVABLE. Even if I hadn't got it into the bosy shop yet, the radiator is busted. I have only been in the automotive industry for 13 years, both as an ASE certified technician and in Sales, so who am I to say this, but a car with no coolant in 90 degree weather is not what most people consider "drivable." Add to that, it now has no front bumber or air conditioner condensor, or radiator, or bumber, or any of the front structural supports in it... I'm not classifying that as "drivable."

The body shop is right next door to where I work. I have talked to the manager and the foreman and the office manager and the technician working on the car. I have verified through their records that they have sent Travelers absolutely everything they should and need to send. And yet I am getting the run-around from the claims adjsuter about a rental car??? We have rental insurance! But rather than step up and take care of their client, they want to argue what constitutes a "drivable" vehicle.

I think the best resolution here is to drain the radiators out of all Travelers employees cars, remove all the front structure and supports in their vehicles, and let them prove me wrong. I wonder how many engines they'd blow up before they got their heads on straight......