Yea, Fed Ex totally damaged my son's bike when we shipped it to Tucson. It was packed properly, by DH, checked by LBS.
Fed Ex came out to inspect the damage, but would not own up to it. I think they were trying to jack around an 18 year old, even though DH spoke to them by phone. Finally, we gave up and paid to get the bike fixed (I can't remember what exactly happened).
Shipping a bike is a PITA, no matter which method you use.