A few off topic points here-
1. Everyone likes to make fun of the woman who spilled coffee on her lap an sued mcdonalds. Citing it as an example of sue happy jerks. The truth is actually very different.i encourage all of you to watch this amazing documentary on that specific case and the finer points of tort reform.
http://www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/Default.asp
2. I really want a chilli dog right now. Like for super serious.
On topic-
I worked for many years for a company that makes fancy pants equipment for the aquarium. I was the one who for the most part handled any warranty issues when they came up. If the warranty was 12 months and someone called me and said a ballast went out after 14 months for the most part I would just take care of it for them.
However at least once I week I would have someone trying to scam me. No joke. Sometimes a few a week. Here's a few examples from the many instances:
A customer calls angry and yelling that a light fixture after 4 months has stopped working. Yells at me how they spent good money and they expect it to work yada yada yada. I send a call tag to pick up the light on my dime so I can repair or replace it. Keep in mind the shipping costs me around $50 for a 48 inch four bulb T5 for example. One way. I get the fixture back, open the box and the fixture is covered in salt, water pours out when I tilt the fixture. Obviously they dropped it in the aquarium. I call them up and they deny they got any water on it at all. Angrily they still demand I replace it. At least once a week this would happen. Lol lots of people drop aquarium equipment in the water and then try to hustle me. They threaten me they will blast me and my company on all the forums if I don't replace a fixture they dropped in the water, that they won't even admit they dropped in the water! Lol
Another good one that happened every few months is someone would buy a used fixture on craigslist/eBay/forums etc. they would then call me and tell me they bought a new fixture and it was damaged, broken, etc. I would send a call tag to pick it up. Another $50 shipping that I eat. I get the fixture back. I can tell by looking at it by subtle differences that it is a 2-5 year old fixture. The "angry" customer does not realize that the serial number tells me the production date as well as the date it was sold to a specific store. I see it is a four year old used fixture. The "customer" is just trying to hustle me for a new fixture in exchange for a new one.
This stuff happens all the time. Do you know how much money these jerks cost the company?
Many many more examples I could give but I won't.
Don't misunderstand pilot I've met you and you are a good dude and I'm not trying to insinuate that you did anything shady. My point with all this is that sometimes a person who handles these claims can get jaded and if they are not careful they begin to look at every customer interaction as a potential ripoff. That's unfortunate. Luckily I never got to that point but I've seen it in others.
It's funny because there were some customers I got to know by name because for some reason they would call me every four months wanting a new co2 regulator for example because they would refuse to use a check valve and salt would clog the solonoid. Lol then they deny it when I would call them out on it.
Anyways I'm sure it sucks what you are going through but just thought I would offer a different perspective.
