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Question to Audi's/Aid Dispensers

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Edited

So how does an Audiologist who sells hearing aids or an dispenser handle someone who has an old Phonak hearing aid and wants to replace it with newer aid technology? Yet, rumored new aid technology hasn’t come out yet, and the clock is ticking. Let’s say there’s a window of six months for old aid replacement, but after six months, the hopeful buyer will cut bait and fish somewhere else for a different brand hearing aid.

Obviously, the Audi/HA dispenser would like to make a Phonak sale for a new aid, along with a customer who wants to continue using Phonak. One would assume Phonak would also like to keep the aid user long term, versus having him or her choose a competitor’s hearing aid. So with all of this in mind, does the following happen or not?

Audi/HA dispenser contacts Phonak for a timeline on a rumored upcoming new aid?

Audi/HA dispenser tells customer to be patient and wait out the six months?

Audi/HA dispenser tells the customer they have no idea when a new Phonak aid might come out, and suggests a change/trial of a different aid?

Seems to me if someone is willing to hold off buying replacement aid or aids for six months, the least Phonak can do is give a clear answer as to ‘yes’ we will have such and such new aid coming out in the next six months, or ‘no’ we do not plan on any new aid over the next six months. This is called “communication,” along with standard customer service.

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I’m a little bit unclear about what situation you are describing. The patient had heard that something new might come out in the next six months? It’s up to the patient how long they want to wait to see if it comes out of that’s what they want to do but I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s always SOMETHING new coming out in the next six months.

Generally if a patient comes in with something old and wants something new, we fit them with the new thing that currently exists, we don’t wait six months for a NEW new thing to come out, as that’s always a Schrodinger’s box. We MIGHT wait if we’ve been given very clear information about what’s coming, but that’s usually a much tighter timeframe.

Some examples: I recently waited about three months for the signia c&g specifically because I knew it was already in circulation in the States and it was just taking a bit longer to be released in Canada and it had some specific features not matched by other brands. In contrast, I suspect there will be a new phonak by November but I’m absolutely not going to suggest my patients wait until November to get something as I have no real idea what it is and whether it will arrive on time and what it will cost. We had some LONG waits for the vitro R, which phonak said was about to come a year before that actually managed to release it. That was aggravating for everyone and they probably won’t make that mistake again for a while.

But if there isn’t a newer version of the patient’s existing hearing aid yet, I wouldn’t consider their existing hearing aids “old".

Edited
@Neville said:

But if there isn’t a newer version of the patient’s existing hearing aid yet, I wouldn’t consider their existing hearing aids “old"

Well, if the patient had 2020 Oticon Xceeds, they certainly would be old by June, 2026. So basically my question is, is there any way someone who sells hearing aids can find out if a long-term user of Oticon aids can upgrade their aid if there old (six years old) and is willing to not buy another aid (other than Oticon) for say six months. If Oticon will come out of its shell and say a new power aid is coming or not. It’s really a simple question, and I’m sure many long-term Oticon hearing aid users would love to hear what’s coming down the road, versus nothing.

Edited

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

Generally if a patient comes in with something old and wants something new, we fit them with the new thing that currently exists

Understand, but what if the patient wants to continue with Oticon and is willing to wait another six months to see if Oticon offers a replacement/upgrade for their six-year-old hearing aid? You know, some people are just comfortable sticking with the name-brand aid they have versus trying something different.

@testing123 said:

the patient wants to continue with Oticon and is willing to wait another six months to see if Oticon offers a replacement/upgrade for their six-year-old hearing aid?

@Neville already answered this.

@Neville said:

It’s up to the patient how long they want to wait to see if it comes out of that’s what they want to do but I wouldn’t recommend it

@Neville is a specialist with many patients , I think his answer is “authoritative “

In reply to @testing123

We know what we know when we know it and there’s no further way for us to find out, no.

Oticon just came out with the verit. If the patient doesn’t fall into that range (and won’t do a ) I’d suggest considering another manufacturer.

(Neville is an audiologist. cough

I recall asking my PhD supervisor whether he preferred “doctor" or “professor" and he replied, “Professor. Every person I know has a doctorate.")

To expand on this a bit, reps know stuff before we do but have signed a lot of NDAs and are very close-mouthed until the company is ready to announce their release, which they only do when everything is ready to go (or see: the vitro R release fiasco). Sometimes I can play 20 questions with my rep and they’ll say “I can’t say" but then shake or nod or widen their eyes if they like me. But that’s a pretty weak way of getting detailed information.

I’ve had to sign NDAs myself to participate in manufacturer test/brainstorming panels, but the stuff we talk about is so theoretical and far off and inclusive that I really couldn’t say much about what’s coming anyway.

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

I recall asking my PhD supervisor whether he preferred “doctor" or “professor" and he replied, “Professor. Every person I know has a doctorate.")

My PhD advisor said that same thing. He wasn’t exactly “humble”.

Apologies for using the word specialist .

In reply to @Neville

I agree with your thoughts, yet as you know, hearing loss, mid-range to profound, is many times called the invisible disability. Obviously, the greater the hearing loss, the greater the disability. With that said, why does the hearing aid industry treat future advances or future aids (currently in development) like some top secret - do not open until Christmas BS? You know, we’re talking in many cases, expensive medical instruments here that should be shared with the masses, versus keeping people in the dark because company XYZ thinks its pre-mature to share what’s coming. Yeah, I get it that sales of the previous/current aid might drop off if word leaks that company XYZ is coming out with something new. Yet really, if you track aids over the years, there really isn’t much difference between last year’s model and an upcoming future replacement. But when you have yesterday’s aid that is now several years old, you start to think or hope some replacement is coming within six to twelve months, versus being told, “no one knows”. And even if company XYZ has a “home run” aid coming, they’re already locked in patents and other tech changes way before any new aid sees the light of day. I think what the industry is missing is the fact that there are people out there who can afford a new aid, say every two to three years. So why not take advantage of that? Then there’s a large group that needs to replace their aids, say, after five or six years of use, but have no idea what’s in the development stages or might be coming out in the near future. It’s all hush, hush and “we can’t let the cat out of the bag” stuff.

Unfortunately its been going on for decades, if not longer.

In reply to @OcramSagev

@OcramSagev said:

Apologies for using the word specialist .

Apologies for taking umbrage. :laughing:

@testing123 said:

Unfortunately its been going on for decades, if not longer.

And it’s out of our hands unfortunately. Although I think they’re less worried about losing sales on their own existing devices and more worried about the competition…I don’t even know, coming up with some marketing scheme to counter their new thing. But I don’t really know. They also don’t want to promise something they can’t release. Like if they say “we’re hoping to release a new UP in the next cycle" but then they fail to get it stable and then everyone says they failed their promise.

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