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Repurposing hearing aids prescribed to someone else.

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Hi all. I wonder if someone could offer some advice.

A few months ago my Father was fitted with a pair of Advance Elite heating aids by our local Specsavers.

Unfortunately, he recently passed away after a short illness.

My Mum currently has an NHS hearing aid that she has never been happy with.

Would it be possible to find someone to reprogram them to fit my Mum’s needs?

Specsavers have been no help and said it is not their policy to do this.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

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Sorry for your loss hope everyone is doing ok, but yes it would be great to put those to good use, I don’t understand how Specsavers can’t help,go directly back to the store they were brought from and tell them what’s happened, speak to the manager and insist, this is a unique situation and I’m sure they’ll understand.

In reply to @PeterH

Thanks PeterH.

I believe they probably are locked. I think they are actually Phonak Lumity 90s.

I dare say I could jump through the hoops of buying the kit needed to unlock them, but would still need an audiologist to customise them to Mum’s hearing.

In reply to @tenkan

Thanks for your kind words Tenkan. I’ve only called them so far, but maybe the face to face approach might work better. They did make it sound like repurchasing (£1500+) would be the only option.

If they are Phonak branded I doubt they are software locked. It’s normally only there own Advance range that are locked. You might be able to find an independent hearing aid dispenser who may help.

Unfortunately some people have found otherwise, but it’s always worth checking tho.

Hi

Sadly 99% of hearing aids from Boots & Specsavers are locked, including Phonak aids. Even if you have the equipment as i have, they still can’t be unlocked due to a code that Boots & Specsavers generate on sold aids.

I have tried contacting both for codes for customers, but both Boots & Specsavers refuse to let me have the codes. So many hearing aids are getting wasted due to these companies. I advise my customers to use another supplier for this reason.

Hope this helps.

We’ve had a forum member who state’s that he was able to factory reset his Phonak Specsavers models using target and remove the pin code, as yet unconfirmed from anyone else, but yes it’s outrageous they still do this.

Hi

Sorry for late replying.

That’s very interesting, as last night I connected a set of other Phonak hearing aids to target, and yes it done a factory reset on them. So with that information you maybe right.

Thanks again

Edited

In reply to @BadBackBilly

@BadBackBilly said:

I have tried contacting both for codes for customers, but both Boots & Specsavers refuse to let me have the codes. So many hearing aids are getting wasted due to these companies. I advise my customers to use another supplier for this reason.

And people will keep buying from them.

However, they might fall foul (in Europe, not U.K.) of the legislators. (EDIT: And the U.K. government is making noises about returning to imminent regulatory alignment with EU.) There’s a right to repair act coming from the EU. - I thought initially it would mainly be an issue for replacing rechargeable batteries, but the more I’ve read, it’s actually being implemented to stop lockout codes being used by manufacturers to limit access to devices.

The main application seems to be to stop car manufacturers coding up and badging cheaper parts with more expensive brand pricing. I suspect there will be big changes for industries making printer cartridges and other similar product forms.

I self programme a pair of Phonak Naida Lumity L90 SP, and have the sellers original receipt. They’re from boots, and there was no lock code. Strange.

Note: a factory reset doesn’t remove a (UK) NHS code.

In reply to @Um_bongo

The right to repair will apply hopefully to hearing aids. I can’t understand why they do it in the first place, its not as if the hearing aids are cheap from either of them.

This certainly needs sorting out, as its the customer that is missing out after all. Thanks for letting us know, there could be light at the end of the tunnal after all.

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