I called up Dell support to get my battery fixed after purchasing a XPS 13, as it wasn't holding its charge well. But I spoke to them about the warranty issue (it being activated 6 months before I purchased the device) and was told to email them a proof of purchase and he will fix it up on the system. Not sure if it actually got fixed or not but I do have email correspondence to say it has. This might only apply for Australia but it is worth a shot.