Santam ***** practices and refusal to consider requests

I was in a small accident where my front bumper got scratched. I spoke to my broker who then sent the claim to Santam for approval. I requested to use a panel shop near me but was told not to go there and rather go to their service provider (My panel shop close by is Santam approved and on their panel).

I did go to the other shop and was not to happy so told them to rather use the other panel shop as I have seen their work and know their quality. Santam now is refusing to use the other provider as it is not the one they selected which is so stupid. I mean, both companies are registered Santam repair centers. Do I not have a choice on who will fix my car?

Something ***** is going on here. Not sure what but something does not feel right since they both registered as Santam repair centers and my service panel shop is cheaper on the same repair.