Should You Buy An Online Hearing Aid?

If you’ve ever worn a hearing aid, you know how life-changing it can be. You can hear in loud-noise environments again, be part of conversations, and live life independently.

Some companies sell hearing aids online to people with a mild or moderate hearing loss. Considering about half of all Americans have some degree of hearing loss but haven’t sought treatment for it, this might help.

But we are concerned about a number of negative aspects to buying your hearing aids online.

WHY WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ONLINE HEARING AIDS

1. The online hearing test is very inadequate compared to the comprehensive hearing test we do. There is no telling if the hearing aids that are then sent to you will actually help your unique hearing loss and its cause, and you are out a couple of thousand dollars for no reason.
2. Your hearing loss might not even be caused by auditory damage but by inflammation, cysts, a buildup of earwax, a growth, or some other medical issue that you need to be referred to a specialist for. An online service won’t notice this.
3. The long-term cost of online hearing aids might not be all that different to our own Hearing Care Package (which requires no credit check). We’re able to keep all our costs low thanks to not having a clinic and always coming to you. We even have a Best Price Guarantee on any like-for-like hearing care packages.
4. Most online hearing aid companies only offer two to four models of hearing aid. Hearing at Home not only works with all the main brands of hearing aid, but we also offer a 7-day “test drive” of the hearing aids you like to make sure they’re the right choice for you.
5. We fit your hearing aids for your exact ear measurements and once they arrive, we do Real World Programming on them for you. A week later, we come back for a 1-week performance review and adjust each one again so it’s optimized to provide exactly what you need to hear.
   We also go over all the tech features of the hearing aid and answer all your questions so you’re not left confused and frustrated.
6. Online hearing aid repair services are lacking. They can troubleshoot issues over the phone, but for anything else, you’ll have to do without your hearing aids and mail them in and then wait until they are fixed and sent back to you.

• We clean and check every brand and style of hearing aid and do cleanings, repairs, and adjustments at your workplace or home. How many people who have bought online hearing aids can say they were met at the airport to fine-tune their hearing aids? For big repairs, we send your hearing aids by an express courier so you spend as little time as possible without them. We also lend you a similar pair of hearing aids if we think your repair might take some time.

1. They don’t offer regular maintenance checks. Included in our Better Hearing 4 Life service is a yearly full-service check on your hearing aids — we check everything works as it should, clean every part of the hearing aid, change filters and domes if needed, replace batteries for free, and do a final check to make sure everything is perfect.
2. They don’t upgrade your technology every 36 months. We do.
3. All an online hearing specialist can do is ask you questions and do an online hearing test. They can’t do a visual check or an auditory health checkup. When you want us to check your hearing health, we set up an appointment for in-person mobile hearing testing as soon as possible so you’re not waiting.

HOW SHOULD YOU PICK YOUR BEST OPTIONS?

Ask questions – do research from reputable services.

We offer no-cost telephone conferences with one of our specialists to answer any questions you may have and provide you with whatever printed materials that may be of assistance to you. In addition, our comprehensive evaluation is done at no cost in the individual’s home, and they may wear hearing aids for 1 week with no contract, cost, or obligation to see if it is the right decision for them.

Helen Keller once said, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.”

If you enjoy spending time with friends and loved ones, do not ignore what you may perceive as a minor hearing problem. Having a baseline audiogram should be a part of everyone’s health portfolio. If you do have a condition that needs treatment, then please do so.

Do not slowly separate yourself from friends and loved ones as your hearing declines. I have had hundreds of patients tell me that they did not realize how much their social interactions had been affected.

As we struggle hearing, we naturally do not want to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Sometimes nodding our heads and faking it gets us into trouble. Or we do not want to continually ask people to repeat themselves, so we just don’t do certain activities anymore because of this.

Over time, our world can slowly become smaller, and we no longer do many of the things we previously enjoyed. You have the ability to control to a large degree the quality of your life!

Take the first step and schedule a no-cost assessment for yourself or a loved one today.

CONTACT US FOR ANYTHING YOU NEED

If you’d like to take advantage of the newest technology in hearing aids, or if you have a loved one who you think might need their hearing checked, contact us. Our hearing team can answer your questions when you call.

We’ll come to your home or office and show you the latest hearing technology and/or check your loved one’s hearing and diagnose the cause of any hearing loss before suggesting treatment options. To check whether we cover your area, click here.