I would concur with a lot of Guy's comments.
It baffles me that we can have products shipped thousands of miles from accross the water and then they travel 10 miles in the UK and get trashed.
The disclaimer situation with couriers is also a nightmare as most will knock back any claim once the parcel is signed for, despite couriers not wanting to wait for parcels to be opened and checked.
The situation is exasperated when the customer then feels disgruntled(understandably) that if we were to say sorry its your fault for signing for it, not our problem, we then get slated.
The simple fact is that any goods sent by courier require checking before a signature is given, if the courier kicks up a fuss then refuse the item, it is our right and yours and is a stipulation on their contract in accepting the contract for delivery.
Sorry this is a bit long winded but as with Nemisis in this situation we have been left out of pocket many times in order to keep the customer happy.
Just as a guide we have ten claims alone from last week some of which are items we will have to wait another 8 weeks to replace, and thats another story altogether.