Trunk Lid Lock problems of the 1999 Toyota Sienna

Hi, I was opening the trunk to my Mini van. It is a horizontal latch and requires a squeeze to be opened. Upon squeezing, something that felt like brittle plastic, snapped and broke. Now the door can't be opened. The quote to fix it is $257. I did not use any monumental force to open the door, just a small squeeze. It seemed to be a cheap part that snapped. I wonder if this happens office. The service manager said she thought they had repaired one other door with this problem. Open the door.