I purchased AirPods at iStore last year, which are still under warranty

I purchased AirPods at iStore last year, which are still under warranty. Within 5 months, the right pod stopped working. I took it to the store, and the issue was fixed. I experienced the same issue again and returned to the store. However, I'm now being told that nothing can be done because there's a dent, making the warranty invalid. The same issue that was initially fixed is now being blamed on the dent, which was present initially. The dent has been confirmed not to be the cause of the pod not working. I find it inconsistent that the issue was fixed the first time with the same dent, yet now it's being cited as a reason to void the warranty. Why was the pod not rejected the first time? Why is the dent an issue now, especially when the warranty is almost finished? I paid almost R6,000 for AirPods that did not last even 12 months. Considering the amount of money spent at iStore, this is extremely upsetting.