My plan to get top of the line hearing aids for a "low" price

@2ball said:

I do understand your points, but in my case it is a $5,000 swing between going to an audiologist and buying online. I can put up with some hassle for 5G’s! I am looking at those Widex’s though.

It is not a $5000 swing if you go to Costco.

Go to Costco and save $500+ and get high-end hearing aids from Jabra, Philips or Rexton and professional fitting (including REM) and in person ongoing support and save $500 (and a 6 month trial period). As I have said I know what I would do (and did), but it seems you are set on trying the online approach.

Good luck!

Some good advice in these posts!!

Because I lost my KS9s and really needed new aids right away, and because the Sennheisers were not yet available at all Costcos, and because I am committed to the Phonak way of BT and phone calls, I got Phonak Lumitys online. I was careful to only go through a U.S. seller who had good reviews and paid with a credit card for that financial protection in addition to whatever ebay would do. I sent the seller a copy of my audiogram and the aids came with first fit programming, which was surprisingly good. They would tweak if I asked. The seller actually has a regular audio business in my state, and the aids have Phonak warranty. I have everything I need to start DIY programming but haven’t started because, as I said, the first fit works for me. Years ago, long before my recognized hearing problems, a friend said I had “Donald Duck ears,” which is probably still true. I’m not as persnickety as a lot of you, but then I’m not out in loud background environments as often either, my social interactions are more coffee with friends around the kitchen table. If I get some ortho issues fixed and back to showing dogs, that may change.

@coastal_california said:

but it seems you are set on trying the online approach.

I am changing my plan almost hourly!

I did call costco to make an appointment, they have not called me back.

No that’s a bold statement to make, you could say the same for any audiology clinic then.

A lot of clinics have policies of only re-fitting hearing aids if they sold them originally. We can always call up the manufacturer to find out which clinic they were sold to as each device has a unique serial number. If you purchase online and the clinic has this policy you will more than likely get caught.

@Hearing_Potential said:

If you purchase online and the clinic has this policy you will more than likely get caught.

This is why it’s just plain spiteful for any clinic to even suggest that because you didn’t buy from us and pay out outrageous prices we’re not gonna help you, they shoot themselves in the foot every time, DIY is just so popular now and growing every day, because of pathetic service from those that do things like this, who cares where they were brought, the manufacturer gives the warranty on them not the clinic, luckily for a few of us we managed to not have this problem, still a few genuine clinic’s out there that actually want/like to help out and even help those that want to do DIY projects.

There’s a superb dichotomy running in the top few threads on here at the moment.

‘Getting your hearing aids for $100 and a case of beer vs. How pricing works, vs. expecting your audiologist to dial-in your fitting through multi-level REM and speech refinement’

Absolute cakeism!

I would look for reviews by other customers of the online supplier first. For your first hearing aids, it just sounds a bit risky going with someone you don’t really know if they are qualified/trustworthy.

@Um_bongo said:

Absolute cakeism!

Is that as in, “having your cake and eating it, too?”

@tenkan said:

I’m inclined to think that one who buys online will put more effort into keeping them in their ears and out of the “top drawer”

Why, because they’ll probably take up DIY? Honest question, not snark. I find myself wishing I still had a Windows PC, so I could conveniently adjust my Phonaks if need be.

Since this discussion appears to focus on the US situation, the following may be relevant:

US opens tariff investigations into medical equipment, robotics and...1

The US Commerce Department said Wednesday that it had opened new national security investigations into the import of personal protective equipment, medical items, robotics and industrial machinery.

As I understand this, a “probe” is looking into the “national security risks” of importing medical equipment, including HAs. Bottom line is that US taxes for all HA brands may go up, except for Starkeys, following the 100% tariffs set this week for medicines…

After being quoted 4-6k in the UK I bought top of the range off a registered eBay audiologist for 2. I have severe high end loss. For me, it worked fabulously. Yes it’s rolling the dice but I figured I had at least 50% chance of success.

You can adjust them with a Mac if you have one . Don’t resist, join the club!