Porch pirates nicking parcels clearly marked ‘RMA’? While I’m sure that most of them are not particularly smart, once one has learnt what RMA means, surely the risk greatly outweighs the potential reward.
I can’t think of a single RMA I’ve done for electronics where the manufacturer was happy for the parcel to be picked up from the doorstep (lately I’ve sent back one processor and three power supplies).
Aside from a doorstep pickup scenario, as far as I’m concerned, as soon as one has given the parcel to the courier that the manufacturer specified, it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility from that point onwards. If they don’t pick reliable couriers, that’s their problem. They can’t complain that I did something wrong when I followed their instructions.