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Why do most audiologist refuse to reprogram online purchases?

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I wouldn’t even try for it yourself. I would always think I didn’t get it right

In reply to @tenkan

Avarice/ Greed, seems to go hand in hand with the major hearing aid manufacturers, especially stateside, and the only reason we are half the cost for premier private aids in the UK, is the NHS dispense free, at point of service, because of that factor, competition isn’t a level playing field, hence we get a better deal from the private sector….You will get a good set of quality aids via the NHS, perhaps 2, 3 or 4 years behind with technology, 6 months or so ago, they gave me a set of Phonak Naida M70 SP ’s, now that Naida tech, only came out, I believe in 2020, so their service is improving as those aids are quality…. The NHS, have now improved their overall dispensing service, doing , and word recognition scores, which all bodes well for getting an improved fitting service…. Hopefully the imminent opening up of aids, in the States, will have a major impact, and help to drive down prices for you guys, and girls stateside…… Fingers crossed :wink:

In reply to @Um_bongo

@Um_bongo said:

can see why some firms don’t do it though: it can get ‘messy’ and messy where there’s negligible gross margin is just cost. I think that it’s unfair to dump that cost at the door of my existing customers if the only reason is to allow the online purchaser to ‘game’ the system for their own selfish advantage.

@Um_bongo: FWIW, I agree with this summary. Thanks for taking the time to provide a thorough response.

What about liability, here in the wonderful USA… where we sue for everything. Can imagine it would only take one instance for a provider to stop.
Someone claims their “100% perfect” aids they bought online were ruined by a bad programming session…

In reply to @Um_bongo

Thank you Umbongo for your thoughtful response!

I would agree the operative word here is “messy”.

I have been a DIYer for well over a decade and I have happily paid audiologists for their services (e.g. which I can’t do.) They are qualified and trained professionals (the ones I experienced). A single dental implant costs $6,500 here in the USA - a small titanium stud and a ceramic cap on top. Not a lot of DIYers do their own implants so most of the $6,500 goes to the dental surgeon for their years of training. An audiologist deserves to be paid for their training I think all would agree. We here are all arguing about how much that should be and where the liability boundaries lie - it’s messy.

I don’t know the answer.

I’m not a fan of socialized medicine especially if it puts me 3 or 4 years behind the latest technology. Does it work that way with heart surgery too?

No @hass5744…. Anything that is technically life threatening receives urgent top quality care, any other medical needs go onto a waiting list, with hearing care usually at the rear end of that list, hearing loss is not considered a priority…. And if NHS service cuts are required, yes you have guessed it, they always cut the hearing loss budget first, closely followed by mental health, both tend, to not stick up for themselves, so they cut those services, whom are an easy target…. Cheers Kev :wink:

@sonya_g said:

Oticon.

Oticon and Starkeys programs are free to down load. Others, like Widex, are not and say it is to protect the user, but it is actually it is to protect their high prices. My audiologist wants $800 to re program my aids- too much for me.

In reply to @hass5744

Hearing aid marketing is changing. Doubt that anyone knows for sure how it will resolve. The old professional office with a 4 year Dr. of audiology, many deeply in debt from their education, selling product and providing follow up care is expensive and under attack. Costco is just one disrupter and hearing aids by internet another. My guess is that audiologists want to discourage the alternate methods of purchase and only service their full pay customers.

In reply to @hass5744

@hass5744 said:

I’m not a fan of socialized medicine especially if it puts me 3 or 4 years behind the latest technology. Does it work that way with heart surgery too?

It’s tough. Ideologically, do you think rich people deserve better healthcare than poor people? Private healthcare creates have and have-not strata. That said, if my loved ones are sick and I can fix it by throwing money at it above and beyond what others can afford, I’m going to do that. I suppose it’s always a tug-of-war between collective good and individual good.

In reply to @Um_bongo

@Um_bongo Hi

I think I better ask this in private because its off topic, but I think it would not be hurt and derail the thread. So please, I may ask for it here. And in case anyone wondered as well.

I am curious, how could you brick during programming? I know thing got bricked if you updating BIOS or firmware something like that during processing EX: power outage, BOOM! You are done (yes, you should do it when weather is clear as day, no storms or risking a power outage).

I do programming for my HAs with Noahwireless Link devices. I rarely occasionally get “connection lost” during programming, adjusting. This extremely got me nervous because I fear my HAs will go crazy if it goes like that.

Luckily, it just “connection lost”, and it just reconnects again; however, data on HAs that get connection lost need to reapplied data again. So I reapplied the data and was done. Nothing harm. Worked like a charm.

Is this ‘bricked’ ?? Or is this just a connection lost and I am lucky my programming software is still able to get it back?

A lost connection isn’t ‘bricking’ an aid; that happens all the time during programming.

There’s a few ways it can happen;

1: Power failure during upgrade - if you get a power outage while upgrading you can get a partial re write of the hearing aid o/s, this can leave the aid in an unrecoverable condition.
2:Wireless updates can result in partial data losses.
3:Wire disconnections during programming have potential issues.
4: ESD issues can damage the EEPROM.

This is why l use a laptop and Noahlink to program aids. I have updated firmware without any issues.

I’ve been through this with multiple h/a providers. There are some who have reprogrammed some of the “inherited” ones from relatives and my dad. I’ve also had a couple sent out for repairs at different ones. But it’s tough. They really only want to sell you brand new ones. I’ve worn h/a’s from 30 years of age. And I’m 63 now. That’s a long time to put up with bad business practices of h/a providers who really don’t care about people. It’s a sales industry driven by profits of new aids. Plain and simple that they only offer their own service on their own aids. This drives us towards self service. One of my latest examples of PIA h/a provider was I went in and asked to get my hearing tested. I stated I wanted them to look at my h/a that was on the blink too. They gave me the test (paid for by my insurance) and they looked at my aids and said “too old we don’t have the equipment but I may be able to get it from another office”. This was for my resounds aids from my father in law. Well, turned out they never called me back about doing them and I ended up buying the Noah link from ebay and getting the software and cables myself. It was my first attempt at programming. I had some problems with one aid being broken and turned out to be the that was bad. I replaced it and was able to reprogram with learning it all myself (didn’t know about this forum at the time) and actually the aids worked pretty well after it. By the time I had it all worked out I had bought new Signia NX3’s and they are great too but actually my reprogramming is just as good as my 3,000$ aids are. (They don’t have Bluetooth though which is a real help for my job being on the phone a lot) But, the truth is most of the h/a providers I’ve been to have not wanted to help me get my aids working for me. Even if I wanted to pay them to do it. They always have an excuse. Too old, broken, no parts available blah blah blah. It’s to the point where if I go to one of these places I just ask for what they can do. If they start with the excuses I politely say “thanks but no thanks” and pay them for whatever I owe and leave. H/A providers in my area of Western Pa are tough cookies. Sell, sell sell !

I bought them online, and when I went Hearing Solutions, I was told. How you got these hearing aids is not standard for Canada. I said ok, so how much for the hearing test and getting these working in my ears? OMG, the hearing test was free, LOL, but since these hearing aids are new you will have to pay a prescription/dispensing fee of $2,200.00 + receivers and such. Such a bunch of BS.

Who was it here on the boards, that purchased online, they sent the recent to the seller and the aids were programmed to the audiogram. From memory they were going to have further adjustments from the seller as well… Wish I could remember who it was now… GAHHH

In reply to @Deaf_piper

I never posted about it, but I did. I purchased online (eBay) and the seller programmed per my . Unfortunately, the programming wasn’t “perfect”. So I paid to go see an audiologist in person…still not that great though.

I’m now exploring self programming.

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