Thank you all for the help, advice, and consoling in this thread. Most of all, thanks are due to Luigi, who has always been the perfect retailer. It was this thread that made me decide to send off my membership fees to Jorge. The sponsors on this board are really amazing. Between Luigi and Tony, I have had better pre-sales, during sales and after sales service than I have ever had in any field. My dealings with Stephen, Rich and Gordy have been more limited, but I have also found them all wonderful to work with.
In any case, Luigi is certainly a man of his word. The case was shipped on his Wednesday, and is due to arrive TOMORROW in Minnesota. I had him ship it there just to be safe, but it is a testament to his service that he shipped out the case before 11 am on the same day he heard about the problem, without even waiting for my payment. Though Luigi had earned me as a lifelong customer before this, this will only further my devotion! I hope one day to get to Rome so that I can thank him in person.
As for the old case, I will send it to him once I get back, and we will see what can be done with it. If it can't be fit to the MD, then perhaps we will fix it up a bit and sell it at reduced cost to a student.