What do I do with a FedEx claim denial?

Thanks for all of the followups. I will look into small claims this week and give it a try. Theta offered to give me a remote for $150 instead of the $200 retail value. Doesn't seem like much of a discount but since Theta has to get the remote from Pioneer maybe that is all that they can do. By the way, that form letter that FedEx sends out is a piece of work. "We value your business, and appreciate your understanding in this matter. We look forward to serving your future express shipping needs". Pure corporate drivel!

Maybe, as some of you have pointed out, this is entirely my fault and I should have done something more to protect the remote from damage, but I am still having some difficulty understanding just how the remote came loose without the box being significantly jarred in transit. It is possible for a box to be mishandled without there being visible evidence of damage on the outside. The amount of packaging that is considered sufficient can be a matter of opinion and that is what companies use to deny claims. I didn't carelessly package the unit for shipment and I am not trying to ripoff FedEx. Maybe a good question is just what are we buying when we pay extra for insurance coverage? It sounds like the insurance that is sold by these shipping companies only has value if it can be absolutely proven that the company was 100% at fault. Things can get damaged during shipment and it doesn't have to be someones fault or maybe its a combination of less than absolutely perfect packing and less than perfect handling. I apparently misunderstood what I was buying when I payed for the extra insurance coverage but I thought that it was to cover this sort of incident.

I do not intend to pursue this any further. I will either buy a new remote or go without. I have shipped many items in the past without any problems but I guess that I have been lucky. I have learned from this experience but I think that we ultimately do ship things at our own risk with or without insurance no matter how well packaged. This is a bit concerning considering the value of the components that we ship. From the other threads that I have read here on Audiogon it sounds as though these companies initially deny all claims as a matter of process and they seem no more likely to want to pay a claim even when something is completely smashed and it is clearly their fault. I understand the insurance fraud issue but I sure am glad that the other insurances that I purchase do not provide the same type of coverage as the insurance sold by the shipping companies.

Just a point of clarrification. The remote was not moving around when I gave the package to FedEx. It was snugly fit into a compartment surrounded on three sides by foam packing braces and on three sides by the top, bottom,and side of the shipping box. The remote was jarred loose during transit with sufficient force to cause it to move around the box and crack. I still do not understand how the remote got out of this compartment. I do not remember there being enough of an opening for the remote to squeeze out and get into the main part of the box, but there obviously was. I am getting the component back this week from the manufacturer and will be able to re-examine the remote,box and packing material. There are other things that I could have done with the remote to prepare it for shipping that might have prevented damage and I will certainly do them in the future but I did not simply toss the remote in the box and send it off to California.