Most Costcos in US have hearing aid specialists although some have audiolgists. The person matters a great deal but there are good and bad in either position.
Costcos may have some variation in how they handle short trials, but basically their approach is buy the aid and you’ve got 180 days to use it and make up your mind. Can be returned for full refund. If you really don’t like the idea of putting out money before you decide if you want the aid, you could put it on a credit card and make up your mind before your credit card bill is due.
Any Costco should be willing to fit a hearing aid based on a recent from Costco.
Where you want to buy is your call. If you’ve got a place that comes well recommended, I’d consider using it considering your great insurance. If not, I think your odds are better at Costco.
You can’t judge a hearing aid by your impression if there’s too much gain. That is purely adjustable. Picking one of the Costco aids randomly is reasonable or based on any quality you choose. I’d likely try the Phillips as I’ve heard great things about it and I like it’s system better than the Jabra’s. I wouldn’t however go in with the preconceived notion that you’re returning the aids. I’d suggest going in with the attitude that the aids are going to work, but have the assurance that you have the option of returning them. I’m assuming these are your first aids. If so, it’s going to take quite awhile to get used to them. There’s a lot of sounds you haven’t heard in awhile. Good luck. Thank you so much for posting your audiogram. It makes it notably easier to offer meaningful feedback.
Costco requires a hearing test that is no more than 6 months old to purchase a hearing aid.
Costco testing can be more sophisticated than your local audiologist.
Audiologist can charge you for every visit and for supplies. This can add up. Costco doesn’t charge for visits or supplies (domes, guards, receivers, ear locks). Batteries are not part of that.
Costco specialists are graded on how well they fit a person so they have an incentive to program the hearing aid correctly. Your audiologist makes more money with each follow up visit.
Trial period at an audiologist is very short. And they probably have a return fee of some sort. Costco 6 months in the US.
Costco has free replacement if you lose or damage your hearing aid in the first two years. That is priceless.
The state of California has a 45-day trial period by statute. The amount of the deposit you will have to pay might vary from one audiologist to another.
Costco has a lot of good things going for them, but you are restricted to the 3 brands they offer. If I were buying at Costco, my first choice would be Philips. Funny thing is that when I tried a Phipps and a KS-10 in the store, both had the volume set too low - just the opposite of your experience. That’s all on how the fitter set it up. You can certainly shop around among different Costco warehouses to find a Hearing care professional with whom you can work.
Your insurance is fabulous. With that insurance, there shouldn’t be much difference in price between a private audiologist and Costco, so I would broaden your choice if brands by including private audiologists on your list. I would choose a private audiologist who offers a wide range of brands. Many will push one brand over the rest because s/he might have a relationship with that company and receive a greater commission. The audiologist should have a good reason to recommend one brand over another. In picking an audiologist, start with one who routinely does real ear measurement (), which is standard at Costco.
Different audiologists charge for different services. My audiologist routinely vacuums my hearing aids whenever I come in for an appointment. He cleans wax out of my ears better than anyone else. He doesn’t charge fir domes or . No charge for any of these services. Many audiologists charge for all of the above. Some charge a pretty penny. If you are considering a private audiologist, ask what his/her fees are for services after you’ve purchased your hearing aid.
With this being your first hearing aid, there will be a learning process. Under these circumstances, Costco is a good place to start because of the 6 month return period. This gives you a lot of time to experience what wearing hearing aids is like for you rather than committing even $1500-$2000 after a 45 day trial period with a private audiologist. Probably better to wait until you have more experience.
Another option for you is an over-the-counter () hearing aid. Since new congressional legislation last year, some excellent options for those with mild to moderate hearing loss (hearing loss not to exceed 55 db) have come on the market. They’re another way to get experience with hearing aids before committing yourself long term. They will have return periods of at least 45 days by statute in your state. (Confirm that with the seller before buying.)
All, thank you so much for the great comments. I think I have all that I need to make a decision. I will move forward with Philips hearing aids from Costco, but after I get more comfortable with using the aids, I may go to an audiologist and try the Oticon Real for a week or two, at least that way I should know if I am missing anything by not going with the more expensive brands.
With regards to my insurance, I am going to double check with them to make sure I am not missing any additional conditions/clauses (I think it is covered once every seven years, so hopefully the aids last that long !).
About trying the hearing aids, I did check Sony and did not like it (I could hear my own voice a lot louder than anything else). I also tried Eargo 7 (which is ), they were better than Sony but it seems my ear canal is too small/short and could not keep them in (they kept falling out when eating and/or talking). The specialist in Costco told me the same thing (about my ear canals) and also added may not be helpful for me that much (I have no idea what that measurement is or what is it good for, but I suppose I will find out !). And lastly, I will definitely go with , it is much easier to wear for the whole day.
With regards to my insurance, I am going to double check with them to make sure I am not missing any additional conditions/clauses (I think it is covered once every seven years, so hopefully the aids last that long !).
I had insurance that covered 95% of my hearing aids cost and I had a 5% out-of-pocket cost. But the 2 conditions were that I must have met my deductible amount (which was pretty high, but I happened to have met it that year for other reasons), and that this was only for in-network providers.
I met an out-of-network provider and she said that she would match the in-network providers by charging me only 5% for my out-of-pocket and bill whatever she could to the insurance as an out-of-network provider. I believe she charged $7K for my pair of Oticon 1 back then, so I paid $350 out-of-pocket to her. She then billed my insurance company (as an out-of-network provider) the full $7K, but my insurance only agreed to pay her $3400 (because she was out-of-network), which she gladly accepted and totally netted $3400 from them plus $350 from me for $3750 combined.
I’m guessing that if I had gone to an in-network provider, they’d be obligated to bill my insurance company a much smaller amount then the full $7K, most likely they probably would have billed my insurance company $3400, which was the amount that my insurance company was willing to pay the out-of-network .
Anyway, back on topic, I’d check to make sure that 2 conditions you may want to check for is whether you must go to an in-network provider only or not, and whether this is before or after you had satisfied all your deductibles (if you have any).
An important thing is to have time to adjust your while you trial them. Going back to an audi to make adjustments even after a week can make a world of difference in how you perceive–like–any given brand of hearing aid. Trial periods without being able to fine tune, or more likely gross-tune, the aids don’t really tell you all that much. It’s no one’s fault. This is just how things work. even the best audi in the world can’t adjust your aids perfectly the first time. A good audi will work with you after some time to dial in the correct levels on your aids.
Costco cleans their customers’ aids and may vacuum them; they provide domes and at no charge. I’ve had out-of-warranty repairs done on the spot away from home; the non-home Costcos happily looked up my records and did what needed to be done. (Luckily, they didn’t need to be sent to the manufacturer.)
Even the audiologists at Costco won’t clean ears. I’ve had 2 good audis at Costco and a number of good HISes. Turnover can be a problem, but at least at my main Costco, they take newbies, train them well, and then they leave, so there’s always someone good in the pipeline - at my main Costco.
I did get loaners for 2 weeks when my Philips 9010s were being refurbished prior to the warranty expiration. That allowed me to ‘trial’ the 9030s (sic), which I found to be just a little bit better that the 9010s, so the Jabras sounded much better to me. The 9030s and Jabras were supposedly at equivalent settings.
I think the 9040s are a lot better than the 9030s, and I think they sound more natural than the Jabras, but I think I hear better with the Jabras. I place a high value on the ReSound Multi-mic, because they make meetings much easier to understand than anything Oticon produces.
The 6 month refund period has been very useful to me this time. It allowed me to try out the 9040s in the store and really think about the pros and cons. It is allowing me to swap rechargeable Jabras for ones that use disposable batteries, which I think are a much safer choice. (I misplaced my charger while traveling and no one I called could get me a replacement in less than 2 weeks. Fortunately, I found the charger, but plan B was to attend my 60th HS reunion completely without working , which would have been no fun at all.)
In any case, it took 4 months for my rechargeable problem to surface and 3 more weeks to get an appointment to order the new aids.
My insurance covers 80% up to $2,500/ear every 3 years, so the name brands are close in cost to Costco, maybe even less if I use a service like Ziphearing. My experience with private audis has not been good - I’ve just been told I need these $6k aids with no info about options, etc. That was before I found this forum, which has audis contributing in ways that make me want to see them - but I don’t know any audis around here, and I know the Costco folks.
I’ve had Costco Rextons, Phonaks, Philips, and now Jabra (ReSound). Each new set of Costco aids have given me great improvements. My experience with hi-fi tells me that it takes a lot more than 30 days (my state’s required trial period) to determine the strengths and weaknesses of sound amplifiers, so IMO the only approach that works is to go for ‘good enough’ even if there may be another brand/model out there that may be better right now. The odds are aginst finding the absolute best, IMO.
IOW, buy HAs you think you can live with for as long as your finances require. Get as long a trial period as you can. If, in the end, you can’t live with the aids, by all means return them and get something else.
But realize from the start that the probability is you can get ‘good enough’ given the period’s state of the art, but probably not better than that. I’ll accept that the Jabras are ReSound’s best HA today - though I can’t verify that - and I know that they’ll be bettered by all the brands when I buy my next pair.
Oh, yeah. my quick evaluation is that 9040s sound more natural than Jabras - but you didn’t like them. They were probably set up with decent accuracy. You have to live with the aids you buy; no one else does. You have no measuring stick other than your own judgment. Accept that. Make your choice. Don’t look back unless something goes pretty wrong. Your ears are probably very different from everyone else’s.
Different brands have their partisans. For your HAs, though, partisans don’t count. You and your choices do.
@philbob57, @Volusiano and all others, thanks very much for taking the time and sharing your experience with me, I enormously appreciate that. Considering all the pros and cons, I think Costco is definitely a better choice for me to get my first hearing aids.
I recently changed from an older Phonak to the 9040s. It’s been about 2 months, and other than liking rechargeable batteries, I’m really not terribly pleased. I have had for many years, so I don’t think I have unrealistic expectations.
The first issue is being unable to hear phone calls. The highest volume is only enough to hear in a quiet room. Costco increased the gain to the max, and I still have trouble hearing calls, but now I get shrill feedback every time I go near my ears, and voices have shrill overtones.
Second issue is music. I have been unable to hear music in any balanced way. It sounds similar to what others are saying, about everything being sharp, bright, and tinny. I have tried altering the balances, but still have difficulty identifying songs I’ve listened to for 40 or more years.
Third is bluetooth. (Yeah, I have Android!) I can’t zoom on the phone with them, and YouTube “stutters” (although I have been able to stream movies). I can’t get the Philips to work through my laptop at all.
I was concerned about hearing so much background noise/air. I felt like my CC tech brushed off my concern/question. In reading the posts (what a great forum!) it seems like that is a feature and not a bug {being “open” right?)
It seems like a lot of people have really appreciated the change to 9040s. Any recommendations for tweaks or areas to look at before I go back to Costco next week for another adjustment? The tech kept repeating that she’d have to call the supplier for any more help. Maybe that’s how things are, but I found that disappointing. I’m going to try seeing a different technician on this next visit.
So, now what? Change to Jabra? I’m even considering finding an actual audiologist for the first time, which sounds like it has its own challenges. If independent, oh my, then what brand?
Regarding low volume on phone calls, ask your Costco to show you the Philips HearSuite page below for the SmartPhone Accessories page. Verify for yourself that the Costco HCP has set the default phone level to the max of 9 instead of at the 0 dB default. Maybe also have the Low Frequency Enhancement set to High as well. 9 dB is quite a significant step up from 0 dB. I’d be surprised that even at 9 dB, the phone call volume is still low to you. Have you also increased the volume buttons on your Android phone to max level as well?
Regarding the music issue, did you have the HCP install the built-in Music program for you? If you’ve only been listening to music with the default program, try using the built-in Music program to see if it’s any improvement.
Regarding Bluetooth, to get the Philips to work with your laptop, you’ll probably need to buy the Philips Audio Clip accessory which is a Bluetooth streaming device. Even if the 9040 supports for direct connection to Android smart phones that have ASHA support, your laptop most likely doesn’t have ASHA support like your Android smart phone.
Regarding the background noise issue, there’s a built-in program called Noise to help suppress noise in noisy environments, and another built-in program called Speech in Noise to help with better speech clarity in noisy environments. Have you tried either one of these built-in programs? If not, ask the Costco HCP to install them for you and try it out. You have 4 programs, so after the default program, and the Music program, you can still add the Noise program and the Speech in Noise program before you run out of programs to add.
Your Costco tech shouldn’t have brushed off your questions like that. If you don’t like that tech, maybe make an appointment at another Costco store to get a different tech to work with you. If you’re a self inclined , get a NoahLink wireless interface and download the free Philips HearLink program and explore and make your own adjustments.
I have the 9040 and have had none of these issues. The red flag in what you wrote is that voices have shrill overtones. I hear voices in the most natural way - recalls the way I remember hearing voices when my hearing was good. I had KS10 - Phonak, and probably a newer model than what your coming from - and the 9040 definitely sound better to me. I pay little attention to the technicalities with these things unless I have a problem that I have to dig into, but I wonder if you need a higher powered receiver, could it be thatwhat you have is being driven into saturation?
I have an iPhone and iPad. Connectivity is excellent and volume is more than adequate with iPhone volume turned up; I do recall now that you mention it that I had Costco max out the volume early on. Sound quality is terrible w/o the streaming equalizer - shrill, offensive. With the equalizer I turn up the gain all the way up on the two lower bands and all the way down on the two upper bands.
Most music sounds so good for me on the General setting that I don’t normally even bother with the Music program.
Are you sure you have the 9040, lol? It seems totally different from my experience. My guess is that the has very little experience with the Philips, or maybe just isn’t real good. If by chance you’re in the Phoenix area I can give you the name of a Costco HCP who knows the 9040, does a fine job, and is very easy to work with.
I am attracted to the possibility of tweaking my newly purchased Phillips 9040s. They have been setup and programmed at Costco and I am just getting used to them. One issue I have is that I live 3 hours away from the nearest Costco, so I can’t just pop in for a tweaking. I understand that the Hearlink software and NoahLink wireless interface is available, and I am moderately tech savy so think I can set it up. The think I am concerned about is the possibility of overwriting existing programming inadvertently by setting up a profile in the software. So basically, does Hearlink allow one to connect to previously programmed devices and import current settings without changing them? Ideally, in this event, I could see current settings and play with minor tweaks without screwing with my current setup inadvertently. Can anybody advise whether this is possible? Thanks.
When first connecting (Phonaks) with Target software (using Noah Wireless) it asks to import all settings from your to the PC. I assume this also holds for other types of software…
When you first connect to Hearlink it imports your settings. Immediately save and quit. This keeps your original settings. After this, if you save at the end of your next sessions it will keep a time-stamped list of each session. If you mess something up, you can go back to any earlier version.
Even better is after saving your first settings (save to database and ) you should make/start a new client and do all your adjustments and fine tuning from there, no need to bother looking for time stamp in the sessions etc.
I talked to the Costco tech about about the remote configuration option in the app and she said they “could try it”, but didn’t seem too encouraging. I don’t think this location had too much experience with it and she said their internet connection had some reliability issues. I do plan to follow-up at some point, however and see if it works. I would like to familiarize myself with the configuration options in Hear Suite too, so I can better understand what configuration can be done. I asked, for example, about whether the SoundProtect feature was configurable, and she acted like she didn’t know. I know this device is a relatively new model, but I thought she should definitely have an answer.
I would like to familiarize myself with the configuration options in Hear Suite too, so I can better understand what configuration can be done. I asked, for example, about whether the SoundProtect feature was configurable, and she acted like she didn’t know. I know this device is a relatively new model, but I thought she should definitely have an answer.
That’s such a cop-out to act like she didn’t know when all she had to do it open up the fitting program and look. She’s the who’s dispensing these aids to you, for Pete’s sake! It’s HER business to know. It’s OK if she doesn’t know for real, but it’s not OK if she doesn’t even want to learn to know after she’s been asked a very basic question by a client. Even I don’t own Philips hearing aids, yet I can tell you, and even show you, what settings are available for the Sound Protect feature (see the screenshot below).
You can, too, without having to commit to actually buy the NoahLink Wireless to connect to your Philips aids. Just download the free Philips HearLink programming app, and set your up in a newly created profile for yourself, then go into the menus and browse around to your heart’s content. Select the online help and it’ll take you to a page where almost every single feature/option/selection on the HearLink app is explained to you.
The first time around when it says that your hearing aids are not connected (because you don’t have the NoahLink Wireless), just hit OK, “don’t ask me again” and it’ll just take you into the menus without having to have an actual connection. Basically you’ll be in a “simulation” mode so to speak. With “don’t ask me again”, next time you go back, it won’t even bother telling you that you’re not connected to the aids anymore.
PA
Geneva, Switzerland
