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Any Ideas How to Solve This Issue

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Edited

Hello,

Now, I finally made up my mind to buy new hearing aids from online platform\ abroad.

Some members suggested Lumity Trial which has great features. I would go with that but Egyptian banks have limited online purchasing in foreign currencies, around $350 per month. So simply I can’t pay for Lumity!

In addition, My Paypal account was suspended a few weeks ago which is another obstacle.

Any idea on how to solve this issue? Or is it better to go with another good deal below $400 to save myself all these troubles?

9 people in this conversation5 min readJump to latest

These restrictions are imposed by the Egyptian government. Egyptian credit cards now are limited to $350 for online purchases.

Does anyone you know have a foreign-issued credit card? You could give them cash and ask them to buy it for you. I used to do that for people all the time.

Alternatively, you could ask the seller if you can pay with a money order. I wouldn’t normally recommend that, because it’s very high-risk, and there’s no way to get your money back if they don’t ship the goods. But I’m comparing that to American rules for credit cards, and Egyptian credit cards may not have the same protections anyway.

I haven’t looked at ticket prices lately, but if you can get a visa, it honestly might be cheaper to fly to Europe just to pick them up and bring them back. Then at least you’d have them in your hands and you can get everything you need in one trip. The customs people at the airport might still make you pay (though that’s less likely if they’re in your ears when you walk through), but they probably won’t just steal them at that point.

@michael1 thank you! A good idea though I will have to wait for one more month. Also, I have to check this option with the seller.

@Baltazard Thanks! You made me smile.

@CombatWombat My Egyptian friends are on the same boat with me. And almost all of them don’t have credit cards, which is the only method to pay online in foreign currencies.

Unfortunately, Europe will not allow me to get into it.

@raylock1 I will check this option. Someone offered Marvel 70 for 400!

Just ask the Phonak provider to bill you by the month. I totally get the restrictions you are under - was the same in India for many years - now they’ve loosened things up considerably.

Only other thought is to open a credit card account at a bank recognized in the country where you want to buy the Phonaks (USA? UK?). Pick a bank that has branches in that country. Then you can pay for the aids upon purchase - but, tell me there is a TRIAL period and that if you decide NOT to get the Phonaks you WILL get a refund to that very same credit card, ok?

GOOD LUCK. Such stoopid restrictions on medical devices is annoying. Is there no hospital or medical institution in Egypt who could also take your payment and then buy the aids on your behalf abroad?

In reply to @danka

@danka What’s money changer?

@1Bluejay I called the bank customer service to ask whether they could raise the limit since I was going to buy medical devices but I was told there was no such an option.

I don’t think medical institutions can do that.

On eBay, there is a return option.

Thank you!

@Zeeza said:

@1Bluejay I called the bank customer service to ask whether they could raise the limit since I was going to buy medical devices but I was told there was no such an option.

Feh! You telling me that if Mr President El-Sisi needed aids NO ONE THERE would be able to make that happen for him? I’m outraged on your behalf. But if I understand you correctly, are you going to buy the aids on eBay? Glad there is a return policy in place. Have you found a Roger ON iN at eBay yet?

I hope you get this hearing solution you deserve. It’s a stressful purchase even in places where things are easy to pay for! I am like a pit bull. I’d literally bug the President’s office to make this happen.

I called the Governer of Nevada’s office on a weekly basis during the pandemic and no one over 65 was seeing any vaccinations. But you can bet your BOOTIE that the governor, his family, his cronies and those in his office had access to it. BEAT THE DRUM! Never give in or give up. Make your officials serve you. That’s why they were elected, eh?

In reply to @Zeeza

Money changer is the place you change your local currency to foreign currency ( such as USD, pound & etc). They might the connection of remitting currency to overseas for a fees.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

You telling me that if Mr President El-Sisi needed aids NO ONE THERE would be able to make that happen for him?

Mr President El-Sisi doesn’t need to raise the limit because he’s above the limit and the laws! Ok, it’s better I shut up because I might end up behind bars for saying stuff like that. :speak_no_evil:

@1Bluejay said:

That’s why they were elected, eh?

In most cases, we even didn’t vote for them but they won anyway! :see_no_evil:

I don’t want to give up and I try to fight in my small circle but in broader contexts, it gets really difficult and sometimes risky.

Edited

I am just halfway through “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty”, by economists Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson- perhaps Mr. El-Sisi could read it, too…

Why Nations Fail1

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, first published in 2012, is a book by economists Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, who jointly received the 2024 Nobel Economics Prize for their contribution in comparative studies of prosperity between nations. The book applies insights from institutional economics, development economics, and economic history to understand why nations develop differently, with some succeeding in the accumulation of power and prosperity and o Th...

In reply to @Zeeza

OW!!! I so empathize for your situation. You have truly gone the extra mile to find the best hearing solution given the political reality of where you live.

I feel like a naive blockhead to have even raised the issue. All governments are corrupt and full of cronyism to a greater or lesser extent, but my blood BOILS when I see the disparity of those who hoard power and the multitudes who have to survive in such a system. I’m wishing you ALL the success in acquiring your aids and accessories. Please let us know how it all works out.

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