IPhone 4 microphone fault

Never expected to be moaning about an Apple product being a die hard fan, my 4 has developed a fault with its microphone, looking online at forums seems to be an intermittent but regular problem not isolated to a particular phone or age of phone. Liked to hear on here how many others have had this issue and what they did be nice to show its not just a few phones.

As my phone is 14 months old I have been told after a visit to Apple store in Perth WA that nothing can be done and I need to stump up 179 bucks for them to swap out their faulty phone! Got to say pretty gutted as it now makes my phone no longer a phone just an iPod with a phone contract. I declined their wonderful offer and left the store, which was an odd experience as the manager and lead genius were all over me trying to do something for me, but as this was not sorting my phone out how could they.

I want to complain but thinking what's the point, if Apple don't care enough to accept an obvious factory fault in person I doubt a letter will have much effect In a way it sort of shows what corporate greed looks like, I mean if you had a 3 year old phone you could understand them wanting you to pay up but 14 months and it's critical phone fault. The phones immaculate kept in a case screen protector and looked after, so it's developed even with TLC being used on it.

I can't see me upgrading in October to the 5 to be fair and here lays the lesson I think if you get a phone and it develops a fault through no fault of your own just out of the blue Apple don't want to know if it's after 12 months unless you pay up again. Considering I paid up big for my phone outright I am just glad I didn't get a 24 month contract or you would be shafted and have to pay them the money. At least I have the option of heading off to pastures new (Samsung?) but I must say I'm sad my love affair with Apple is over, thanks for the memory's but customer service is what the customer says it is, period.