FedexGround and UPS Ground are the worst in my experience. A real crapshoot with the odds worse with FedexGround. I'd agree also that you will have to fight tooth and nail to get them to pay attention to an insurance claim and most will give up for the time and frustration. I do think a lot of the problems with the ground shippers come from poor packing. Your best insurance, if you must go ground (usually a financial decision) is excellent packing and double-boxing if you must use ground shippers. Peanuts are NOT good packing material for heavy items. Bubble-wrap (large bubbles), air-packs, and solid foam sheets go a whole lot further, and even still may not be enough. Double-box EVERYTHING fragile with plenty of good padding. I've had great experience with USPS Priority Mail, and have never had to file an insurance claim with them. Plenty of experience to back that up. I'd also second Forwardair as a great option for shipping large, heavy, or otherwise awkaward items. I've had only good experiences with them. They are a bit of a hassle in terms of payment (certified payment for exact amount only in my area), and they are a terminal-to-terminal freight company with access only in some cities (see their website forwardair.com). FedexGround is abysmal in my experience. I just had to say that once more, which doesn't approach the amount of times they've screwed up or delivered an abused box and or broken contents to me.
Marco
Marco