Opposite problem from most people-- Halliburton Zero suitcase not LOCKING.

Hey, I've got a not terribly old Halliburton Zero suitcase I got secondhand. It's great in most ways but one thing that has me baffled is the lock-- it. Will. Not. Shut.

When I close it, the combination dials refuse to spin. It seems that the little hooked fingers that the lock is supposed to hook onto are misaligned in some way, because there's definitely an obstruction preventing the dials from turning. They turn when the suitcase is open, and can be set/reset, but the minute you close the case, no dice.

Anyone have an idea how I should approach this? Googling does zero (ha) good because all articles are either about how to UNlock or reset.

edited to add: no photos yet but I can snap a few later...right now the case is in storage but I decided what could it hurt to go ahead and ask in words