I've been thru this with UPS and ended up calling the state supervisor. That got my claim fixed fast. They don't like you calling the super when you find a mistake and you find a mistake, big time.

In my case, I shipped a handheld scanner to a guy and it arrived with damage. The claims guy came to our house to inspect it. He actually suggested that I send the radio in for warranty repair. My wife heard it too. I told the jerk that I felt that was fraudulent and wouldn't agree to do it. I told the state super the story and he immediately okayed my claim.

You have them since they didn't okay your packing, yet okayed the same packing on another occasion. Call and ask for the supervisor. They don't like this at all. Get his number and talk to him. Tell him about the 16 days transit time and the packing ping pong game they are playing. It only costs a little time and maybe a few dollars for the phone call. It worked for me.