[mothered]

So your saying i am good to send it back?

Unless there's a rep who will examine the box In great detail, you should be good to go.

And for future attempts i should open on the bottom, correct?

Correct. When you buy a packet of potato chips, do you rip open the bottom or top? I'd say your answer Is the latter. The same applies to any packaging.

It's human nature to open boxes at the top, and the same when examining for any signs of tampering.
Always open at the bottom.