Oticon Hearing Aids

Thanks for the response. So my ear canal is very small, and I do push the aid in a bit. But wearing them to the gym should not hurt them? I wear the older style headphone over these while I am at the gym; they can be worn over the head or back around the neck, I wear them around the neck. Is that going to cause the same problems?

You stated, “Does anyone have a way to contact someone at Octicon, on a phone, I believe I emailed them last year and got not response.”

I am concern that you are not able to talk with someone at Octicon. That does not sound like good customer service. I believe your audi should be able to step in and get you in contact with someone at Octicon.

Moisture might be coming from you since you live in a very hot climate and also work out at the gym often.

The comment from English Dispenser “Do you play’ and fiddle with the speakers all day? If so, don’t!” seems unusual based on the excessive cost we pay for these aids they should have no problem handling multiple adjustments daily.

It is true that for the most part Oticon and most other hearing aid manufacturers operate in B2B relationships only and an end user (such as those of us wearing their aids) must contact their HA dispenser or audiologist to reach out to the HA manufacturers for us, if necessary. Generally speaking, if you are having a problem with your hearing aid you must go to the dispenser to fix it.

Most hearing aids are sold with warranties - repair warranties and replacement warranties. The decision on whether a repair or replacement of a hearing aid is covered by the warranty is not made by the dispenser, but by the manufacturer – it is the manufacturer who issues the warranty. Usually if the dispenser believes a repair or replacement is covered, the manufacturer will agree.

I recently had an experience in dealing with all this. I had received brand new Oticon Agil Pro’s in May 2011 via my audiologist in Baltimore. I knew at the time that I was going to be moving overseas to Israel. So, before she placed the order I asked her to please contact Oticon and make sure that a) they have a presence in Israel (dispensers), and b) that both my repair and replacement warranties would be honored in Israel. The answer from Oticon was YES to both and so we went ahead and placed the order.

I had mine made with custom earmolds. I disliked the generic shells.

I moved to Israel in August 2011. In October, my left hearing aid stopped working and I went to the Oticon HA dispenser in Tel Aviv. They refused to honor my warranty and insisted that if they fixed my HA I would have to pay for it (a lot of money, that I simply do not have). I went home and emailed my audi back in Maryland. She got in contact with Oticon and after several weeks of wrangling (Oticon, the dispenser in Israel, the audi in the States, and me) they agreed to honor the warranties. I then went back to the dispenser here who fixed the HA. Then a few weeks later it stopped working. They fixed it. Then it happened again. After it happened FIVE times I decided enough was enough. The aid was faulty. I wanted it replaced, not repaired. Again, the dispenser balked. I went back to the audi back in Maryland but for some reason at this point she felt like she could not intervene. I do not know why. So, I took it upon myself to do it. I sent emails to the higher ups at Oticon, and to the owner of the dispenary in Tel Aviv, and I copied everything to the audi in Maryland and even to my caseworker at the Dept of Rehab Svcs in Maryland. I did not use BCC. I wrote a very nice letter, detailing my experience as a hearing aid user in general, my understanding of hearing aids and then of the issue at hand. I did make sure to let them know that I have a legally binding warranty and that I expected them to make good on it.

It took nearly two months of back and forth. I was relentless in my pursuit of justice for myself. I sent an email twice a week! Ultimately, my hearing aid was replaced – the entire aid, including the earmold (which is NOT covered!).

I found the people at Oticon to be wonderful to deal with and even at the place in Israel. Once they know that Oticon is going to pay for everything, then they are fine. BTW, this same aid would cost me $3000 in Baltimore, MD, costs about $4500 here in Israel. (and that includes tax – these items ARE taxed in Israel, unlike in the US where medically necessary items are tax exempt!)

Not only are all of the choices daunting, but now I feel even more confused. I’m a newbie to this, and today my audiologist recommended the Oticon Agil or Acto for me to use. I came home to gather more information before making any decisions, and now I’m reading mostly negative feedback on the Oticon aids. Ugh! Where to begin in searching for comparable aids? One person told me to check with Costco, another said not to.

What you have to remember is most people responding are having a problem with one thing or another with their hearing aids and very few respond saying everything is great and I couldn’t be happier! I have Oticon Vigo Pro’s and have had a few problems but all in all they have worked very well and I would buy Oticon HA’s again. I also know four other people with Oticon HA: one with Agil Pro’s, one with Agil’s and two others with Vigo Pro’s and all have been satisfied with their purchase.

If you were looking to buy Phonak, Widex, Starkey or any other brand of HA you would probably find more negative comments here than positive ones because most people here are looking for answers to problems they are having with their hearing aids and you never hear from them when everything is working fine.
Once you make your decision get as long of trial period as you can get 60-90 days if you can swing it, so you can make up your mind weather you like the HA before the trial period runs out and it will take time to get used to the amplification and the new sounds you are hearing and you won’t have enough time if your trial is only 30 days.
Another thing to purchase is a Dry n Store to eliminate moisture in the hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them or if you get caught in the rain which you will in the Pacific Northwest. The Dry n Store will help reduce moisture breakdowns in the HA and save you money in the long run. Good luck!

@rsusselj18 said:

Please do not go to Costco – not unless you know EXACTLY which hearing aid you want to purchase. I have been wearing hearing aids for fifty years. I ALWAYS go to a hearing clinic. Most hospitals have audiology departments, some universities offer them, and there are some that are “freestanding” clinics but are truly community agencies. But please beware of going to the commercial hearing aid enterprises. I did so ONCE, and it was a TERRIBLE experience for me. I wound up with the WRONG type of hearing aid for me, and I was STUCK. I waited the four years for the aids to be worthless and then went to the audiology dept at the local hospital. My most recent hearing aids were purchased for me by the state of Maryland and I was sent to a place called Hearing and Speech Agency – it is an agency that truly provides a service for the community and is NOT a commercial hearing aid store. Costco is commercial. If you have a reputable audiologist and she makes a recommendation for a hearing aid that you agree works for you (she should be able to get you a “trial run” of the aids) and if she cannot get you a good price and you can get them much more cheaply at Costco, do so – but then bring them to your audiologist to program and adjust them for you. But in general, stay away from commercial enterprises. Their bottom line is profit, not your hearing.

So these other places you have been don’t charge for hearing aids, and the one time you went somewhere else it was a bad experience? On the other hand, if these places you go employ audiologists who make recommendations and then sell you a hearing aid, how is that different than Costco? It appears you have never been to a Costco? Has your audiologist ever called you at home just to see how it was going after the last adjustment? My Costco audiologist has.

Your advice about going to an audiologist, then going somewhere else to buy, then back to your audiologist for adjustments is not a good plan. If your audiologist is doing a good job for you but then you buy somewhere else you are really hurting your audiologist.

My audi has always followed up with me. I have RARELY needed additional adjustments to my HA’s after the initial fitting. ONCE I received earmolds that my ears were too sensitive to and had to receive replacements. The one time I went to a commercial place, I received aids that were not right for me but I was STUCK with them. I could not change my mind. It was not a good deal for me. Even though my HA’s are purchased and paid for with money at both places I felt more cared for at a clinical audiology place rather than at a commercial audiologist.

I had Oticon Delta hearing aids for five years and liked them a lot. Now I’m wearing Oticon Agil Pros. I had trailed Costco Futures, but preferred the Agils even with price difference. Oticons have a very natural sound.

Let us know what you end up trialling.

Good luck.