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Miracle Ear-have you been screwed also?

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Well, I have posted before, and I wish I had not paid 6000 dollars to get a bad (or non) audiologist. Does this sound familiar? My problem is that my hearing technician what ever his training, is not even familiar with my top of the line ’s! They have this new software out that can switch between programs, but it will not work if Bluetooth is connected to the phone. I mean, who would not want to use that? I called their main number which essentially makes appointments for you, and they would not give me a corporate number, and suggested that I contact consumer affairs! So friendly. At any rate, there is only one provider in my town, and I am at the point that talking to him is too frustrating. I should not have to explain to him what a compression ratio is. At any rate, does anyone else have or has had this problem with their providers? I so regret this decision. And the fact that they are Siemens aids, which can be adjusted by the consumer makes it even harder. While this is immoral, I wonder if it is in fact illegal. You should not be tied to a provider that cannot or will not help you. If you have had success, and most importantly if you have not, please post your thoughts here. I cannot accept that I just gave 6 thousand dollars to these people and now it is a done deal. Thinking about this makes me writhe in pain. Anyone else?

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Are you able to arrange for a Siemens rep to be available during an appointment? It may result in a better outcome for you soundwise, and at a minimum will at least allow you to gleam some product information from the rep, which it sounds like your clinician is struggling with

At this point, I am going to try corporate headquarters tomorrow. If that was an option I would certainly bite the bullet and even maybe pay for it if I could then truly understand these ’s. At this point, I do not even think they would even tell me that they were Siemens. I will post here after I call them tomorrow, and thank you for the suggestion! I mean really…I never would have thought of that as a bargaining chip at this point. I fear I am going to have all my paranoid feelings about the Hearing Aide Industry completely confirmed!

@Rick25 said:

Well, I have posted before, and I wish I had not paid 6000 dollars to get a bad (or non) audiologist. Does this sound familiar? My problem is that my hearing technician what ever his training, is not even familiar with my top of the line HA’s! They have this new software out that can switch between programs, but it will not work if Bluetooth is connected to the phone. I mean, who would not want to use that? I called their main number which essentially makes appointments for you, and they would not give me a corporate number, and suggested that I contact consumer affairs! So friendly. At any rate, there is only one provider in my town, and I am at the point that talking to him is too frustrating. I should not have to explain to him what a compression ratio is. At any rate, does anyone else have or has had this problem with their providers? I so regret this decision. And the fact that they are Siemens aids, which can be adjusted by the consumer makes it even harder. While this is immoral, I wonder if it is in fact illegal. You should not be tied to a provider that cannot or will not help you. If you have had success, and most importantly if you have not, please post your thoughts here. I cannot accept that I just gave 6 thousand dollars to these people and now it is a done deal. Thinking about this makes me writhe in pain. Anyone else?

How long have you had the ’s? Did it come with a trial period? Since it’s Miracle Ear you can always go to another outlet and see if they can do the adjustments needed. Good luck!

@Rick25 said:

Well, I have posted before, and I wish I had not paid 6000 dollars to get a bad (or non) audiologist. Does this sound familiar? My problem is that my hearing technician what ever his training, is not even familiar with my top of the line HA’s! They have this new software out that can switch between programs, but it will not work if Bluetooth is connected to the phone. I mean, who would not want to use that? I called their main number which essentially makes appointments for you, and they would not give me a corporate number, and suggested that I contact consumer affairs! So friendly. At any rate, there is only one provider in my town, and I am at the point that talking to him is too frustrating. I should not have to explain to him what a compression ratio is. At any rate, does anyone else have or has had this problem with their providers? I so regret this decision. And the fact that they are Siemens aids, which can be adjusted by the consumer makes it even harder. While this is immoral, I wonder if it is in fact illegal. You should not be tied to a provider that cannot or will not help you. If you have had success, and most importantly if you have not, please post your thoughts here. I cannot accept that I just gave 6 thousand dollars to these people and now it is a done deal. Thinking about this makes me writhe in pain. Anyone else?

Rick,
This topic fascinates me. I found out about it when my sister had me take time off from work because her local bankers hours-keeping Miracle Ear Franchise (NOT AN AUDIOLOGIST) wanted someone accompany her to what turned out to be a high pressure sales pitch. About 25 minutes in, I demanded she walk out with me.
I believe you posted about this 6 months ago, so the free trial period is over. I don’t know if you got satisfaction by calling Miracle Ear customer service in Minnesota at 800-241-1372. As for problems with the Genius Bluetooth, you can try emailing for support at the address given where you download the software:
Miracle-EarAppSupport@Amplifon.com

A few other suggestions which may get some help from Amplifon/Miracle Ear in Minnesota:

  1. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota:
    http://www.bbb.org/minnesota/business-reviews/hearing-aids-and-assistive-devices/miracle-ear-inc-in-plymouth-mn-400008023

  2. Post a complaint to one of the comments on Miracle Ear’s facebook page:
    Miracle-Ear33
    I notice that they respond to these comments.
    The owners and employees of Miracle Ear franchises apparently have no incentive to fully utilize the many features of these hearing aids, the development of which was financed by the high prices charged for Miracle Ear and other brands manufactured by Sivantos.
    Miracle Ear unloaded their company stores to franchisees years ago. They now have to find some way to support their products and Bluetooth streamers like manufacturers of computers and TV’s support their software-programmable features. Or we will have more cases like Rick’s.

Well, more bad news. After calling corporate headquarters, it turns out that this is what they call consumer affairs. They told me that there is one other office 20 miles from me that is only open on Tuesdays. And somehow, I do not feel they will be any better, and my hearing “specialist” will just get annoyed with me, more than he already is, and I will not get any satisfaction. Somehow, I cannot believe that I cannot go to an audiologist with this product that I own, and no one else can work on them. Sadly, I might have to buy another set, and then try to sue these people. And I know that these are actually good hearing aides that could be adjusted much better than they are. This guy actually told me when he was frustrated that none of his clients use the streamer for anything. This is what enables me to talk on the phone, listen to TV without driving everyone else crazy, etc. I mean, come on! I really feel stupid here, and am afraid to make any big financial decisions because of this. I called the Attorney general’s office as well, and doing anything would mean calling him out. I have had a stroke, and thinking about this makes my blood pressure go up. In short, no one should go to Miracle Ear. This should be criminal.

Edited

Call the guy who is adjusting your aids and tell him you want the Miracle Ear rep in the office the next time you come in for an adjustment and see what he says. There is always the consumer watchdogs on your local TV stations, action line(if you still have one) or small claims court, you might get someone with a sympathetic ear, hearing your case, no pun intended! Can you post your numbers and your rec scores? If you don’t have them from M.E. you may have to go elsewhere such as a Costco or an audiologist to get them through another hearing test.

This is a long shot; does anyone have any opinion if this would work?

It has been posted on numerous web sites that the Miracle Ear ME5300 is very, very similar to a Siemens Binax. What if you went to audiologists who work with Siemens hearing aids and told them your problem with Miracle Ear’s locked software? Pay them to line up a pair of Binax for you, then get the fitting report. Take the fitting report back to the Miracle Ear dealer and tell him or her to use those settings as a starting point.

Well, those are some very good ideas! Thank you so much, and I am going to try them. I will post my scores as soon as I get another copy, but is is severe t profound. I so wish I had joined this forum earlier, and could have avoided this!

So glad I opted to cancel my apt with miracle ear when I first when hearing aid shopping. Seems like they are the trash of the industry.

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