I just had an interesting experience with AA on a hard plastic case they destroyed, though the contents were not damaged.

It came out on the belt at the end of the trip split open, and the frame around the top was bashed in where it looked like it had been dropped at least 10 or 15 feet. They sent it to a repair facility they use, and the verdict was it couldn't be fixed (no surprise.)

Then, someone calls from the airport and suggests maybe it was a manufacturing defect and I should send it back to the factory, and offered to send me a voucher.

Since the case was only a couple of weeks old, I faxed them the receipt and told them the best thing to do would be send me a check. They did. But their suggestion of a "manufacturing defect" was good for a laugh.