Check out Libre Office. It's a free Office suite which can handle files created under Windows.

It seems to me that some of the objections to changing to a Linux system centre around the problem of learning a new operating system.

Well you all do seem to have these problems with Windows now and you are paying for it, and you have no control of it's hidden agendas and automatic updates. Remember it's whole purpose is to relieve you of money, not give you a pleasing computing experience. Try Linux.