haertig -

Have you tried to get at least yours replaced or repaired under ARC's lifetime warranty? Considering you took all the right steps to remedy the flicker, to no avail, in my view that falls under the heading of "defect." And considering the (usually) well-deserved reputation for being bulletproof, a "simple" drop shouldn't have damaged your wife's like you describe.

I had a modest under-warranty repair done on one of my two, with no hassles or arguments.