It's 24 months old; I bought it direct from Dell with just the standard
12-month warranty, along with a PC. Don't know what statutory rights I
have! but I don't imagine in this case that would help?

Firstly, I am not a lawyer. My advice is worth what you paid for it. This
only applies to consumer purchases.

The statutory rights are that the product is of reasonable quality and fit
for purpose. There is a statute of limitations of 6 years to pursue a claim.
How long the court would award would depend on the pricepoint and nature of
the goods or services.

Dell is marketed as a premium brand and I suspect that you would get 2-3
years out of your statutory rights, especially with the recent European
directive to muddy the waters. It would certainly be worth a punt. The fact
that the manufacturer and retailer are the same helps considerably. The fact
that they offered a grossly overpriced extended warranty is irrelevent. It
is illegal to restrict statutory rights, even if they offer to sell you the
same rights that you would already possess.

You must ensure that you (a) give them plenty of opportunity to correct the
problem and (b) mitigate your losses. This is done by ensuring that they
have the chance to repair it themselves and that you choose the cheapest
option to fix the monitor if they decline. If they still don't play ball,
you can claim online at www.courtservice.gov.uk. The risk you are taking in
the event of losing the case is the cost of serving the notice and the time
of attending the court. Costs (other than the court fee) are not awarded in
these cases. Only you know if that is worth it, especially for a 15".

Christian.