What really pisses me off with courier companies is the insurance money you have to pay in case of loss or damage and they baulk about paying up when either happens

Pardon me, but in whose care is it when either happens? Or do they hire special people on contract to damage your precious goods in transit? I would expect some duty of care from the morons they hire as drivers to at least not bust the item when loading and unloading, so that is already part of the money you pay for the shipment. The reason for my rant? Parcelforce managed to damage a CD player I shipped last week