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Which Costco hearing aid? (here we go again...)

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In reply to @Lynn54

Your hearing loss is measured for an . The hearing aid software figures a prescription of gains for that audiogram. Then the fitter should verify that prescription of gain by . If the fitter reprograms the aids how would he know the gains meet the new prescription?

Make sense?

I have had two different brands of Costco hearing aids at the same time in the past to help decide which suited better. The audiologist knew when I bought the second pair that one would be returned and had no problem with it. Admittedly that was some years ago, but I also think that has to do with the fact she is an extremely easygoing person and doesn’t mind going the extra mile.

I’ve also returned two pairs of aids over the years, not at the same time or close to the same time but two, and I’m sure there are computer records of that. It didn’t stop me from getting new aids from them within a year or two of the second return. My guess is some of these obstacles different people are running into depends on how lazy or officious the particular person they’re dealing with is.

I would not plan on two returns back to back because I think that’s frowned upon in general, not just the hearing department.

In reply to @Lynn54

Costco does not have a trial period and I think this is where your confusion is. Costco, unlike some audiologists, doesn’t have demo units for customers.

Costco offers a 180-day return period, which is similar to the 30-day return policy for most store purchases. This return period applies to situations where the product fails to meet the customer’s expectations. It is not intended for testing or evaluating the product.

Their return window is by far the best in the industry and I can see how people can abuse this benefit by trying units and then returning them. Anytime someone returns , its a loss for Costco.

Actually, in my experience Costco does have units they can give to customers for quick in-store trials, short (1 or 2 week) trials at home, or for use while a customer’s are being repaired. Not much more than a month ago, I was given a pair of Jabra Pro 30s for a one week test - but I couldn’t get an appointment to return them for 3 weeks.

Also, I’m sure many customers use the long refund windows to test multiple models. The contract does not in any way prohibit that.

There are 2 ways to do returns. One way is a swap - the customer gives back the HAs they want to return and waits for the replacement. The 2nd way is a refund and new purchase - the customer purchases new HAs and gets a refund on the 1st pair when the new HAs come in or after the longer-term comparison.

The swap method is easier on one’s wallet. If one uses the long refund period for testing multiple models, one may have to lay out cash for the 2nd pair before the refund hits one’s account.

@philbob57 said:

Actually, in my experience Costco does have units they can give to customers for quick in-store trials, short (1 or 2 week) trials at home

They do have units for in-store trials but I’ve never heard of giving units for two weeks for at home testing . I specifically asked for this and I got a firm “no” from the .

The sales contract says “if the hearing aid is not initially fit for your particular needs, it may be returned to the seller with 180 days of the initial date of delivery to you. If you return the hearing aid, the seller will either adjust or replace the hearing aid or promptly refund the total amount paid “. I’m not a lawyer but the way I interpret this is that the unit can be returned only when the aid is not a fit for the client. Not a fit does not mean testing (the unit is a fit but I’m going to return it because I want to see if I like the other one better) But again , I’m not a lawyer and the client may lie and simply say it is not a fit .

@OcramSagev said:

They do have units for in-store trials but I’ve never heard of giving units for two weeks for at home testing . I specifically asked for this and I got a firm “no” from the HIS.

They do (offer loaners) - but not all of them, and you have to ask. I was told only centers with multiple booths may have loaners - and of course only if they are actually available.

(Wish I knew about that loaner option before - I don’t think I was ever offered it in the 3-4 Costco HA centers I’ve been buying hearing aids from for the past 15- years - including those with multiple booths - and I badly needed loaners a couple times while mine needed to be repaired - including this past January.)

I did have the opportunity to test-drive SoundGear / Starkey for a few weeks in March from the Burbank (CA) store. (Didn’t like them - but that’s another story. Did tremendously enjoy the option to test them side-by-side in different sound environments with my old KS9.0 and Philips 9050 I ended up buying.)

For the test-drive: did you have to pay for them or was that part of the 180 day return policy ?

If Costco has that hidden demo/trial option, that’s good info for the folks in here . I’ll go to my Costco and ask for a demo trial of the soundgear .

@OcramSagev said:

For the test-drive: did you have to pay for them or was that part of the 180 day return policy ?

Neither:

  1. Did not have to pay, only sign a loaner agreement.
  2. This was not part of any other policy or agreement.
@OcramSagev said:

I’ll go to my Costco and ask for a demo trial of the soundgear .

Just to be clear:

  1. This is not a demo or a trial, to my knowledge. (I’ve used the term “test-drive” to describe my experience - yet it was still a loaner.) If you walk in and ask for a multi-week “demo” or a “trial” - they may say “no”. The primary purpose of the loaner program is likely to lend existing customers a set of when they need it.
  2. SounGear / Starkey is carried only by a few Costcos. Confirm yours carries it, and that they do have loaners available.

Cheers.

Got it—this makes sense, and I was already aware of it. I misread your comment, thinking you were referring to loaners for free trials before purchasing the units.

  1. I just signed a loaner agreement. I was on the hook to pay retail for anything I didn’t bring back (I borrowed 2 aids, a charger, and cable for charging the charger).

  2. I first came across loaners when my Philips 9010s were sent in for refurb just before the end of warranty. I got a pair of 9040s, which did not seem like much of an upgrade. My wife got loaners when her KS10s went in for repair.

  3. This round, I was uncertain about the Jabra 30s. Loaners were available, so my audi gave me a pair. A few days were enough to show me they were a good purchase, but I needed an appt to return the loaners and buy a pair for myself; then I needed to wait for the aids to arrive, and then I needed to wait for new molds. My audi let me keep the loaners for the few days between ordering and delivery, but again, I had to wait for 2 weeks for an appointment.

  4. I’ve also asked about loaners and been refused. Since I’ve gotten loaners a number of times, I assume they’re just not available when I’ve been refused.

In reply to @rosetribal

In fact that’s what my Costco fitter recommended. She said if I returned a pair, then got a second pair and was unhappy with those and wanted to go back to the first pair, she couldn’t sell them to me. She said to keep the first pair, buy the second and do that comparison for a few months, and then return the ones that I didn’t like. Granted that that is tying up another $1500/$1600 for a few months, but it also would give the best “long term” comparison.

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