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Should I see an audiologist instead of my Costco hearing aid dispenser?

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Good morning, all. I purchased Costco KS9s a few months ago, right after their release. I am not unhappy with the instruments, but I was wondering if it would be beneficial for me to see a ‘real’ audiologist, rather than the dispenser with whom I have been working at my local Costco. My question there is kind of twofold - first, will there be additional benefit from an audi being able to do more custom tuning to my aids (I work in a manufacturing facility and have trouble with the volume adaptation, no matter what we do), and secondly, the last time I searched for an audi, I was told that the folks in my area (Cleveland, Ohio) won’t take on patients with instruments that they haven’t dispensed. Is that a common issue, and how do y’all work around it? I’m not averse to self-programming, either, but I wanted to see if I have this adjusted by a professional before I spend the money setting up my own system, and possibly screwing something up.

Thank you in advance

Alex

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Since I have a lot of experience with the 3 methods you are asking about i am well qualified to respond. I have found the Costco fitters to be eqal to the “real” audiologists. But, both are far superior to me doing self-programming. YMMV

I am not an audiologist.

Your questions have been answered many times on this forum by both pros and members who wear aids. To properly fit hearing aids really hasn’t got a lot to do with audiologist formal education. Their education is much much more than fitting aids.

Like any profession you have good and bad and all the in between. And Costco does have many trained audiologist in their ranks along with properly trained fitters. They for the most part do a really quality fitting.

The self programming idea is not for everybody. Some are really good at it.

I am on my fourth set of , the first three were from private Audi’s, and the last set from COSTCO. The set I bought from COSTCO were fitted with better equipment than any of the major Audi nationally known clinics. COSTCO was the first HA center that used and that was the most effective adjustment I have experienced.
I do not do my own programming, but take lots of notes for each follow on apt, and I have learned so much more reading posts on this forum that I feel loaded up with how I will go about purchasing my next set this coming summer; it’s now between the KS9 and the Resound Preza, both sold at COSTCO.

I have to add the fact that I have used private Audiologists and story front Audiologists and the clinics, I have had so much better results from the VA that any other clinics I have seen and I have found the VA clinics’ equipment to be far better that any other clinic I have been in

Without a REALLY good reason - like moving more than 200 miles – you aren’t going to find any audiologist willing to work on s/he did not sell.

And as the KS9s are CostCo branded, you won’t find anyone but another CostCo location willing to touch them. They aren’t in the mainstream market.

I moved 200 miles 5 years ago and had to change which CostCo I was using. And THAT was a big deal, in that I had to take in all my paperwork, and the former location had to forward all my info to the new location, before I was allowed to even make an appt.

Both CostCos I used had multiple audiologists. In each location, at least 1 was excellent at the job and at least one was worthless. Maybe ask for an appt with a different one at the CostCo you are using to see if that provides any different info.

The little you describe of your work set up suggests one possible option: 2 programs, one for the loud locations and another for the softer (maybe office?) settings. Then you just switch programs depending on where you are at work.

Thank you all for the responses. Please don’t take offense, I’m not complaining about Costco - there’s no way I could have purchased new other than these, I just don’t have the budget for them. I’m happy with them, but wonder at times if there is more programming that could be done. Once we’ve made it past the current troubles, I’ll make another appointment at my Costco and have a more in-depth conversation with the technician.

The response about audiologists is pretty much what I expected, I’ve run into that in the past as well.

I don’t plan on trying to do any programming myself unless I really run in to a brick wall with Costco, and like I said, I’ll plan on a very in-depth conversation with the tech next time.

I really appreciate the information and help this forum offers!

Ditto all the comments. Self-programming is good in theory, but you have to be a real obsessive techie to do it right. I tried it and it took forever. I have used Costco, but it is hit or miss who you get to take care of you. Same with private audiologists, although here you can choose whom you like. No one will take care of aids they did not sell. By the time you pay for adjustments, any on-line savings will probably be lost. The key, I think is not so much education and credentials, but finding an audiologist who is dedicated and patient.

–Steve

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