Well.... Beltmann, according to their website, says this:
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"Therefore, arcade games, pinball machines, and rare collectibles must be packed, stored, and shipped with extreme care, due to the special nature of these machines and the electronics involved.

An arcade game for sale will have a much higher value if it is HOU (Home Use Only), NIB (New in Box), in mint condition, and fully working. When attempting to move an arcade game or pinball machine between locations, it’s critical to ensure it safely reaches its destination. Select a professional coin-op shipper like Beltmann Integrated Logistics to effectively transport your pinball machines and arcade games, particularly those with high value."
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https://www.beltmannlogistics.com/solutions/coin-op-and-gaming/
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This company that says they are the industry leader and how they ship with "extreme care" etc. specifically told me not to wrap the machine. I was told they do not want it wrapped so they can inspect it and do inventory, and they can pack it. That was their way.

As a company that does this professionally and is paid to do it, they are supposed to be better at wrapping a machine than I am. I always thought you are supposed to be punished only when you don't do what you are told.

Tim wrapped it very well before the return shipment and so I guess they will not refuse to pick it up if it is wrapped and on a pallet (not that this would have helped in my case as there was no pallet jack).

I had photos etc. I agree that having pictures-videos is a good idea, but I think what is most important is to deal with a company that has some integrity.
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You can have photos and wrap it and you can be there for pickup etc, but then what if it is damaged after it is picked up? None of that will assure you that they will make it right if they damage your machine if they have no integrity and their way of doing business is deny. When you hire a company with no integrity, you have to go to court to get any compensation if there is damage through their negligence no matter what you do on your end to document.

In my case, they made me wait many months as they processed my claim. Having photos does not prevent the delay and the need for me to repeatedly inquire about the claim if the company behaves that way when there is a damage claim. In my case, they then lied and said it was pre-existing and the only recourse was court. Then they further lied by saying only the sub they worked with was responsible.

Since in court they conceded that they damaged my machine and admitted that the sub was not solely responsible , clearly they behaved with no integrity in how they handled the claim.
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I believe that there must be other companies that have integrity, and I would be interested to know if I am to ever ship a machine again, who would be a better choice.

Correct. I stated it was not some ongoing litigation. I clearly stated that there was a verdict in my favor (not he said she said drama). The judgement included wording that Beltmann was found responsible for damage (contrary to what they said when they denied the claim and falsely indicated that it was only the sub-contractor CRST that was responsible) and Beltmann chose not to appeal.
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Regarding the comment that I should shoulder some responsibility, I do not work in the legal profession, but I believe that this is called contributory negligence. If for example, someone runs a red light and hits your car in an intersection, perhaps it could be said that even though you had the right ow way, you had some responsibility if going above the speed limit.
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If I had some responsibility because I did not wrap the machine and did not take off work again to be there after I took off work the prior day where they did not come (my wife was home all day to be available at their convenience and lead them, pleural, to the machine), then if you were a judge, what would you think if Beltmann then said:
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"your honor, we see the pictures of the machine without damage before it was shipped and after it arrived at the destination and we know no damage was documented when it was picked up, but there is contributory negligence on the part of the machine owner because even though we say we package machines with extreme care, and even though the machine owner paid us, the professionals, to do this, and even though we stated we needed to be the ones to do this, the machine owner should have called out BS, and wrapped it and put it on a pallet (that we forgot to bring along with a 2nd mover) before the 1 driver arrived without a pallet jack"
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On the flip side, what if you were there for the pickup after repeatedly taking off work without pay until they showed up, even though you working and getting paid to work is how you have money to pay them to do their jobs, and spent a lot of time wrapping the machine because you are really good at at, and then they damaged the machine big time after they loaded it up. Then, they deny the claim and if you want any compensation other than zero, you go to court. Then, Beltmann says
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"your honor, this damage was pre-existing. We would prove it because we do inventory when we pick it up but the machine owner prevented us from inspecting the machine contrary to our policy by wrapping it. We are the experts and package these valuable machines with extreme care, and the machine owner did not comply with our policy." I think they would have a good argument!
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To me what matters most is that the business have enough integrity to pay a claim when they are responsible for damage and it is obvious that they caused damage, which was my case (proven, not alleged).
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I have shipped with Beltmann before, and no prior problems other than more than 1 last minute re-scheduling. It is easy to be happy with them when nothing goes wrong. Anyhow, this was posted as a warning of what can happen and how Beltmann behaves if your machine is damaged. I posted this a a FYI warning. What you do with that information is up to you.