New Webcam and Mic never worked

So I have a pretty disappointment complicated situation that I am currently dealing with and has been ongoing since last Christmas when I initially unwrapped a Christmas Present and it being the laptop I currently am using now. Unfortunately the Webcam in addition, the microphone does not and has not worked since I first unwrapped my Dell Inspiron. It was a very expensive laptop considering some of the more important built-in hardware doesn't even seem to work. And every attempt I've made to create progress with this elongated issue shows no sign of progress nor hope to ever fix what I am dealing with without having to spend an additional amount when my Mom who paid for this laptop spent about $900 (before tax). So it's a fairly expensive gift which is why I would really hate to not be able to use very important functions and also I am being forced to be "held back" from using something that my Mom clearly paid a lot of money for. I was on the phone last night for over an hour and came up with absolutely zero resolution. The only hope at this point that I still am hanging onto is the Manufacturer's warranty that I am unsure if my issue can even be covered under my Manufacturer's Warranty. I would like to return and get something that works.