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Hearing Aid Practitioner employed at Costco…Ask Me Anything!

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@fuhgettaboutit said:

Hey everyone,

I work at a Costco Hearing Centre as a hearing aid practitioner (2yrs of university + 2 year internship required for state licensing).

To clarify: Costco’s provides hearing aids with THE SAME TECHNOLOGY made by the SAME MANUFACTURER’S as other clinics; Phonak, GN ReSound, Siemens and Bernafon. We employ audiologists and Hearing Aid Practitioners alike. We serve only the 18+ population.

I have worked outside of Costco for several years as well and have a good perspective of this industry. It is an industry full of people (but not ALL) driven by money, not hearing and communication healthcare.

That being said, I truly believe that Costco’s Hearing centres are the hearing aid dispensing industry’s saving grace. We follow standard protocols that are set at the top of the dispensing industry. I have seen life-changing experiences within the hearing centre; nearly 0 returns, and very few adjustment appointments. Simply said; we are doing things right, and people are finally realizing it. Gone are the days of $3000.00+ hearing aids w/ little to no verification and validation procedures.

ASK ME ANYTHING!!

Does Costco (if you really are) know you are on here?

In reply to @Doc_Jake

@Doc_Jake said:

Really not cryptic at all. It’s none of your business what a company or private AuD pays for their products.

Did someone hold a gun to your head and make you buy where you did?

Well there ya go, that’s what I mean.

As a consumer paying for ANYTHING with my hard earned dollars, it is totally and fully and without question “my business” and in my best interests to find out as much as I can about the wholesale or cost to produce furniture, gasoline, diamonds, music, motor vehicles, guns, and everything else I might have an interest in purchasing.

I support your right to “stay in the dark” about what things cost to produce, however, it is a (so far still) free country, so overpay to your heart’s content. I know a lot of folk’s like you and I try to educate them as I can. One can only do so much.

All the best & no offense.

:slight_smile:

In reply to @froggy47

@froggy47 said:

[quote=fuhgettaboutit;117075]It is much lower than you would expect. considering their retail price. Different clinics get different discounts from the manufacturers based on how many units they sell from them. Some are paying around $1000 for a single Alta Pro and selling it for $4000.

— Updated —

Thanks, let’s say just to be conservative, my independent audi paid 1500 each since they may not be a high volume seller. I paid $6200 for the pair. 15% is a VERY NICE profit margin (before taxes) for a small business = $450.

So 6200 - 3000 - 450 = $2750 worth of batteries/domes/wax guards and incompetent programming is what I will get over the next year.

Or in reality I was gouged to the tune of $2000 to 2500. The fair value of the parts & programming is more like 500 bucks MAYBE and since my programmer is so bad I’d assign a value of zero for her services.

And I didn’t get dinner & a movie either.

What this industry needs is more competition like Costco and more transparency. Thanks for this forum for providing some of that. And thank you for joining!

2 cents.

:slight_smile:

Ding ding ding ding ding, you are correct! No one seems to get this LUDICROUS pricing model. People have been getting gauged, and I was one of them. Thank god it’s now changing; clinics will either need to follow suit or falter.

In reply to @frostcall

@frostcall said:

Workers Comp just paid for my phonack V90 (unilateral hearing loss). I’m glad to get it but my Audi does not have the real-ear measurement tool or many years of experience. They do try very hard but my appointments never seem to last long enough to get what I need done. I’m stuck with the service level I’m getting. I wish workers comp could have sent me to CostCo and saved money for them while making my experience better.

You are allowed to go to any clinic you want that takes workers comp clients (most clinics besides Costco). Call around, ask about getting Real Ear Measurements completed. When you find one that is familiar with it, just go there. Even if you have to drive a ways. It is so worth it to be able to communicate, or have a better opportunity at it.

In reply to @NickD

@NickD said:

Thank you for posting this thread!
I am a 54 month dual ear Lyric wearer.
Recently I have just had a lyric in my right ear and have tried various Phonak ITC and BTE including Phonak Bolero Q and most recently Phonak Audéo V .
My dilemma is this 90% of time 1 lyric in my right year is all I need exceptions being watching TV ( and a backup aid if lyric dies) I love the TV link feature and with this setup I am very happy.
But 3200.00 for 1 Bolero and 3500.00 for 1 Audeo V with TV link seems very high.
looking at my #'s what would you suggest at Costco?

Just so you know with both aids in Lyric and any BTE I have zero confusion hearing in laymans terms I hear more from lyric side with BTE adding stuff like dripping water or floors creaking and wind noise in car. to be honest I only wear BTE to watch TV and going on trips just in case Lyric fails
Thanks Nick

Looking at your numbers, you should do very well with the Lyric in both ears, why don’t you have this? Aiding only one ear is akin to having only 1 lens in your eyeglasses, it really does not make any sense (unless finances are an issue). Yes the TV setup is cool, but why not just buy a good quality wireless headset? You are getting wound up in the whirlwind of different products that all do virtually the same things; the only differences are the way the professional is setting them up. If you are stuck on the idea of having a style hearing aid that you can remove and change batteries in, the Brio 312 RIC w/ will do the trick for you.

In reply to @Doc_Jake

@Doc_Jake said:

Does Costco (if you really are) know you are on here?

This question has nothing to do with the goal of the thread; educating the public about a very mysterious and conceiving industry. Sorry if this is offending you, but these people deserve the truth, and they will all eventually find it out one way or another. :wink:

In reply to @froggy47

@froggy47 said:

Well there ya go, that’s what I mean.

As a consumer paying for ANYTHING with my hard earned dollars, it is totally and fully and without question “my business” and in my best interests to find out as much as I can about the wholesale or cost to produce furniture, gasoline, diamonds, music, motor vehicles, guns, and everything else I might have an interest in purchasing.

I support your right to “stay in the dark” about what things cost to produce, however, it is a (so far still) free country, so overpay to your heart’s content. I know a lot of folk’s like you and I try to educate them as I can. One can only do so much.

All the best & no offense.

:slight_smile:

I love it when there is a breath of fresh air amongst the thick, toxic smoke! :smiley: Spread the word!

In reply to @fuhgettaboutit

@fuhgettaboutit said:

No problem buddy. As far as Roger Pen compatibility, I am not sure. I will have to check. The Roger Pen is basically a remote microphone, correct? I know that the Brios are compatible with Phonak’s remote mics.

@fuhgettaboutit

Yes the roger pen is an assistive device that works with a receiver. If Brio can work with Compilot then there is a big chance that roger pen will work because it streams the voice via bluetooth to the receiver attached to the Compilot. Keeping my fingers crossed till you confirm it :slight_smile:

"One this that IS important…Real Ear Measurements to ensure that prescriptive targets are being met. If this is not completed, it is akin to taking home glasses with the incorrect prescription.

I am going to assume that Costco does this, and that this is basically a hearing test while wearing the new ’s. Please correct me if I am wrong.

In reply to @Doc_Jake

@Doc_Jake said:

You should of educated yourself…

Now that there is what I like about Doc Jake. After ripping you a new ahole for asking a question that might offend his peers he still answers your question. Wait for it… Wait for it…

@Doc_Jake said:

the VA pays under $600 per aid I know my new Siemens 7bx, easytek, charger cost them under $1200.

There!

That makes me prefer Doc Jake’s harsh/ Does-your-mommy-know-you’re-posting-in-these-forums treatment over answers like this >>post2<<.

In reply to @fuhgettaboutit

@fuhgettaboutit said:

And? :confused:

And evidently you are a bull shit artist…

So if the pays under $600 for premium aids the cost to manufacture an aid can be no more then $300 an aid. Remember the VA buys direct with no middleman or do they have any actual overhead or need to pay the rent. So, your figuring (guessing) ain’t worth the time it took you to dream it up. You are the one that insisted on going ahead and getting hosed against advice from this forum. Buyers remorse is a bitch but you got what you insisted you wanted.

@Doc_Jake said:

And evidently you are a bull shit artist…

So if the VA pays under $600 for premium aids the cost to manufacture an aid can be no more then $300 an aid. Remember the VA buys direct with no middleman or do they have any actual overhead or need to pay the rent. So, your figuring (guessing) ain’t worth the time it took you to dream it up. You are the one that insisted on going ahead and getting hosed against advice from this forum. Buyers remorse is a bitch but you got what you insisted you wanted.

What does have to do with Costco? Costco does not manufacture hearing aids, they buy them and sell them with a realistic markup. Sorry, I don’t get it.

In reply to @Danny_D

@Danny_D said:

"One this that IS important…Real Ear Measurements to ensure that prescriptive targets are being met. If this is not completed, it is akin to taking home glasses with the incorrect prescription.

I am going to assume that Costco does this, and that this is basically a hearing test while wearing the new HA’s. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Real ear measurements are NOT a hearing test with the hearing aids on. It is a verification procedure to ensure that the hearing aid is outputting enough volume to hit your acoustic prescriptive targets. This is achieved by placing a small microphone between your eardrum and the tip of the hearing aid. The professional then sits you in front of a machine that plays different levels of speech sounds. The professional adjusts the hearing aid until all necessary targets are met. It can be a complex concept to the untrained public.

In reply to @nc2kids

@nc2kids said:

@fuhgettaboutit

Yes the roger pen is an FM assistive device that works with a receiver. If Brio can work with Compilot then there is a big chance that roger pen will work because it streams the voice via bluetooth to the receiver attached to the Compilot. Keeping my fingers crossed till you confirm it :slight_smile:

You are correct! The roger is compatible as long as you have a ComPilot! :smiley:

In reply to @Doc_Jake

@Doc_Jake said:

And evidently you are a bull shit artist…

So if the VA pays under $600 for premium aids the cost to manufacture an aid can be no more then $300 an aid. Remember the VA buys direct with no middleman or do they have any actual overhead or need to pay the rent. So, your figuring (guessing) ain’t worth the time it took you to dream it up. You are the one that insisted on going ahead and getting hosed against advice from this forum. Buyers remorse is a bitch but you got what you insisted you wanted.

So let’s say the real total cost to build an aid PAIR by any major company is 600. I can totally believe that to be the case, makes all kinds of sense, there are no “magic” parts inside. Mics, speakers, a chip and software.

All that means is when Oticon/Seimens/Phonak charges an audi $1500 to $3000 the audi is getting gouged. Then when the audi charges ME $6200 I am getting gouged. So as our new member so rightly points out, the industry is a sorry quagmire of overcharging, secrecy, shoddy programming and whatever other dirty tricks & snakeoil the industry can get away with. It’s at a turning point & Costco is leading the charge. Can’t wait for WalMart to jump in.

My next pair in a few years will be bought on Amazon for about $500 or less and I will self program them & do a video so others can see how easy it is.

:slight_smile:

In reply to @fuhgettaboutit

@fuhgettaboutit said:

Real ear measurements are NOT a hearing test with the hearing aids on. It is a verification procedure to ensure that the hearing aid is outputting enough volume to hit your acoustic prescriptive targets. This is achieved by placing a small microphone between your eardrum and the tip of the hearing aid. The professional then sits you in front of a machine that plays different levels of speech sounds. The professional adjusts the hearing aid until all necessary targets are met. It can be a complex concept to the untrained public.

So the ’s are programed based on your test results and then the is done? My appointment is 2/24/15, so besides being anxious, I want to know what to expect. Thanks for your help.

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