New Dell Inspirion 1525 LCD Screen cracked

My daughter’s 6-month-old Dell Inspirion 1525 (pictures below) has mysteriously developed an internal crack to the LCD screen. According to the Dell rep. in India, the Dell depot technician in Houston has determined that the crack was caused by customer physical abuse despite the fact there is not a scratch on the case or the LCD screen. Dell is requesting $400 to replace the screen.

Unfortunately, I did not purchase the accidental damage coverage. The laptop has not been dropped or abused and is under the so-called 12 month warranty. I have read online similar cases of new 1525 LCD’s developing cracks (see below a copied post from Amazon). I am furious that Dell is failing to admit either this is a design problem with the frame or a faulty LCD panel or perhaps there was a manufacturing process blunder during assembly.

Are there any forum members who have successfully convinced someone at Dell to honor the warranty in a case like this? Is there a best approach to elevating my dispute? My daughter really wanted a Mac and now of course I am a knucklehead as highlighted by Dell's excellent customer care and design engineering.

I have a friend who owns an Inspirion 1520 and it is obvious the frame is far heavier and structurally more rigid than the cheap plastic case on the 1525. At the moment, I’m the screwed customer and Dell has a college freshman on a campus of 35,000 kids who will be bad mouthing Dell for years to come. Dell also has a few other kids who own 1525’s in the same dorm who are experiencing quality issues and the brand is taking a beating.
Thanks in advance for your comments.

Amazon.com review by Natalie:

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Do Not Waste Your Money, July 14, 2008
Please do not buy this computer. I had this computer for two months and the screen is cracked internally. Dell said that I caused the damage and I would have to pay $400 to fix it. I work in social services and I don't have that kind of money. $400 is my rent for the month. I am now using my old Toshiba laptop that I have had for almost 6 years without any issues. I never took the Dell off my desk; it has never dropped. This model in particular has the problem of internally cracked screens, just do some online searches and you will see this problem come up constantly. Stay away from this product.

 

my E1505's screen cracked a few days ago but that was my fault. Screens are extremely cheap on ebay if you can do it yourself. The 1680X1200 model is 150 bucks for me

 

Yeah, the 1525s are a step down in quality. So what kind of warranty did you get? Try chatting online with Dell.

Best of wishes.

 

My ex-gf cracked the screen on the E1505 I bought for her, but that was her fault. I hadn't heard of them cracking by themselves, but be persistant with your issue. Go through all channels or support; chat, e-mail, phone until you get it resolved.

 

I can see why it's ex-gf.

 

thats odd, i've been very very satisfied with my i1525. i used it for a few weeks before passing it to my mum (i bought it for her).

its strange that the crack developed by itself.....

 

Haha, actually enough this after we broke up and then she wanted me to fix it!

 

Most likely something heavy was placed on it or the screen was opened with a lot of force. It looks to me like a thumb went through the screen when opening. (notice the greenish hue press mark).