XPS 15-9550, out of warranty, swollen battery

Warranty expired on April 13, 2018. Issue started in September 2018. I called Dell about my touch pad not working and having trouble with clicking.  After speaking to the representative I found out that it was actually my battery that was swollen underneath that was causing the issue.  I wasn't able to send in my computer at that time because my computer is the only one I have and the only way I can make money and sending it in for over two weeks was not an option going into the holiday season.  He told me no problem, just call back after the holidays and everything has settled down and they will be able to fix it free of charge.

So in March after everything had calmed down I had my taxes and everything done I called Dell back up expecting to get a way to send in my computer and get this KNOWN ISSUE fixed.  Nope.  I was told I had to have had it done by September 2018 to have it done.  I was never told this, never received any recall notice, nothing.  So I tried emailing to get some more information, then calling back on multiple occasions, each person recognizing that this is an issue, but that I would have to pay $39.99 to send it in for diagnosis and then $169.99 for the battery.

Today I finally received a call back from Pankat, someone who is in a higher position and able to "help fix the situation".  Pankat informed me that this is not a known issue by Dell.  He also told me he has no record of me calling September.  And then he hung up on me as I was trying to figure out what my option were. 

I am not even sure where to go from here.  From reading on other posts it sounds like this is a common issue with Dell.  Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get this well known issue corrected?

Also, is this computer even safe?  The battery keeps getting bigger and bigger and pushing my touch pad higher.

Thank you for your time!