Myths About Buying Hearing Aids Online

MYTHS ABOUT BUYING HEARING AIDS ONLINE (without local service included) AMAZING NEW HEARING AIDS BUY MҮTH #1 Hearing aids can be appropriately sized and programmed remotely. FALSE THE TRUTH Being properly fit with hearing aids requires in-person service, and is at minimum a 3 step process. STEP 1 Choosing the correct receiver size & strength The receiver or "speaker" is where the sound comes out of the hearing aid. Precisely selecting the correct size and strength receiver ensures your hearing aids fit right, sound right, and look right. STEP 2 Choosing the correct dome size and style Closed Domes Open Domes Power Domes Tulip Dome 88 0000 Small Medium Large Small Medium Large 9 mm 10 mm 11 mm The "dome" is a little rubber piece that attaches to the end of the receiver. Selecting the appropriate size and style of dome has significant impact on the fit, feel, and acoustic performance of the hearing aid. STEP 3 Personalizing the hearing aids via programming Hearing aids come with a suite of tools and features to enable a high degree of personalization, but almost all of them rely on in-person programming to work. During programming sessions, your hearing provider will make a number of adjustments to the hearing aids while asking for your feedback in real time. Programming a hearing aid without your immediate feedback (as online retailers do) is programming a hearing aid blindly, with almost no insight into how the adjustments will affect your hearing. Programming a local hearing provider can do vs. a remote programmer Local Licensed Hearing Provider Remote Programmer Basic programming Real time adjustments Real ear measurement Speech mapping Feedback cancellation Comfort level testing In-situ audiomety Aided discrimination test МҮТH #2 If your hearing aids ever need servicing locally, just contact a local hearing provider and pay a small fee. FALSE THE TRUTH Finding a local hearing provider to service hearing aids that were purchased online is not easy. In order for this myth to be true, all of the following have to be true There's a hearing There's a hearing There's a hearing provider near you with There's a hearing provider near you that will service hearing aids they did not sell. provider near you that is familiar with the hearing provider near you that service fees that are low aids you purchased, and has the equipment & will service hearing aids that were bought online. enough that they don't eliminate your savings from purchasing online. training to service them. Odd it's true Odd it's true Odd it's true Odd it's true 7/10 6/10 5/10 5/10 Let's do the math 하융 10.5 % 7 10.5 chance that there is a hearing provider near you that meets all of the above criteria. КЕЕР IN MIND In most US cities, you'll have access to about 50 hearing providers within a 1 hour drive. This means in reality, you'll have about 5 hearing providers to choose from that meet all of the above criteria, and that's before asking questions like... Do Can I get an I like the Do appointment hearing provider I want to drive quickly this far for routine ? service ? MYTH #3 All new hearing aids bought online come with a valid factory warranty. FALSE THE TRUTH Many hearing aids bought online do not come with valid manufacturer warrantieS and are sold through unauthorized rogue distributors. How to protect yourself from unauthorized retailers online Before you purchase Call or email the hearing aid manufacturer to verify the online retailer is authorized to sell their products, and that the warranties will be honored. Look for an "about us" page on the retailer's website and check their credentials so you can be sure you are working with a licensed hearing provider. After you purchase Call or email the hearing aid manufacturer to ensure your new hearing aids are registered in your name and do not belong to someone else. A WARNING: If it turns out you've purchased grey market hearing aids from an unauthorized distributor, a hearing aid manufacturer has the right to retain the hearing aids if they are ever sent to their repair lab. MYTH #4 Getting your hearing aids serviced by an online retailer is a breeze! FALSE THE TRUTH Hearing aids require routine cleaning, repair, and adjustments. For all these services, you'll be mailing your hearing aids to a service center and will be without loaner hearing aids in the meantime. Reno, NV to Durham, NC Shipping Estimates One-Way* 2nd Day Air: $60 Ground (2-7 days) : $10 *Rates taken from UPS.com with a declared value of $2500 Total estimated time (during 5 years of ownership) that hearing aids are in transit: 40 dayS KEEP IN MIND For many repair and service issues, the repair lab resets your hearing aids to settings that were different than when they received them. There is a good chance when you get your hearing aids back there will be no improvement or they'll be worse than before. If you buy hearing aids online (without local service included)... The fit and programming of your hearing aids won't be totally accurate A QUICK Local support will be hard to find RECAP You may not get a legitimate factory warranty 1O Getting them remotely serviced will be a pain! A BETTER OPTION Follow the advice of these groups and visit a local, licensed hearing health care provider! If you're concerned about costs, most hearing providers have models available at the prices seen online. Consumer Reports FDA BETTER HEARING NIDCD National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders INSTITUTE Learn more about hearing aids at www.ziphearing.com ...............*