So far, in my life, I’ve spent about 14k out of pocket on hearing aids. I’m VERY glad to see that there are other options coming up.
Yeah. I’m 6 years into my HA adventure and I’m on my second set. Which are now getting a bit long in the tooth and less effective as my needs get harder. And like you, about $13K-14K all in so far. Next set will be about the same.
I’m definitely curious to try the cheaper route, but unless they have a money-back return policy I’d be wary of dropping e.g. $1500 on the Costco specials and then having to go buy the expensive ones anyhow. As you know, but the OP probably doesn’t, it takes a couple weeks of wearing them for your brain to get used to working with them and getting the most perceived clarity out of their signal.
The real problem with hearing loss is not loss of volume, but loss of clarity and an increased sense that the world’s background noise is turned up a bunch, so the thing you’re trying to pay attention to is harder to pick out of the ever more intrusive background sounds.
This is not true. Costco HA’s are essentially identical to the high end HA’s available from audiology clinics. They are made by the same manufactures (Widex, Phonak, Oticon), but rebranded for Costco.
Costco offers the advantages of being a third the cost and have a generous six month return policy. The disadvantage of Costco is that they generally use licensed HA fitters, not trained audiologists. The fitters are good at configuring a HA to your prescription, but if you have special needs or would benefit by special hearing molds that fit in your ear, an audiologist would serve you better.
They have a 6 month full refund return policy on hearing aids. From AI:
… Costco generally offers a very generous return policy on hearing aids, with a 180-day (6-month) satisfaction guarantee for returns. This means you can return hearing aids purchased at Costco within 180 days of purchase for a full refund. There’s also a 3-year warranty that includes loss and damage protection (one-time replacement with no deductible) on most models.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- 180-day Return Policy:
Costco allows members to return hearing aids for any reason within 180 days of purchase for a full refund.
- No Questions Asked (Generally):
While there might be exceptions, Costco’s return policy is flexible and generally allows returns without significant hassle.
- No Receipt Needed (Sometimes):
Costco can often look up purchase information, so a receipt may not always be necessary.
- Loss and Damage Protection:
The 3-year warranty includes a one-time replacement for loss or damage, with no deductible.
- Free Cleaning and Servicing:
Costco hearing aid centers offer free cleaning and servicing for the life of the hearing aids.
Completely replacing them if lost, without a deductible, is much better than I had with the $5,500 ones and Costco’s warranty is longer.
I saw a Reddit thread talking about hearing aids. Someone suggested using the 180 trial period, overlapping it with the trial period for another brand. Also, someone said that the top-rated clinic by Consumer Reports for hearing aids is the VA, but Costco is number two.
Didn’t they just become off the shelf legal a few months ago? The Airpods functionality was only added recently. It seems to me that since these are mostly electronic signal processors, like LSLguy said, it might very well become a commodity offering in a few more years, when they’re integrated into every major noise canceling headphone.
That’s just a guess, but if it’s at all plausible, maybe buy a cheap, “good enough” one for now and see how the market changes in a few more years?
Maybe custom molding etc. will still be necessary, but the underlying technology and chips can now take advantage of Big Tech scaling, not just Small Hearing Aid oligapolies.
In other words, it seems they’re on a cusp of a revolution, and buying a high end one now would be like buying a MP3 player right before the iPod or iPhone came out – the last of a generation about to be completely leapfrogged.
If that is at all plausible, maybe it would be better to buy a cheap, good enough one for now and see how the market changes in a few years?
A couple of years ago, as I noted earlier in the thread, but yes.
I’m really disappointed no one gave a response in all caps…
Yeah. My problem is incredible tinnitus. So I have to up my volume. The hearing aids I have now are bluetoothed to my phone. I can adjust volume, and even treble and bass. It has some standard settings too. Outside, music etc. Works pretty well.
My complaint would be that they sit over your ear. Right where my sunglasses rest.
Costco does carry name brand hearing aids. My husband had already had a hearing test done by an audiologist at a doctor’s office, but had one also done at Costco. Costco had us bring a copy of his test results from the doctor to them and spoke with my husband about all of the results. I think they do a tremendous job.
I have some hearing loss on my left side. Haven’t had it looked at yet. The problem I have is that I can’t use in-ear hearing aids because the bottoms of my earlobes don’t turn up like most peoples do, which means anything I try to put in there immediately falls out. External types of aids seem very clunky.
They kind of are. But has been the best for me so far though.
HUH??
Mine are the fairly typical design where the body nestled behind the upper part of your ear, and a thin (~1mm) data cable (not hollow plastic tube) goes over the front of the top of the ear, and down to the outer earhole. A small soft silicone plug-like thing that is both microphone and speaker/transducer goes into the ear canal. It does not depend at all on the lip of the tragus or anti-tragus (Tragus (ear) - Wikipedia ) to stay in there.
They’re substantially invisible; many people have known me for months before noticing I’m wearing them; usually only after I tell them. And no, they don’t interfere w me wearing sunglasses. Neither does removing my sunglasses tend to sling the aids across the room.
Taking off a pullover shirt however …
Overall, these things have proven very easy to live with.
Or a pull on sports bra. At least I was never outside when I did that. Still lost one permanently somehow. I’m blaming the cat. A heating aid is a perfect cat hockey puck, especially if there are heating/AC grates in the wood floor where one whap of a paw sends it skittering ever so satisfyingly.
Or a Covid face mask, yikes! Lost count of the times I had to search in parking lots or next to my car parked in the street for a tiny flesh-colored micro-computer that cost about $3,000 per half ounce.
That’s what I have @LSLGuy . Agree with the shirt. And sunglasses/hats for me. And I have to be cautious doing active stuff. That’s not jogging or something. Just day to day stuff. So I only wear them when my wife is around really. Don’t need them for work.
It’s really not bad all in all. My wife and I play chess and listen to music. She’ll ask me if the music needs to be louder, and I can say don’t worry about it for me, I can just turn up my hearing aids.
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A small soft silicone plug-like thing that is both microphone and speaker/transducer goes into the ear canal. It does not depend at all on the lip of the tragus or anti-tragus (Tragus (ear) - Wikipedia ) to stay in there.
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@Chefguy, @LSL nailed it. Described it much more clearly than I could have.
Costco sells at least 4 styles of hearing aids. Only 2 of the four sit over/behind the ear.
For @Chefguy it sounds like he needs the over/behind kind, since he doesn’t have the needed ear geometry for a fully in-ear design.
Those other two sit in the ear canal, not touching or needing the tragus or anti-tragus. Whether he has an ear canal conducive to one? Whole ‘nother question.
Pretty sure that’s the case. I remember when earbuds came out. I thought “oh, cool” until I tried them and they just fell out. Prior to that I never knew that ears could be different. That was also the moment when I realized why I had so much trouble on the rifle range trying to keep those foam earplugs in.
I have a Kaiser plan that covers most of the Audiologist’s work but doesn’t cover the actual hearing aid. I forget if there were four or five price levels offered. The audiologist said that the main difference between them was the software that picked the pertinent sounds apart from the background sounds. Apparently every year they get better. The prices went from $1,800 to over $6k. I bought the lowest one (oldest software).
They connect to my phone by Bluetooth for settings, phone calls, and audiobooks/music. They recharge every night. No batteries to change. The recharger holds 3 charges before it needs to be plugged in.
The over-ear parts have three microphones, each. Until you adjust, sounds behind you seem unnaturally loud because one mic faces backward. If you walk out in the wind, you’ll get that wind-over-microphone sound.
Some of the background noises sounded really odd until I identified what was causing that noise. After I knew, the sound slowly shifted to it’s old sound. That was odd, but convenient.
You will be amazed at the number our sounds you forgot were happening because you couldn’t fully hear them. So many fans. So much car noise. Oh, and your farts aren’t a quiet as you thought they were. I have to assume that’s not just the back-facing mic.