Terrible service - baggage claims

I was on a business trip to Chongquing and, as per usual practice, I cover my checked bag with a cloth envelope to prevent it from scuffing. This flight plan involved a local carrier from Durban to Joburg and then flying Qatar to Doha then Chongquing. On my return flight, the plane was delayed for over an hour, due to mechanical issues, in Doha. Consequently, by the time I landed in Joburg OR Tambo airport, passed through passport control, and picked up my baggage, my connecting flight was boarding. As OR Tambo re-check baggage was no longer operational, I had to rush to departures to check in my bag. The time was so time that the airline employee had to check with her supervisor to see if it could be loaded. I then rushed through domestic security (whose lines, fortunately, were very short - usually they are quite long) and was among the last passengers to board. When I landed in Durban, I had a chance to check my luggage and noticed damage. I complained at Durban airport and to Qatar. Qatar kept repeating that when I was in OR Tambo, I should have checked my luggage and filed a written damage report, which would have definitely caused me to miss my plane. This practice is contradictory to many others where an airline, which uses connecting partners, will pay for damage caused even though they are unsure of where (or which airline) it occurred. Such a policy costs little and keeps customers satisfied. After so much back and forth between Qatar and I with the same things said and ignored by Qatar, I resolved not to fly with them again - if they are so troublesome over a damaged bag, I can just imagine the "fun" that I will have with them should their flights be cancelled or delayed (which in this case it was). A terrible experience for the world's highest rated airline