Originally Posted by
ljsense
None of that makes sense to me.
For starters, every major manufacturer I know ships their bikes with less than 3" of padding surrounding the bike.
Those very same manufacturers all ship their bikes with dropout spacers.
Second, as for the spacers, what difference does it make if the chainstays and seatstays are all scarred up, bent or cracked, but the dropouts have maintained their 130mm spacing?
A good spacer will brace one fork or dropout against the other, thus nearly doubling the amount of force that is required to deform it. Scratches and dings can be avoided with proper padding. (pipe insulation, bubble wrap, etc) I agree that if the force is great enough to bend or crack tubing that the dropout spacer will not help. I'm sure this has happened but I have yet to see it.
Thirdly, take a carbon fork. Imagine there is a force strong enough to crush it. Now say there's a spacer holding the fork ends 100 mm apart. Think it's going to come out ok because it's got a plastic thing pressed into the fork ends? Once a force large enough to deform a frame or fork acts on the box and its contents, the product inside is ruined, and it's the shipper's responsibility if it was in transit.
See my answer above re: stays. Again the force has to be considerably greater to deform two frame members than to deform one.
I have been fortunate to have only had to make a claim once. The claim was denied. I did not think the bike was worth enough for me to pursue it beyond the first denial. A foolish move on my part, perhaps, given the cases you cite. I'm glad to be wrong and wish the OP the best possible resolution.
Brent