[stasys]

on arrival it was clear the battery had leaked throughout the box rendering it useless and hopefully making it so that Amazon does not request a refund

The above may work, but some carriers do accept leakage, so check the terms of whom your Item will be shipped.
Alternatively, you can use the "never arrived method", which Is quite successful when It's formulated and executed effectively.

I currently live with multiple people - if someone else signs for the item accidentally does that make the "never arrived method" impossible to pull off?