There's your problem. There are a lot of really good .380s. The Bersa Thunder is a very good, very reliable .380. You are taking a gun that is known to be problematic and judging an entire class of guns by it. Try something else before you right off the .380 all together..380's are NOT my cup of tea after a problematic Walther PPK/S.
If my primary HAD to be a .380, I'd want a LOT of bullets in it!!
+1 to that! Also, a very similar gun to look at is the Browning BDA 380. I used to have that gun, and it was probably my favorite of all time.If you can find one let her try a Beretta Cheetah in 380. They're a larger pistol (less noticable recoil) and very reliable.
Jimk