Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Ever Felt Like You Were Ripped Off?

This topic is closed.

107 replies88.1k viewsLast reply

Jump
Link to this topic

If you have, please share your expriences here.

I see that there are no posts in this area, so I have to assume that is a good thing, though.

65 people in this conversation60 min readJump to latest

I have some problems with what I may be getting in to. Though I have two
brothers wearing aids, they seem to not be satisfied with the units they
purchased and also have problems with the dealers of the products. It is
apparent that this is a business for profit regardless. Each dealer is in favor
of selling via the best profit rather than service and quality. I also see that
support from the dealer/manufacturer can also be a problem. When I see
the cost for such devises, I am scared whether my investment will provide
me the best. Instruments up to $7,000 is outrages.:mad:

It is always best to reseach prospective companies you are planning to do business with, ask doctors and other hearing aid wearers for referrals and check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if they are members.

Certain manufacturers will also back up their products better than others, so I would research them too.

Although no hearing aid can make hearing perfect again, a competent professional should be able to tell you what can be attained, verify each hearing aid fitting and provide you with after the sale service.

I don’t really see how that is unfair cortez. In order to service hearing aids that are say 10 years old, the company needs to keep old parts in stock just on the off chance that someone will want a repair. The aid may have long since been discontinued yet they need to keep dozens of parts lying around and continue to purchase and store these components so that their patients can continue to get service. Would you rather they simply told you that the unit was discontinued and could no longer be repaired like some companies do?

While it may be fustrating I’m not sure it is fair to post it in the ‘Ever felt you were ripped off?’ section.

I can see your point after say 5 years after the model is phased out. However, Oticon raised the repair cost beginning 12 months after the purchase and ratcheting up every year. Within this 5 year period, the manufacturer can (at least should) expect aids coming back for repair given that 5 years is a typical wear period.

Surely the first 12 months should be free under warranty repair?

Out of interest, what were they charging after one, two, three, four and five years?

I always try to pick what is best for each costumer regardless of price.
Not the highest price instrument, most of my clients appreciate this
and buys from me again. I would like to think most dispensers are like this,
and pick what is best for you. Sometime clients are not willing to make a compromise and therefore, the choice has to be a very high end product.

Zx14 Vs Hayabusa2

I have found that the best products are often the mid-line products, not the high end ones. I think there are several reasons for this. First, the patient doesnt expect as much from the mid-line products and are much more satisfied. Second, the technology in the high end products is new. Ever bought the first generation telephone or iPod? They always are terrible. It takes a few years to work the kinks out of new technology.

most of my clients are very demanding, perhaps that is why i dont sell
any entry level aids… But i must say there are some mid level products
when i started to fit hearing aids, we had either
top of the line digital or basic analoge… do you remember late 90’s

Uggs

I have not worn hearing aids before. The Doctor said I have “slight hearing loss” in my right ear. I also have a bad case of tinnitus. She felt that outside the ear (behind the ear?) aids would help the tinnitus and after getting past the cosmetic issues I made the appointment with the audiologist who ordered three different brands of aids (Widex, Resound Dot, and the Oticon with the Bluetooth feature). I gave her the $400 deposit and returned when the hearing aids were in.

When we tried them I experienced what I have come to know as “occlusion.” Each one sounded like I was inside a barrel. The audiologist suggested that my hearing loss might not be significant enough to need such powerful hearing aids. Since the doctor and the audiologist picked the style of hearing aid in the first place, I really did start to feel like I was buying something from a car salesman.

When I was leaving, the audiologist said that she was sorry but they couldn’t return my deposit. When I objected (under the premise that no molds were made and all the hearing aids were going back to their respective manufacturers), she talked with her supervisor who instructed her to refund the $400 to me. I really felt like they were just taking a shot at the deposit and that made me feel even more like I was dealing with a car salesman.

I really don’t know what my next move will be. The audiologist only liked the brands that they carried and that would negate a brand like Siemens who seems to be an important player in the hearing aid business.

I have only gone to this one audiologist who is tied to the doctor in some way or other. Is it just as credible to pick a retailer who is recommended by Siemens or some other brand? I’m really lost with respect to where I should buy $6,000 products!

As long as you have your hearing test results, you can go to anyone you want. You should feel comfortable with the people your working with.

Thanks for the response.

I understand that I may go anywhere to make the purchase but aside from visiting the dozen or so places that sell hearing aids near my home, what other indications do you look for when you go out to look at a certain brand or type of retailer.

I don’t think this is like buying a flat screen tv where you measure by brand, style, picture, and have lots of input about the retailer.

I really feel like I’m in the dark with this very expensive first-time purchase and any help is appreciated.

I checked out 3 different dispensers now that it’s time to look into my 5th pair of hearing aids. I’ve had cheap ($1500/pair) hearing aids the past few times and I’m looking for something better now. The first audi automatically chose to propose the Phonak MicroPower based on my loss and sent me home with the sales brochure. The 2nd dispenser just told me that a pair of hearing aids would set me back $4500 without even telling me what brand/model he was thinking about. Neither cared about what I was looking for nor were they interested in investigating any of the other options that I had suggested.

The third one, and ultimately the one I am working with now talked to me for about a half hour while I was making my appointment (in person), listened to what I wanted and actually did some research on some other options outside of what they typically offer so that I had some actual choices when I came back. I felt as if my opinion mattered, something I did not get from the first 2. I’ll probably pay closer to MSRP on the aids, but at least I don’t feel as if I’m being pressured into something that I really don’t want.

In reply to @xbulder

I have been wearing hearing aids since I was a small child. I have purchased many aids over the years. I would say that I have been ripped off about 50% of the time. Mose dealers want to sell you the aids that are the priciest as opposed to the ones that work the best for you. They prey on those of us who are desperate to hear better.

The younger you are the more likely they are to rip you off.

I have been wearing aids for a long time so I am more cautious now of places. For those of you just entering the HA market , BEWARE! One thing I have learned , don’t take THEIR word that a particular aid is the best one for you. Try as many different HA as possible…

REMEMBER, these are YOUR ears and nobody knows how you hear but you! I have had Doctors suggest an aid that were a disaster for me! You are the ONLY one that knows how well you can hear with a particular aid!

I am beginning to feel scamed…or maybe it is the arrogance of these people. Yesturday, I was told that “I” was the only person that has had so many problems and needed so many adjustments…:rolleyes: :eek:

In reply to @cortez

@cortez said:

I believe Oticon has an unfair practice where the older the hearing aid is the more they charge for a repair.

Most manufacturers have preset fixed price scales based off the following:

Age of device (under/over 5 years)
analog or digital
length of warranty (6 or 12 months)

Any other criteria is determined by the office handling the repair.

Active discussions

What the forum has been talking about this week.