Precautions & Pitfalls
Advice On Navigating the Waters of Hearing Aid Purchasing

Do you need hearing aids?

      In the 50's an adventurous audiology student at Brooklyn College chose as his Masters thesis the following topic: “Recommendations Given to a Normal-Hearing Person (that was him) by Hearing Aid Salespeople in New York City.” After publication, his paper caused quite a stir because 75% of the dozen or so hearing aid stores he visited recommended (after their “evaluation”) that he purchase and use hearing aids Although ethical standards since those days have improved greatly, especially after audiologists began to dispense hearing aids, it behooves you, the shopper, to seek the services of hearing health professionals who’ve been highly recommended.

      And of course, until a thorough audiological evaluation has been carried out, there is the possibility that you’re not a candidate for hearing aids after all.

When vanity replaces reason

     If the thought of hearing aids is stressful, you may have a vanity issue. Vanity is defined by Webster as excessive personal pride. While “personal pride” is a good thing it is the “excessive” part that sabotages. When hearing aid size and appearance are of “excessive” concern, consider the following statement.

     It is 100 times more likely that others will notice your
     hearing loss before they notice your hearing aids.  

     That said, we’re pleased to report that hearing aids these days are smaller and less noticeable than ever before. More important, they are better able to help you hear with clarity and confidence than ever before.

When offers are too good to be true

     Everybody loves a bargain. When it comes to hearing aids, bargains can spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Please understand that it’s not the cost of the hearing aids that sets the price. The value of your hearing aids is in the skill, time, and integrity of the audiologist who fitted you.

     Perhaps the following story will bring to mind a personal experience you’ve had when you thought you’d bought a bargain.

     Joe Blank had a barber shop in a small town. During those rare times when business was slow, he’d take out his violin and play the lively square dance tunes he’d learned as a child. Joe had been charging $2, a fair price for haircuts in those days. He wasn’t getting rich but he could pay his bills and still have a bit of money left to save for a rainy day.

     One day a new barbershop opened across the street with a big sign in the window–

                                     Haircuts $1

     Joe’s customers were normal folks who could not resist a bargain. And so, before long, Joe found himself playing the violin more than ever before. Worried about his future, he asked the advice of Jerry Beluga, his wise, old friend. Jerry suggested he post a big sign in his shop window. He did and soon, most of his old customers returned.

     The sign read....

 

 

High end -- low end

     Most hearing aids are expensive. Not everyone can afford the $2,500+ it costs for “high end” models. Manufacturers have increasingly taken notice of this fact and have come out with “low end” models that incorporate much of the critical technology of the high end models. If your needs don’t require “high end” technology, do ask about the availability of lower cost models. You can easily save $1,000 or more and yet sacrifice little with regard to hearing satisfaction.

Hours of operation – an important value

     If you don’t yet use hearing aids, hours of operation of a hearing aid dispensing practice are of little concern. But when you become a hearing aid user, and depend upon your hearing aids for full participation in the world of sound, you’ll want your hearing aid dispenser to be available when you need help. So do check on the days and hours of operation.

Follow up costs

     Hearing aids are complex devices that will need maintenance and repairs from time to time. Our follow-up policy is to provide cleaning, adjustments, insurance-covered repair mail-out and refitting at no charge during the warranty period.

     Most hearing aids come with 1 or 2 years of loss & damage insurance and malfunction insurance. Out-of-warranty repairs are around $200 and carry a 1 year repair warranty. Hearing aid batteries cost a buck or so each, are sold in packages of 4 or 8, and last 1 or 2 weeks, depending upon battery size. If you join our “Battery Club” by paying for 60 of them in advance, we absorb the postage when mailing them to you, 8 at a time, as you need them. When running low, just call us and out they go. This way, they're always fresh.