I am in my third decade of selling quality audio/video products, and have seen weird stuff happen from time to time. In my experience, root cause is almost always poor handling during shipment after leaving the production facility. With all the excellent packaging available now, it is almost impossible to see from the outside of the box if something was mishandled, such as being knocked over, because the interior packaging is designed to protect cosmetic finishes. Nobody packages anything to absorb interior impact trauma from being dropped. Usually such damage which can occur in that event will show up pretty quickly when the product is actually placed into use, and the retailer will of course make the situation right for the customer. Meanwhile, LeRoy and BillyBob who caused the problem months before as they were loading the pallets for shipping somewhere along the supply chain have no clue that a problem was created. It is always important to place an item into service very soon after purchase, not leave it in storage for months while the house renovation drags on endlessly, because then you can count on the retailer to be on your side.