Hearing Aid Question ??

(hope this post isn't breaking any Forum Rules, if it is then I'm sorry)

I finally went to a Hearing Aid Place (Beltone) and had their FREE hearing test done. The test seemed very thorough and he pretty much told me what I suspected about my hearing, However, I've been doing some googling and have found a lot of bad reports on them from unsatisfied customers. The units that I would consider are $5800 but only $4800 with my exclusive $1000 discount card and they are what's called the over the ear model. It has a rocker volume switch on each one and the part that fits inside the ear is very small.

Does anyone know anything about this Company or it's product that might help me make a semi-intelligent decision?

Thanks in Advance,

Em

What? What's that?? Didja say something??



Sorry Em, couldn't resist the cheap shot. My uncle has a pair of those, they said don't wear them around machinery or anytime outside or in the rain. So the only time he has them in is to watch the news at 6 pm! You should see him and I on weekends working together! It's always stop work and look at each other and say What? What's that? did you say something?? :LOL::LOL:

Sounds like you and I are in the same boat.... if it ain't the eyes it's the ears goin' away.:mad:

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Originally Posted by MelloYello

(hope this post isn't breaking any Forum Rules, if it is then I'm sorry)

I finally went to a Hearing Aid Place (Beltone) and had their FREE hearing test done. The test seemed very thorough and he pretty much told me what I suspected about my hearing, However, I've been doing some googling and have found a lot of bad reports on them from unsatisfied customers. The units that I would consider are $5800 but only $4800 with my exclusive $1000 discount card and they are what's called the over the ear model. It has a rocker volume switch on each one and the part that fits inside the ear is very small.

Does anyone know anything about this Company or it's product that might help me make a semi-intelligent decision?

Thanks in Advance,

Em

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Em,
I recently purchased my first pair of hearing aids after my primary care doctor told me he was seeing a "significant" loss on both ears, and advising that they now know that the pathways to the brain for hearing will atrophy with time. In essence, if your auditory nerves aren't sending the signals for some frequency range, the pathways will shut down. He advised that it's best to get some hearing amplification sooner as opposed to later.

I STRONGLY recommend that your ignore the recommendations of your Beltone rep, and instead go to a good, competent independent audiologist who will fit you with the right product for you, regardless of the manufacturer. My office was "Hometown Hearing & Audiology". The pair of hearing aids listed for about $5800, but my price was $4000 flat which covered the initial visits and lifetime support. They want to see me every six months, and if I have ANY concerns I call, get an appointment, and they figure out the problems for no added costs. I pay for batteries, filters, etc, but nothing else. Just my $0.02, but do some research before you go to a one product dealer.

OK, here is my story. I also had the strong arm sell from the audiologist. She did the $XXXX cost but had a $1000 off deal. I asked lots of questions....like can I have a 2 week trial? She said yes BUT if I returned them, it cost me $500 for the 2 week use. She pressed for a purchase "Today" but I called BS on her. I went to Sam's Club (Costco also does it). Here is what I found: (1) audiologists are state licensed so the guy at Costco is BETTER because he has less pressure to sell you something, (2) the software that they did the test with at Sam's Club was exactly the same (even the revision level) as at the high-dollar audiologist, (3) Sam's had a FREE trial, no cost to return the units, (4) My TOTAL cost at Sam's for 32 bit units was $2000 (total for two) plus tax (5) I go back when I need them adjusted and they do it for FREE, (6) I occasionally break the little plastic choncha lock (the wisker thing that holds it in your ear) and they give me replacements for free (7) their insurance plan is $250 a year for repair/replacement (I didnt buy it) beats the other guys. The storefronts bad mouth Costco and Sam's to no end. The entire Hearing Aid retail industry is up in arms over Costco and Sam's selling hearing aids.....look at the margin the "Beltone" guys are playing with.... I have read that a hearing aid (single one) costs about $600-$650 wholesale from the mfgr. selling one for $3000 is BS.

By the way, there are 16 bit, 32 bit and 64 bit models.....how many frequency levels that can be adjusted. 32 levels is fine for me. 16 is old technology, 64 is the latest. TEST THE DAMN things in noisy environment. Test them in your car. Test them ina noisey restaurant where there is background noise.

Only BAD thing about hearing aids is that your cheap radio will SUCK
And the Beach Boys had high notes in their songs, after all.

By the way, wearing them in the rain has little effect. IF they get wet from excessive sweat or rain, they might quit working but you can open the battery slot and blow the water out. They usually give you a jar of dessicant to store them in at night. IF you have a loud car, the hearing aids may "ring" for a few seconds after you shut it off. IF you go shooting, you take them off before you put your earmuffs on.

Another tip: for the little rocker volume switch, have them turn it off in software....glasses wil hit the little rocker and change the volume. You probably never need to change the volume.

Had I read what Robot's posting I would have gone to Costco instead of the independent shop!! Mine came with a hand held remote to adjust volume as opposed to a switch on each hearing aid. They start at a pre-set amplification, chosen to match your hearing and correction level, and then they slowly ramp up to 100% over time - mine will take eight to nine months to get to full amplification, to allow the receptors to get used to processing the louder signals that should be there with no loss.

I am sure that there are good independent shops EXCEPT that they typically have overhead to pay....rent, electricity, insurance, etc where the Costco or Sam's space is kinda existing (it does have value) to the store. IT takes mayby a 20 x 10 space in the big box store. The guy who sold me mine said he didnt average a set a day at Sam's (so less than seven sets a week) at the time I bought mine but it was a relatively new service in the store when I bought them. My problem with the independent shops is that I didnt know who to trust...they are like insurance sales guys.....and morticians.

We have a guy here at work that is flat bad in hearing....no low notes, no high notes, he had a set of $8000 aids. They were giving him trouble so he went to Costco and bought his next set. Happy as a clam now.

By the way, batteries last maybe 3 days in a noisy environment....I think 24 batteries is $10 so it is less than a buck every 3 days. I change mine before they beep at me....every 3 days on schedule. I highly recommend trying hearing aids if you have a loss or if you have trouble in a restaurant where there is background noise.....AND you can hear the wife bitch at you!!!

The guy in Sam's said he was non-comissioned but salaried and he DID have a sales target but didnt get dinged if he didnt meet it. He had his state of Arizona license.

Hey Gents, thank Y'all so much for all of this info and the PMs also. For some reason I don't have that good gut feeling about today's visit to Beltone and I usually listen to that gut feeling. I am normally a trusting soul but this just didn't feel right so I came to Y'all. Ain't nuttin' like actual experience for good info - - - especially when no one is getting a commission either. LOL

'preciate it Y'all,
Em

You mean I would hear HER?
You just tanked the sale.:eek:

HEY, you CAN still have selective hearing with hearing aids.....you can filter out annoying screeching noise by having that frequency channel suppressed.....then her shrill voice chewing your butt cant be heard BUT if she says "come here lover boy" in a low voice, you can hear it just fine. Or you can pretend not to hear the screeching like I do.

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Originally Posted by robot

By the way, batteries last maybe 3 days in a noisy environment....

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Mine use the 312 battery, and so far they go seven days before the "Bong". Once they "Bong" the low battery sound they're gone quickly.

My “BTE" model (Behind The Ear) seemed to work well for a while, but after several attempts by my Audiologists staff to adjust them to my liking they became the “ITD" model (In The Drawer). Now, if people would just stop mumbling, all would be right!

I too just got some hearing aids(wife too).. my are the over the ear ones and come with a remote that i can change the sound with up and down and the best thing is it's also blue tooth with my cell phone... love that part because it's really hands free.. bad thing is i can be talking on the phone and people look at me like i'm losing my mine because they don't see a phone or the hearing aids.. must be a small world because reading what everyone said is just how i would have put it...

Got an appt scheduled at Sam's Club on Saturday morning - - - fingers crossed but looking good --- especially price wise.
I am one who does not want the bells and whistles, remotes or blue tooth, even tho I know that they are the cat's meow to some people. I want mine to allow me to hear better with the KISS principle inside and out.

TA
Em

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Originally Posted by MelloYello

Got an appt scheduled at Sam's Club on Saturday morning - - - fingers crossed but looking good --- especially price wise.
I am one who does not want the bells and whistles, remotes or blue tooth, even tho I know that they are the cat's meow to some people. I want mine to allow me to hear better with the KISS principle inside and out.

TA
Em

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Em,
Don't rule out the hand held remote. I did not do blue tooth and I'm not sorry - didn't like the hands free phone things anyway. You will get into situations where you want to adjust your volume level (like a room full of people talking in small groups, grandkids shrieking, or someone lighting off an engine with open headers...), and the alternative to the remote is a tiny button on the aid body - the button on one boosts volume, and the other side lowers. The remote is soooo much easier, and it's an either or decision - do you want the remote or the on-unit buttons, and it has +, -, and return to base settings buttons. Very handy for me.

My late father had a unit similar to that,Roger..Cant remember what brand it was,,but it had a remote for the volume,,and it worked well.. (much to mum's disgust)..:LOL: Only took a second for dad to go ''deaf'' once she started bleating at him..:LOL: I have lost about 20% of my hearing,I think,,blame loud music,,power tools,,and unmuffled V8's..and the dragstrip off course..;);)

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Originally Posted by lamin8r

My late father had a unit similar to that,Roger..Cant remember what brand it was,,but it had a remote for the volume,,and it worked well.. (much to mum's disgust)..:LOL: Only took a second for dad to go ''deaf'' once she started bleating at him..:LOL: I have lost about 20% of my hearing,I think,,blame loud music,,power tools,,and unmuffled V8's..and the dragstrip off course..;);)

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Not to belabor the point, but it came as a real surprise to me when my regular doctor said that he used to tell patients to "...wait as long as you can..." before spending the money on hearing aids, but he had learned that it is better to get them at the first recognizable onset of loss. Apparently if you lose a certain frequency band, say from hammering bass in loud music not only are the receptors for that frequency damaged, the transmission pathway for that frequency atrophies and after a time will never come back even if that frequency of hearing is amplified. My hearing was a little below the "needs correction" line across all frequencies, and worse in the upper mid to upper ranges on one side. That side had permanent loss of 5% to 10%, but the other ear should correct back to full range over the next year, or at least that's what the snake oil sales gal says.....

OK I got mine about 16 mo. ago maybe more. They go in my ears. If I forget to take them out before showering I have to put them in the little jar to dry them out. When I was fitted I was asked did I want to control the volume I thought about that for a long time and asked a lot of questions. I said NO and they were set by her computer in the office it took a few times to get it right as different places I go to have different noise levels. It has been at least 6 mo. now and I haven't had to have them changed...Its an option that they can turn on or off with there computer. It cost nothing. I didn't want to control them as I would have them full of grease in no time. I have little magnets that I put on the receiver of my phones that turn the hearing aids off when I'm on the phone. My batts last 6/7 days #312. If I'm in the shop most of the time they are in a drawer in a tool box. They were hard to get used to but now I some times forget to take them out for bed. Ain't it great getting old :-)

Roger, my doctor said the same thing. I lost my high notes in 1969 shooting and just got the hearing aids two years ago....but it still worked.....and to think, all these years I saved money by buying a cheap radio. My 312 batteries would never last 6 days but I am in a noisy shop all day or getting yelled at by customers.