ot: BIG UPS PROBLEM!!, need (legal?) advice badly- Options

[914ghost]

Okay-
Sold a set of 17" Porsche Cup wheels for a friend of mine. Just trying to be nice.
The price was $600 Delivered.
I wrapped the wheels in corrugated cardboard/tape thoroughly, then wrapped each pair of wheels together with more cardboard/tape.
Used 1600 Inches of tape (2 brand new rolls) total on the packing- 800' for each pair.
The wheels travelled from Washington to San Diego and were DEMOLISHED in transit.
One wheel never even showed up- the box was destroyed there were just the remains of the packing. The wheels that made it are scratched badly.
1st BIG problem:
I used the website and entered the info for the 1st box insured for $400, then hit "duplicate package" which duplicated all but the insurance info- so they say the 2nd box is not insured.
2nd BIG problem: They called me and said cardboard DOES NOT qualify as a packing item- therefore my claim is DENIED.

I said kindly, NO IT IS NOT- YOU WILL PAY ME. And explained the situation calmly to teh person on the phone- she replied they would get back to me and I haven't heard from them.

I feel fairly powerless.
Any advice? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)
-Bob O

[Part Pricer]

WTF are you supposed to use for packaging other than cardboard?!?!?!?!?

Are you supposed to have a custom wood crate built for every UPS shipment, and then shrink wrap to a pallet? Hmmmm....

I've shipped wheels all over the country. I've never had a problem since they were packed correctly. The next town over from me is a hotbed of restoration shops, hot rod fabricators and race car builders. Whenever I need to ship wheels, I go over to one of the shops and ask for the cardboard containers that they receive new wheels in. As I stated above, a cardboard container has structural integrity. Cardboard does not.