In reading this and the WBF forum thread, I consider myself a reasonably neutral party. One big thing that stands out to me is that Viking keeps blaming the broken speakers they received back on the customer when the customer says he used the very same shipping boxes originally used by the manufacturer. I have not seen Viking deny this.
As someone with over 40 years in the commercial insurance business, if they were properly packed and damaged during shipment, there should be a cargo insurance claim. The only way that doesn't work is if the packaging was inadequate. The thread seems to indicate that was the case.
My question for Viking is: why is it the customer's fault for inadequate packaging if it is the same set of boxes you used to send them out? What am I missing?