My "new" dryer vent isn't working out.

Not only did the idiot who built our house position the dryer so that the ductwork has to go down one floor and across half the basement before it exits the house...they then built a deck right over the vent exit. Needless to say, it's about impossible to access the vent outlet. And the cheap plastic on dryer vents doesn't last 20 years.

Worse, the new dryer vents they are selling seem to have been redesigned to save the manufacturer money on plastic. There are now 3 louvers instead of 4 and they are about 1/4" shorter. Soooo...I had to buy two new vent covers to jerry-rig 4 louvers. Unfortunately, when I slipped them on, they seemed too heavy to blow open (the dryer is actually running in that last photo with the louvers closed...the bottom one is only open slightly because I found I could get it to stick that way). Grrrr! I suppose my only option is to get a square of hardware cloth or some other type of grid and try to tack it over the vent somehow and hope no insects try to build a nest there. If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears.