Dell "warranty" and plastics

I purchased a an extended warranty, as well as onsite next day business support when I bought my Dell Studio 1535. Not long after purchasing it, I went to open the screen one morning and the entire right side of the topcase seemed to come apart. The little grey separator between the rear panel and front screen bezel popped out, the hing cover on the back panel separated from the screen bezel at the hinge, and the touch bar is now just a little lose. I tried to snap the pieces back together, but no go. I contacted Dell Support online, and was told 'On your record I'm putting accidental damage, which the customer then made worse by attempting home repair', apparently because I tried to snap everything back into place. My problem isn't covered under warranty I was told, because no plastic part is covered. Wha? The entire thing is made out of cheap plastic. So I have a few questions:

1,) Is this standard? And if so, if I contact them again is there a chance that I'll get a tech who will put in a repair call for me, or am I pretty much screwed out of getting it covered under warranty?

2,) Am I better to call, or contact them online?

3,) If in the end I have to purchase the parts myself and repair it at home, do I void my warranty?

 

Call them and don't say anything about snapping it back in. They try to you over with things like that

 

^:laugh: at the censored post.

You can try chatting online; I've heard that gets better results. :GEEK:

 

Chat with them and explain to them that it wasn't your fault. That you did nothing out of the ordinary and ask for call escalation, if you don't find them helpful, ask for escalation.
They hesitate on escalating the issue but insist politely and tell them that you are not satisfied. You will surely get a call back within2-3days and the problem will hopefully be resolved.

Never go into details unless they ask for them and try to put the blame on the manufacturer. Otherwise you might get nowhere with dell support.