Apple - Support and Service Options

I have had an Apple iPhone and IPad for several years. Putting aside petty annoyances of continuous ios updates, I detest the Apple practice of altering connections for each new model they produce, thereby ensuring a captive market for their peripheral products, and causing unnecessary obsolescence of previous models. However, their support system is the biggest joke of all. My little used iPhone 6 has lost its internal microphone, and after a lot of Googling for an explanation it appears that the system is stuck in "earphone" mode. None of the usual internet tips and tricks have changed the situation. This means that when I make a call, I have to either have earphones on, or use the external speaker. I don't carry earphones around, and its not good to get a phone call in a cafe or coffee shop when all you can do is have the call on loudspeaker. So - the last word on all the tips and tricks pages is, if all fails, to contact Apple Support. The Apple Support page puts you through the third degree to categorise your problem, and then asks for your device serial number. It it is more than two years old, you are frozen out of the system with curt advice to visit an Apple service centre. The speaker problem is a common issue, and one would think that Apple could do a little better than to shunt people off their help system without any advice at all. I am over the Apple business model, and will be moving to a Samsung android device, never to have to deal with Apple products again. I'm grateful that at least there are alternatives to the Apple system.