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Expectations of audiology dept/ too excessive?

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Edited

I have a new audio as I am a new wearer… Phone does not pick up in audio office. I know times are tough. Typically is one limited to let’s say 3 visits and for a problem solving session , do you need to pay more money . This is a new oticon 1-r. What is the standard in the industry? After paying close to six thousand, I guess I did expect support. Am I unrealistic?

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This depends entirely on the contract you signed. Some contracts are bundled, ie all visits are pre paid for. Those visits that people have to pay for aren’t bundled. Therefore you paid less on purchase of aids.

If you are still in your trial phase and you’re not happy return them and go elsewhere. But read your contract thoroughly so you know what your purchased and if you are still able to return them for a refund. Good luck.

Thank you. Yes… I cant even get basic questions answered. Interestingly I paid well over the prices listed for the Oticon Intent I R. I literally cant get the phone answered! Loss of 10 per cent (600 dollars) with refund. It’s a super busy urban office. I am, however, well within the trial period. Thank you.

If you have a Costco store close, you could give them a try. All sales are bundled and you have a 180 day trial period to return if you’re not satisfied. They offer all adjustment are included as well as getting the aid serviced should something go wrong.

I do thank you. No costco nearby/not even close alas. I used my current site as they are literally connected to the . The audiologists are good - but again they have serious time constraints . At the last visit there were forty people in the office…: that’s urban life.
Be well and thanks

Edited

If you are in the US check the ZipHearing website and call to find their closest audiologist. At $4600 for a pair you will still save money after the $600 return penalty on your current aids. They include fitting and all adjustments for a year
Correction: Infinio Sphere90s at ZipHearing are $4600 not $3800.

Did you leave a message? In some medical clinics it is standard to not answer the phone and only do call backs for messages because of severe time constraints.

Yes.this is why I think the audiologist office is so swamped. Since there are ent personnel available… that’s my reason for choosing the audiology office which is part of the ent practice. Clinically wise I think so that the audiologist can more readily communicate with . They have several audios there at one time (2-3) but given the load this is not even sufficient.There was a tech but he could not answer questions-not unpleasant-his main thing was Bluetooth connectivity which was not the issue. I wish oticon had a support line for minor issues such as what can you do when the falls out of ear… attachments, bands,basic stuff. I thank all who have answered my original question

Whatever you do, do not keep the aids past the return period unless you are satisfied with how well you hear and understand others. You have paid a lot of money to get help with your hearing. The fact that the practice doesn’t help you resolve your issues, is unfortunate.

Sometimes a lower cost aid dispensed by a competent fitter is better than the highest tier hearing aid that is not properly programed for your hearing loss.

Additionally, if you cannot switch programs and connect to Bluetooth reliably, those features are worthless. Having to spend excessive time waiting to see your fitter is not acceptable. You have paid for some level of support. Make sure you get that support in a reasonable time frame.

I started with Oticons. I love the way they sound. Over the years I have had several different models. Each new model offered improved hearing for me. I eventually switched to Philips aids. They are much cheaper than Oticons, however I hear well with them and get good followup service. The clinic that I got my Oticons from was very good but they were somewhat pricey. I opted to go the lower cost route so that I can change to the newer models of Philips without suffering financial hardship.

We all have different needs, wants and expectations. I think you might benefit by objectively looking at your situation and reevaluating what is best for you.

I hope you find a good resolution to your hearing situation.

@MartinGale said:

Sometimes a lower cost aid dispensed by a competent fitter is better than the highest tier hearing aid that is not properly programed for your hearing loss.

My opinion would be usually, not sometimes. Not properly programmed is a recipe for the pair that go so well in the nightstand drawer and stay there.

WH

Oh-I did call that number. The first person said all she did was Bluetooth technology. A subsequent person was more anpproachable explainsing the tech and so on. But for other issues she indicated that would have to deal with the .

In reply to @Neville

I talked to the tech directly in person on Monday. It is Saturday-no call back. Again, am I being too demanding as I ask to speak to .?Tech was not able to help. Various issues: sound quality ( could hear in one room but not the next with a larger room), my own voice sounding like a kazoo

In reply to @MartinGale

Thanks. Cost is not my biggest issue, yet obviously I do not wish to throw away a huge amount of money! Again I chose this office as they are clinically connected to the ENTand share notes etc etc. -or at least have the capacity to do so. But indeed, if no resolution , I will return them despite losing the 10 percent of. Cost. I do thank you for your time.

Edited

Your expectations are not excessive.

If they won’t respond its time to move on and find a different provider. If you are paying $6000 you should definitely be getting answers and support.

I live in the SF Bay Area (~7.7 million people and counting) but my experiences have been very different:

  • Local Audiologist responds to emails and calls very quickly. Eventually I decided not to go with them as they wanted $8000 for Oticon Intent with 3 year support
  • Costco - a little hard to get on the phone but excellent service and support for life of hearing aids. First fitting for my wife and I and we will get 1 hour each and follow up appointment two weeks later and support/adjustments through the life of the hearing aids. We just ordered the Jabra Pro 30s (basically Resound Vivias) for $1700
  • Online - Eargo respond very quickly (within hours) to emails or support requests through their website. Unlimited online support through video / phone calls.

Good luck - hopefully you can find a local audiologist who is responsive and willing to give the support you need to get your hearing aids set up, adjusted as needed and able to answer questions. It is not too much to ask so you should not have settle for less!

In reply to @docspaniel

@docspaniel said:

Again, am I being too demanding as I ask to speak to AuD.?

Honestly, the answer could be yes. You can book an appointment in person or an appointment for a call, but in a busy clinic there is often zero time in the day to make an unscheduled call. So it’s not unreasonable to ask to book a call, but it’s unreasonable to expect to be put through to the clinician or that they will call back that day.

It’s going to depend on the clinic. If you go see someone at a new place they might not have much business and might call you back quickly. Where I am, my clinical days are tightly scheduled back to back appointments and I’m booking out a few weeks, emergencies are triaged and squeezed in or other patient appointments are cancelled, but I would not cancel someone else’s appointment for non emergency phone calls. If I get a cancellation I’ll call, but then you also have to be careful about not building patient expectations of getting random call backs all the time.

An clinic is worse for time. Much worse. The is a doctorate level medical professional; does your doctor pick up your calls? Probably that answer is very situational as well.

Edited
@Neville said:

does your doctor pick up your calls? Probably that answer is very situational as well.

Maybe it is a regional thing but my Drs office does. Either calls to the office or messages sent to the Dr (using the secure messaging system in their app) get answers the same weekday. Often from the Dr or if not a physicians assistant.

The same heath care group also has Audiologists (and ) and I would expect the same responsiveness from them either through the app or calls.

If you are spending $6000 - $8000 I would expect prompt responses to questions and ongoing support.

That said we (my wife and I) will go with Costco as the price is less than a 1/3 of the Audiologist (even after getting $2000 hearing aid coverage each through my health insurance). The person who did our test and will do the fittings seems excellent and the local Costco gets great reviews…

In reply to @Deaf_piper

Gave up using local hearing aid salesman years ago and as soon as Costco started selling aids they have become my provider of choice. Best hearing test and evaluation I ever received was Costco. Best fittings…Costco. Seldom have to go back for adjustments. Because the costs are so reasonable I tend to upgrade my aids every 3 years or so.

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