Is my audiologist scamming me?

I do not think that Costco sell a hearing aid made by Widex

So maybe it could be comparable or maybe not.

@Ansextra said:

Who decides if it is a “drastically inflated figure”? If it’s the going rate among private audis then that’s what it is. Just because Costco can sell cheaper does not mean that a private audi is overcharging. They’re different business models entirely.

Common sense and a simple google search will show you that many places are selling the Linx 7 HA’s for around $3,600 a pair and the Linx2 9 which is a newer model for about $4,400 a pair. So I would say that someone selling a Linx 7 for $7,000 is drastically inflating the price and scamming not only the patient but the insurance co. as well.

@RUSS-SHETTLE said:

It’s too late for me to save because I’m new to HAs and didn’t learn about Costco in time. What I still don’t know is if Costco could have fit me up with aids comparable to my Widex Unique 330s given my profound hearing loss. I’ll know next time what to do and what to ask and where to go.

A friend of mine has a profound loss and has been using Costco for years. So you won’t know until you go and see if they can fit your loss.

@Ansextra said:

Who decides if it is a “drastically inflated figure”? If it’s the going rate among private audis then that’s what it is. Just because Costco can sell cheaper does not mean that a private audi is overcharging. They’re different business models entirely.

Dang write and the Private Audi model is on its way out, just like eye glasses. Competition will put them out of biz and put them in the same file as Buggy Whip and 8-Track/Cassette Tapes.

@dereckbc said:

Costco sells: Kirkland (made by ReSound), Resound, Rexton, Bernafon, and Phonak

Next time guys…iI’ll know better. I have these for at least 3 years with a total replacement warranty. Don’t get me wrong, they work just great but I might have saved 2K or more had I known anything.

Get screwed and learn!

Based upon posts here and a very small amount of knowledge Widex uses different technology than the others so you may hear better or you may hear worse or the same and there is no direct comparison to any of the Costco sold aids. Also the Audi is at least half the difference in making a good hearing aid great. If they work great do not beat your self up about the price.

Wait a for a few more posts and you will find that some agree with me and others disagree but that is just the same in every thread.

Justed, I believe in what you say. It makes sense. I’m sure there are several premium aids out there equal to Widex but they must be programmed well to perform optimally to individual needs and the audi is in the driver’s seat.

Tinnitus masking and my relationship with my ENT were the deciding factors for me. If I was just picking an audi off the street I probably would have ended up at Costco and been very happy. My job is very service oriented so relationships are important to me.

My job was that as well plus I had several employees under me I had to communicate with. That’s all in the past now for I am retired and spending full-time with my wife which there became the realization and the problem that I could not communicate with her. How I got through work is a mericle but my wife didn’t give me an ounce of slack. It was do something about my hearing or else. So here I am, in a whole new world of renewed understanding through communication and in that regard, $6,200 was well spent. I really did not know how bad my hearing had become.

@Ansextra said:

Not as long as Costco is restricted to not selling certain features or the newest aids the private audis will still be around.

Therein lies the problem. The manufactures are restricting what models Costco can sell thus protecting Audi’s monopoly. Wait until another retail chain decides to get in on the act. Say Walmart with buying power well beyond Costco and the manufactures will not be able to hold out.

I see this just like eye glasses. That biz was a monopoly for decades until retail chains destroyed the model like Walmart. Eye glasses use to cost several hundred dollars from an eye clinic or eye doctor. Today you can get two pairs for less than $100, even progressive lenses.

Audis as you call them biz model is collapsing, and is just a matter of time before antiquated for the good of the public. There is a huge untapped market for hearing aids in the USA and elsewhere, but that market inaccessible at current prices and biz models.

The Audi’s are not the only ones to blame as they are just half the story. The other half is the manufactures. Manufactures mark ups are astronomical. Couple that with Audi’s astronomical mark ups is just unreasonable. All it will take is a retailer like Costco or Walmart to put enough pressure on just one manufacture, they will break from the pack. When that happens just like eyeglasses, the other manufactures will have to follow or go out of biz.

Right now Baby Boomers are just now entering the HA market and is the largest market segment in the USA. We are not going to put up with it. With us Baby Boomers there are 2 biz guaranteed to Boom to extraordinary heights. Hearing Aid centers at a local retailer like Walmart, and Funeral Homes. It is a Trillion dollar market.

Exactly, I have had younger guys say don’t want aids as I won’t wear them (we are talking free aids). We go to the movies with another couple and the guy always gets one of their headsets and bitches they don’t work worth carp. His wife the proceeds to rip him about getting hearing aids. Then she tries to get me in the middle. This guy could well afford any hearing and never miss it. But he has his mind made up and if handed him a new pair free the would go directly into a drawer

@JustinHIS said:

I’ve explained it many times. It has been proven over and over that price is not what is keeping most people from having hearing aids. And the markup is not what you think it is.

— Updated —

Exactly, I have had younger guys say don’t want aids as I won’t wear them (we are talking free aids). We go to the movies with another couple and the guy always gets one of their headsets and bitches they don’t work worth carp. His wife the proceeds to rip him about getting hearing aids. Then she tries to get me in the middle. This guy could well afford any hearing and never miss it. But he has his mind made up and if handed him a new pair free the would go directly into a drawer

@JustinHIS said:

I’ve explained it many times. It has been proven over and over that price is not what is keeping most people from having hearing aids. And the markup is not what you think it is.

If the price came down and more people could afford them and less feel bad about their decision to purchase then the stigma of HAs would gradually lessen. When I was a child glasses were a big stigma with lots of taunting - even adults hated to get them. Now my sister happily got progressives even though she does not require distance lenses. She wants to see whenever she needs to do so. For HAs price is just one of the barriers but it is a barrier for many. Hearing aids have a bad reputation also with a lot of people spending the money and not getting the benefit to justify the cost then getting disgruntled and influencing others. Any hearing aid set up which squeals gives HAs a bad rap also. I’ve seen lots of HAs over the years which have squealed loudly and that was a worry for me when I found out I needed them.

The more people can afford HAs the better for everyone including those who fit and sell them.

@Ansextra said:

You’re assuming that most people that need hearing aids are willing to purchase them. I disagree. I think many people are too vain to admit they’re losing their hearing and they don’t want to look like they’re handicapped by wearing hearing aids. There is still a stigma. Granted i think it’s less than it was but it’s still very much there in my opinion. I am solidly in the Baby Boomer generation and the first thing most people say to me when they see my hearing aids is “too many concerts”? Then they laugh like that’s the first time I ever heard that line. Truth is I had ear infections every two weeks as a child and was expected to lose my hearing by the time I was 18. People don’t want hearing aids until they have to have them for the most part (once again in my opinion). They will walk around like I did thinking more and more people were mumbling.

Studies have shown that 45% would not get HA’s even if they were free, the other 55% would consider HA’s, but cost does play a significant part to many of those who need them.

@Psocoptera said:

• • • For HAs price is just one of the barriers but it is a barrier for many. Hearing aids have a bad reputation also with a lot of people spending the money and not getting the benefit to justify the cost then getting disgruntled and influencing others. * * *

I agree. For me stigma was irrelevant; I’m old and half bionic now anyway, big deal. I knew I needed aids for years, and the price stopped me until my financial situation improved, and it still almost stopped me until my GP recommended Costco. So for some people price is a stopper. Also, when I was first excited about getting aids, a friend threw a real damper at me with, “I don’t know anyone who has them who’s happy with them.”

— Updated —

@Psocoptera said:

• • • For HAs price is just one of the barriers but it is a barrier for many. Hearing aids have a bad reputation also with a lot of people spending the money and not getting the benefit to justify the cost then getting disgruntled and influencing others. * * *

I agree. For me stigma was irrelevant; I’m old and half bionic now anyway, big deal. I knew I needed aids for years, and the price stopped me until my financial situation improved, and it still almost stopped me until my GP recommended Costco. So for some people price is a stopper. Also, when I was first excited about getting aids, a friend threw a real damper at me with, “I don’t know anyone who has them who’s happy with them.”