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How much is too much?

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My 90-year old mother has dementia. Her hearing is fine insofar as she can hold a normal conversation without any problem. She does however find loud music and traffic noise to be unpleasant. She went to Boots for a hearing test, was told that her ear canal was especially narrow and needed a custom hearing aid. She paid 16,000 pounds and left the store.

I’ve not lived in the UK for 30 years, and have not yet contacted Boots, but am curious to know if there is any justification for such a large amount being spent on a hearing aid

Thanks for any feedback !

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No, there is no reason for aids to cost that much - they should be about 1/3-1/4 of that or less for a pair. Why would she need a hearing aid if sounds are too LOUD? Something sounds fishy here!

That’s insane! - $21000! I’ve never heard of a hearing aid costing that much.

Was she told she needed a custom hearing aid or a custom mold (or mould as they call them in the UK).

If she can, return them.

Yeah that sounds incredible.

Do you have any evidence of the transaction?

Maybe grandma isn’t remembering how much she paid accurately given dementia??

WH

Edited

Get a medical certificate for your mother’s condition and tell the shop to reimburse her. Most countries have straightforward laws for this sort of thing and the shop knows about them, so the mere threat of legal action (and reputational damage) should do the trick.

" UK law protects mentally impaired individuals from abuse through the Mental Capacity Act 2005 , which establishes criminal offenses for ill-treatment or wilful neglect and provides safeguards for those lacking capacity."

In reply to @OcramSagev

Yes, a narrow ear canal was the reason given for needing a custom-mold. She was convinced to buy the Platinum option (naturally the most expensive). They start at 3,995 pounds and presumably custom molding would add to that. I’ve reached out to Boots but no reply thus far.

Thank you all for your comments

@speedy said:

Why would she need a hearing aid if sounds are too LOUD? Something sounds fishy here!

That doesnt sound right, Id check that your mum didnt mean £1600?

I have bought from Boots before and they were around 3k. Still a rip off in my opinion as I know the markup is huge!

In reply to @Consilio

There wouldn’t be any significant markup for a custom pair of aids; they’re pretty clear up front about their stratified pricing.

As much as I dislike their sales model, there’s no way she’s been charged that much. Boots publishes its pricing online. Their guys uphold a good moral standard and don’t do pressure selling.

I’d be 100% that you have sight of the invoice before suggesting that there’s been any mis-selling. This is a public forum and what you’re suggesting is actionable.

Boots advertise the Platinum+ range starting at 3,995 pounds so I was expecting a price increase for the custom-molding. After I checked my mother’s bank account she had not in fact been charged 16,000 as she erroneously told me and everyone else. My mother cannot now explain how she came by that number. Thank you all for your wise counsel and advice. And with respect to “actionable suggestions” I was seeking an opinion on the likelihood of a custom hearing aid costing 16,000 pounds and not making any specific allegation of fraud.

In reply to @Consilio

As others have posted above, you’d need PROOF (as in a sales receipt) for the amount spent on those aids, cuz your mom may not be remembering correctly what-all transpired. I don’t mean to pry, but I would love to see a photo uploaded here of the very device in question. Even if it’s gold-plated, I can’t fathom any hearing device costing that much.

If you have the equivalent to a Better Business Bureau there, file a comlaint there, and DO NOT GIVE UP till you get the proof and/or justification for this purchase. In her condition, your mom should’ve had a caretaker with her at the appointment to monitor the transaction. I SO empathize with you cuz my mom is 100, has an app’t sched’d with an audiologist on 9th Dec, and altho she is sharp as a tack, I’m relieved that a relative will be with her to supervise the appointment. Keep us posted on your resolution!

Edited

In reply to @Consilio

Glad to hear that your mum wasn’t overcharged, it looks like a tough situation to manage. My mum has similar issues since taking a tumble a year ago, her executive capacity is like a younger child now.

I didn’t fully express the ‘actionable’ bit as well as I should have: the HCPC takes a particularly dim view of any of the professions they manage taking advantage of anyone: especially those with diminished capacity. And they expect others to show a duty of care in reporting: just by you stating what you did above, the onus would be on me to pass on the information to them.

A 90 yr old lady with dementia would be accompanied all the time, so I would’ve sought a response from them first. If she wandered off alone on this occasion, I’d be more worried about that !

In reply to @Consilio

@Consilio said:

And with respect to “actionable suggestions” I was seeking an opinion on the likelihood of a custom hearing aid costing 16,000 pounds and not making any specific allegation of fraud.

Got it! Oddly, I found that your post from 21 hours ago appears above my post of 20 hrs ago, which I hadn’t even seen when I posted it.

VERY GLAD you got to the bottom of the mystery, and know that there are affordable options out there for your mom.

Tangential .. my mom, at 100, forgot to pay her monthly rent at an assisted living place. Then she scrawled a check for over $15,000 and was mighty MIFFED that Wells Fargo alerted ME to that check due to its amount. You can bet your booty I got to the bottom of things PDQ. :money_mouth_face:

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