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Buying Hearing Aids: ENT Audiologist vs. Costco

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Question About Buying Hearing Aids: ENT Audiologist vs. Costco

Is there anyone here who has purchased hearing aids both from an audiologist and from Costco? I’m not asking about any specific brand.

I’m trying to understand whether the price difference is really that significant, and why some people choose to buy hearing aids from an ENT audiologist instead of Costco (or vice versa).

For those who have experience with both, is there a noticeable difference in:

  • Overall hearing aid quality

  • Hardware and available features

  • Fitting, settings, and programming quality

In real-world use, does the level of care, follow-up, and overall performance from an ENT audiologist differ substantially from what you get at Costco, or are the differences relatively small?

The reason I’m asking is to better understand whether there truly is a major difference—so that, if there is one, people who can afford it should strongly consider getting hearing aids from an ENT audiologist. I’d really appreciate hearing about personal experiences and insights.

Thanks in advance.

26 people in this conversation30 min readJump to latest

As far as quality goes, Costco sells only the premium models that are available from your /Audiologist. Costco is the second largest hearing aid provider in the US, second only to the . The devices sold by Costco are re-badged for them so that they do not appear to be in direct competition with independent audiologists. Costco usually uses hearing aid specialists rather than audiologists for testing and fitting. Costco provides support and adjustments free for as long as the manufacturer supports the device. They also provide a 180 day, no questions asked trial/return policy. The price difference reflects the scale of their operation and their relative low incremental overhead in the hearing aid operation. Costco has a large number of hearing aid specialists and some are better than others. The same can be said of independent audiologists. Those with a complicated hearing issue may want to use an audiologist. I have purchased from Costco and from independent audiologists over the last 20 years. I wear Phonak Spheres which I purchased elsewhere since Costco does not currently sell the equivalent device.

First I’m not sure if you understand that and audiologists are different professions. It’s unlikely an ENT (a physician) would fit you with hearing aids although they may have an audiologist in the same office who would. There is tremendous variety in the talent and experience of the people who fit hearing aids. There is also a lot of price difference between Costco and private hearing aid offices. In the US, Costco prices are a little over $1500 per pair. Private hearing clinics will be anywhere from $4000 to $7000 and up. My take is that unless if you have a strong recommendation of somebody to see, Costco is the safer bet. It’s risk free (180 day return period with full refund) and they have some quality standards. Private offices are a crap shoot. Some are excellent but many are mediocre.

Unless you what the Phonak Spheres, or have some special hearing issue, I would try Costco first. It doesn’t seem that you have much to lose except your time and fuel cost. Of course having hearing aid insurance may make a private audiologist the cheaper provider.

Personally, I don’t think a doctor of audiology could have programmed my hearing aids any better then the hearing aid fitter at my local Costco.

The hearing aids are pretty much the latest top-of-line with the exception of the Phonak rebadged they currently sell. The Phonak rebadged are not the latest Sphere model.

Edited

I agree that an will not necessarily program aids better than the except for some exceptions (example: Tinnitus and children).

The price difference is gigantic due to Costco’s high-volume market power mostly. It is not an example of “you get what you pay for”.

What I really like about Costco: Premium tech level devices cheaper than the entry levels you can find at an AuD office and 180 days return policy vs 45 days. It’s a risk free purchase in my opinion.

That said, there are people who don’t mind paying thousands more (or have insurance) for a more “intimate” service, shorter distance or aids that are not available at Costco (Widex, Spheres).

In my case, I had a better experience with Costco than with Kaiser Audiology.

I bought two pairs of from Costco and saved a couple of grand each time. Having said that, I bought my current pair from an audiologist because my hearing loss has progressed to severe/profound stage, and I was no longer confident that Costco had the choices available or the expertise to fit me properly. I’d recommend Costco for mild to medium hearing loss.

Price wise I would give Costco the nod. Professional fitting wise it is a crap shoot. I know some Costco fitter who do a really good job fitting instruments. I have also seen a lot of poorly fit Costco aids. Where ever you go, make sure they use “Best Practices” during the fitting. I would also inquire on how long they have been fitting hearing aids. A 20 year veteran will likely do a better job than a 6 month veteran. The biggest job for you is to make sure if you have a problem you go back and let the professional know about it. A competent professional fix or at least lessen most problems you could encounter. Also, make sure you like the professional you deal with - if you don’t like them you probably will not go back with questions or for service and adjustments.

In reply to @MDB

@MDB said:

First I’m not sure if you understand that ENTs and audiologists are different professions. It’s unlikely an ENT (a physician) would fit you with hearing aids although they may have an audiologist in the same office who would. There is tremendous variety in the talent and experience of the people who fit hearing aids. There is also a lot of price difference between Costco and private hearing aid offices. In the US, Costco prices are a little over $1500 per pair. Private hearing clinics will be anywhere from $4000 to $7000 and up. My take is that unless if you have a strong recommendation of somebody to see, Costco is the safer bet. It’s risk free (180 day return period with full refund) and they have some quality standards. Private offices are a crap shoot. Some are excellent but many are mediocre.

Maybe I wasn’t clear earlier—I meant practices where the physician has an audiologist on staff or a closely connected audiology practice. I understand that ENTs themselves typically don’t fit hearing aids, and that there are also independent audiologists and hearing aid professionals not affiliated with ENT offices.

As you noted, the price difference is substantial, and Costco’s return policy is extremely generous. Those factors definitely make Costco an attractive and lower‑risk option, especially without a strong personal recommendation for a specific private provider.

Edited

Yes.

My first set of were from Costco. Those were the Kirkland 5s which were Resounds at the time, but a generation or two behind the top end Resounds. My Costco fitter back then seemed a little burned out, but got the job done. He was good at my follow-up and fixing any subsequent issues as well. The K-5s cost me ~$1,200, IIRC.

Two + years later I inherited a top end set of Resounds and used a localAudi to set them up for me. A noticeable improvement over the older Kirklands. Testing and fitting was the same or very similar computer drivem process the licensed Costco fitter used.

Then again with the same Audiologist a couple of years later with the next gen Resound Ones. That set was around $5k including a 3 year full service warranty. One aid was replaced under warranty and the Audi never got them to work properly with the phone app afterwards. (She gave me the number for Resound customer service.)

Then last year it was a debate on getting the brand new Resound Viva 9s at over $6k through my Audi - or the (then) one-generation-behind Jabra 20s from Costco. After a disappointing (post warranty) office visit with the Audi for minor repairs, I decided on Costco and the Jabra 20s.

The Jabra 20s cost me $1,595 (IIRC again) plus the cost of custom molds, which I prefer. I requested the senior fitter based on the list posted at my preferred Costco location - and got lucky. She is absolutely as good as my Audiologist. (Small sample and all that,) And a better smart phone tech.

Naturally the Jabra 30s (rebranded Viva 9s, or close enough) became available soon after - and I upgraded a couple of months later.

My first pair of hearing aids were from a private clinic. A few years later I got a new pair from Costco. The Costco exam was noticeably more thorough that the private clinic and included real ear measurements, which the private clinic did not do. I am planning to get new aids soon due to the improvements in technology since I received my KS-8s. I will be starting out with Costco.

Yes, I have had experiences with both. My first visit/experience was to a Mercy Health Care, audiologist who performed a mediocre hearing test, charged an outrageous price for in-house aids. One aid failed within 6 months and I was informed it would cost me $600 to repair. Disgusted, I took a chance on Costco, who had a licensed audiologist who performed a free, world better hearing test, sold me a pair of better aids for less, with 3 year warranty, and free periodic cleaning, and in-house minor repairs if needed. We all know there is no perfect answer for hearing problems.I am not trying to promote Costco, but they are the lesser of the evils, with consistently better service at a better price, and they back up their products. With severe hearing loss, I try to keep up with the improving technology, and buy a new pair every 3 years. I will not pay another high-priced ENT specialist to tell me I have a hearing loss, “by my hearing aids”.

@Hearinghelp1 said:

I’m trying to understand whether the price difference is really that significant, and why some people choose to buy hearing aids from an ENT audiologist instead of Costco (or vice versa).

I’m trying to understand whether the price difference is really that significant, and why some people choose to buy hearing aids from an audiologist instead of Costco (or vice versa).

The reason I don’t go to Costco is that it is 100 miles away.

@Hearinghelp1 said:

I’m trying to understand whether the price difference is really that significant, and why some people choose to buy hearing aids from an ENT audiologist instead of Costco (or vice versa).

The nearest Costco for me is 100 miles away. I also have Advantage 75 insurance, which pays $1200 every 4 years (the minimum time). Additionally, there is only one clinic in my city that follows “best practices” (as urged by Dr. Cliff’s), but it does not support my insurance.

So, I am '“stuck”. What should I do? I’m eligible for new aids in 7 months. I called the hearing clinic where I have been treated in the past, and they have agreed to give me a free (it’s been 5 or 6 yrs), and they say, due to many patients it will be Sept. before they can.

I love the Costco posts, but I really can’t get too interested in the company, since they don’t support any insurance companies

@comeagain said:

I love the Costco posts, but I really can’t get too interested in the company, since they don’t support any insurance companies

With an insurance benefit of only $1,200, Isn’t your out of pocket cost still higher with insurance and a private audiologist? I don’t disagree that the long drive to your closest Costco would be a pain, however.

(Using $1,700 or thereabouts for the Jabra 30 at Costco Vs ($6k-ish - $1,200) for the Resound Viva 9.)

I tried the Philips 9050s and then the Intent 1s which are supposedly comparable. In my experience, the Intent 1s were much clearer in speech. I didn’t realize how hard I was working to hear with the 9050 until I tried the Intents and the ease of hearing was amazing. Yes, I did work with the fitter at Costco to try to improve the sound. Unfortunately, I returned both because neither worked well in noise.

In reply to @comeagain

@comeagain Yes, Costco does not deal with insurance companies. When I initially discovered that I thought that meant my health insurance would not pay for Costco . (My policy allows $2,500 for HA, exams etc. every fifth calendar year.)

But then I called my insurance company! They said in order to be eligible for reimbursement I had to get a prescription from one of the audiologists on their approved list (a very long list) along with an . Then I could buy the HA from anywhere, pay cash if need be, send in a copy of the invoice(s) and get reimbursed by my insurance company up to the limit of my policy.

Some plans have out-of-network coverage that could be used to get some reimbursement for Costco aids. Often this will be a reduced benefit. The patient would have to pay and submit the paperwork. Verify whether the plan requires a prescription/referral from a GP or sometimes even an . I noticed a plan that specifically had good coverage for Costco (perhaps it works out cheaper for the plan due to Costco’s pricing and the plan members are satisfied enough).

One should always verify for each plan and each year as plans are updating coverage to comply with state law changes.

Edited

After 20 years with three PhD audiologists (two of whom worked in affiliation with an on-site , and one who was independent), I switched to Costco last year and now have what is clearly to me the best aids I’ve ever had in terms of hearing performance. How much of that is due to having an updated and top of the line Jabra/ReSound aid instead of an entry-level model, and how much of it due to the (non-PhD) hearing aid specialist at Costco doing a better job of fitting is hard to say.

What really pushed me from the audiologist whose office is a five-minute drive from my home to a Costco that is 90+ minutes away is the price differential, especially when annualized over the life of the aids. What they don’t tell you before you get your first pair of aids: you may think you’re getting aids that will last a “lifetime” or at least a decade, but particularly if you are getting aids with built-in rechargeable batteries, they are likely to wear out, and you will probably want to replace them, within a 3-6 year timeframe. My previous ReSound Quattros were completely shot after six years. I just couldn’t justify the higher cost of the audiologist models in that timeframe; I can justify Costco’s price that way. But I didn’t have to “settle” for any negative other than the longer drive in going with Costco. Most people live closer to one.

So much of how you’ll feel about your aids will come down to the skill of the person programming them, and as others have said, there are great PhD audiologists at this, and great Costco hearing specialists at this. My Costco hearing advisor took me very seriously when I said speech comprehension has been my biggest problem; I don’t think my previous audiologists heard me when I said that.

Oh, and in terms of what CaptainTrips said, in recommending Costco for mild-to-moderate loss, but didn’t feel as confident about their ability to help with severe-to-profound loss, I can’t speak to profound loss, but they can do moderate-to-severe, which is what I have, for sure, and I would think even severe-to-profound may be worth a trial with their six-month refund offer in the US.

One way to possibly think about it would be whether one would/could pay double. That way there is less concern about loss, damage, battery failures, obsolescence, or just wanting the newest tech. Plan for higher costs per year if one can.

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