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(Why) is Costco perceived as second rate? Cultural context?

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The aid is like a piano. You can pay a little or a lot. The pianist is the key to the sound quality.

The analogy extends as far as a cheap piano, played well is far preferable to a top end one played badly.

I don’t have a Costco anywhere near me and haven’t done there, but my mom and MIL have theirs through Costco.

From what I’ve been able to glean from their fitting processes, it doesn’t seem that Costco does when fitting aids? While maybe not essential, this seems a real icing-on-the-cake aspect of a good fitting. Every time I’ve had it done with new devices I can tell the difference as the Audi goes through iterations of tweaks during the REM part of the fitting.

Costco always does . It’s a part of their published service standard. Of course it’s perfectly possible to do REM badly too so the person is key.

In reply to @ha11

All I know for sure is that the Costco I use in California (USA) is that they have always used with any new hearing aid fitting I had. They do not routinely offer it if a different dome or custom mold is used, although will if requested. My feeling is that using it with an initial fit is part of quality control. Practices may vary by location and individual provider. By contrast, I’ve seen 4 private audiologists fit hearing aids and none of them volunteered REM (although some would do it if asked)

At the end of the day, service quality is down to the individual clinician. You can find good people and bad people at Costco just like anywhere else. There are some factors that impact the likelihood of finding someone good at Costco in either direction.

Cons for finding a great provider at Costco: The scope of practice is more limited and therefore on average the bright stars who are interested in constantly extending their education and improving their practice may be more likely to avoid it, or likely to get bored by it and move on. This is moderated in Canada by very high renumeration and benefits, and a company drive to hire audiologists. My understanding is that this is NOT the case in America, where renumeration at Costco is much lower which again may lead top candidates to avoid it.

Note that I said ‘on average’, as there are always other personal/family situations that will lead an individual to take one position or another. Similarly, there are life circumstances that may lead a high-acheiver to get a hearing instrument specialist license rather than an audiology degree. Additionally, the low cost to consumers and the work without commission can be a strong draw for clinicians for ideological reasons reasons. However, from what I hear from Costco colleagues, the idea that Costco puts less sales pressure on clinicians than other positions is laregly a myth.

On the pros side: Costco is doing a good job implementing required standards of practice, so even if your Costco clinician is a mediocre fitter, a requirement to follow a set guideline will prop up their outcomes. These are the benefits of standardization, right? Whereas if you meet a poor fitter in the wild who is only beholden to themselves, they can fail in whatever spectacular manner they like.

Edited

In reply to @tenkan

@tenkan said:

Costco sell the latest models of the same quality as well.

I can’t get my current aids at costco (signia 7 ax). Again, I mentioned that I’m a musician. I trialed the Signia 5’s as well. the 7’s were better for my needs. I have a limited budget but paying a bit more for better sound quality is worth it to me.
Trialing aids inside of costco and making a decision between brands in that environment was annoying to me. I had an 8 week trial of the signias through my local provider. And the audis office and the immediate surroundings, indoors and out, were a more reliable environment for the initial assessment. tenkan, you’re just going to have to accept that some people have different experiences than you. When someone says they don’[t like costco pizza, making a series of bullet points and attempting to defeat them with a barrage of rebuttals is useless and beside the point.
I find it amusing that some here act as if costco is the poor little shop that everyone hates, and leaps to its defense at the slightest provocation. Costco is a hulking behemoth that operates internationally. They can survive my little critique.

In reply to @jeffrey

@jeffrey said:

I can’t get my current aids at costco (signia 7 ax)

It’s a Rexton brand at Costco.

@jeffrey said:

Trialing aids inside of costco and making a decision between brands in that environment was annoying to me

I get that,and it is, but you do get that much longer trail in the real world just to be sure they are right for you.

@jeffrey said:

tenkan, you’re just going to have to accept that some people have different experiences than you.

Oh absolutely, I always do, I’m not saying Costco is “better” I was just clearing up some facts about the service that Costco offers, nothing more.

@jeffrey said:

When someone says they don’[t like costco pizza, making a series of bullet points and attempting to defeat them with a barrage of rebuttals is useless and beside the point

Again I’m not criticising your decision or stating Costco is better, just correcting some of the services provided, against what you were saying.

@jeffrey said:

I find it amusing that some here act as if costco is the poor little shop that everyone hates, and leaps to its defense at the slightest provocation

That might be your interpretation of it, but guess what, I don’t shop there. But I believe in “one who lives in a glasshouse shouldn’t throw stones”

@jeffrey said:

Costco is a hulking behemoth that operates internationally.

Can’t agree more, they practically destroy any local businesses within range of their warehouses.

Edited

I don’t think cosco has the signia AX7’s under their rexton brand. Yet! they may well in the near future.

Again, the service provided me at costco wasn’t very good. It was years ago and I can’[t recall all the details. . After the hearing test they gave me two different brands of aids. One pair wasn’t functioning but I didn’t or perhaps was calibrated way off. the other pair didn’t impress me. The audis didn’t really provfide me with much info or spend any time working to fine tune the aids. they were too busy or indifferent. and they couldn’t answer my questions about having a dedicated music program. They didn’t know what I was talking about. Of course this is anecdotal and a too small sample size. But it’[s my experience. maybe I got a bad slice of pizza too.

In any case, I never said that costco doesn’t give a 180 day trial period. I said, or rather meant, that walking around inside of costco trialing the aids to possibly buy was odd and left me indecisive and even disoriented. I’[m never in that kind of environment. It was hard to assess what was working and what wasn’t with the aids given the environment was itself unfamiliar.
You didn’[t mention my main point, which is that I’ve come to know the providers at my shop. Costco strikes me as being more impersonal, but maybe there are audis who are making a career working there. I would get depressed having to work in a windowless cave of a warehouse.

I think one of the reasons some of us defend Costco when we see things posted that aren’t correct is that it’s only because of Costco that hearing aids are even possible for us. For years I knew I needed hearing aids, and the cost made them impossible. Finally in desperation I went to a private audi who promoting a special with this and that free.

Maybe so, but when all was said and done buying what she was selling would have been $7,000. When I said no because of price, I got a counteroffer to fit me with something the audiologist made clear would be inferior but better than nothing since if I didn’t get something soon I’d come down with dementia. The whole experience was a total turn off.

Next time I was telling my doctor to please speak louder, I mentioned my cost problem, and he was the one who sent me to Costco.

The most obnoxious post I’ve ever seen in this forum was by a guy who got the latest and greatest from a private audi and posted, in only slightly less snotty language: “You peons make do with cheap aids. I can afford the best in aids just like I can drive a Mercedes.” That sticks in my mind years later, kind of like the arrogant s.o.b. FBI guy who doesn’t like the way Wal Mart customers smell.

Obnoxious is not limited to Costco customers.

Edited

In reply to @jeffrey

@jeffrey said:

My guess is that a lot of costco audi’s float through and go elsewhere.

not in my experience. I did the tax returns for my Audi from a private practice who earned a low income and received no health insurance. He changed jobs as soon as he could break into Costco, and now earns double the income and has benefits.

@jeffrey said:

And I didn’t like trialing the aids in the store. The atmosphere and the acoustics are horrible.

What better test? real life or quiet office with perfect acoustics

In reply to @tribalrose

Exactly! I needed aids for a number of years but the Audi in the practice I went to quoted a price that I just didn’t feel comfortable with. So I made do with some internet “hearing aids”. Then I heard about Costco. I went in not expecting a better evaluation than the audi but that is exactly what I got! Much more comprehensive exam and wonderful customer service. I now have hearing aids that I LOVE and actually enjoy wearing. And at a price that is reasonable. Add all the extras you get- fitting, 180 day return, 3 year warranty, and free domes and - it is a great deal. Not to mention unlimited follow-up and cleanings. I will defend and recommend Costco all day long!

In reply to @Neville

Could you expand on “the idea that Costco puts less sales pressure on clinicians than other positiions is laregely a myth.”? I’m guessing you mean that Costco does indeed exert pressure to make sales, although perhaps you mean other places don’t exert much pressure? If the former, how does Costco exert pressure? I would guess some sort of metric?

I’ve been using for close to 40 years through several places due to moves, etc. The last one before going to Costco was a good (if expensive) experience until some bigwig dropped in with a hard-sell rant to get me to upgrade. I don’t put up with that at all. His diatribe only served in making me look elsewhere. My KS9s have been better than the rest I’ve had so far, and I have no complaints about the service. I just returned from Costco for a repair due to my right HA dying on me. Called on Saturday afternoon, appointment Monday morning, receiver replaced in 15 minutes under warranty (2 years old). Nothing “second rate” about that, and at 1/3 the price of the last pair I had.

Edited

The reality is that private business owners often feel the sales pressure even more acutely as they have no income but still all the fixed costs unless sales are made.

As an employee, that business imperative has to be applied via targets etc so involve the employee in the same imperative. The management skill is in using the outward mindset to make the targets customer-outcome based, not just x units per y time period.

Different flavours of the same pain.

This has been my issue with a UK chain. Their process is based around them not around the customer and their improved hearing. So they didn’t secure my business.

In combination with this is the strength and depth of their systems around continuity of service across outlets. McD are masters of this with every element of the processes mapped out and verified. Others vary from good to laughable.

For me it is not about the hardware, but about the “fitters” as they are called at Costco. I have an asymmetrical hearing loss, and they just couldn’t fit me properly. I tried them and it just didn’t work out. When I returned the aids and asked for a refund, the fitter started screaming at me. It was awful.

I now have a great audiologist who I have followed when she moved practices and she has been great. Yes, the aids are more expensive than Costco aids, but they work and are fitted properly.

My summary: Costco aids are fine if you have basic run-of-the mill high frequency hearing loss ( I know others who use them and like them), but for anything else, it is a waste of time.

@JeremyDC said:

My summary: Costco aids are fine if you have basic run-of-the mill high frequency hearing loss ( I know others who use them and like them), but for anything else, it is a waste of time.

This is absolutely not true, are good for just about any type of hearing loss, there’s no “special” as such, sure you get HAs for and () and some to help with ADHD, in your case nothing special for asymmetric hearing loss.

If you read the post’s in this topic,you’ll see that Costco sell the latest models from the big manufacturers, basically the same ones you can get from any other audiology clinic.

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