help buying a hearing aid for my mother

August 7, 2010 5:03 PM

how to get a good deal hearing aids for my mother

my mother went to a retail outlet in a mall to replace her hearing aids (one broke, not worth fixing). they ordered her a pair of $3500 hearing aids. she hasn't paid for them yet. it is a lot of money for her.

is there some intelligent way to buy hearing aids through the internet more cheaply? what is involved? what do i need to know to place the order?

posted by alcahofa to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Big disclaimer: I don't know anything about these companies. I'm not recommending them, except as something to look into. And look carefully. But I'm pretty frustrated with the regular options for buying hearing aids - either from a dealer or an audiologist, for very high prices that usually include lifetime adjustments, which works until you move away from the person you've paid all that money to. So I've gathered these few names, and am planning to look into them at some point. Or maybe some MeFi people have more info about them that they'll post here.

Anyway, for what it's worth, you might look at:
americahears
hearsource

But again - check them out carefully. I don't know if they're good options, or just scams.

Why there aren't much more, much better choices for HOH people is beyond me.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 5:30 PM on August 7, 2010

I ordered mine from Costco, at very significant discount off retail prices. I am getting them fitted and calibrated on Thursday...
posted by Irontom at 6:10 PM on August 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think Costco is about as low as prices go for in-person consults in the US, and I don't know that getting them fit over the Internet is the wisest idea-- sometimes you've got to go in and get an adjustment or have something fixed ASAP, and I don't know how that works with Net vendors.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 6:54 PM on August 7, 2010

Was your mother in the military? If so, she may be eligible for free hearing aids from the Veterans Administration.
posted by conrad53 at 7:10 PM on August 7, 2010

If the retail outlet at the mall is replacing hearing aids without a hearing test and consultation with an audiologist, then I would be very suspicious about what she is getting and whether it is an appropriate model. They may just be trying to sell her the most expensive pair they can. (Personally, I would not go to a mall outlet to purchase an expensive medical device.) If she's considering $3500 for a set, then I think it is worth a visit to a proper audiologist.

Can she get them cheaper via another sales channel? Possibly. But in the world of hearing aids it is very difficult to compare apples to apples, so online shopping might require a fair bit of homework to make sure you know what you are actually getting and see how prices compare at different dispensers and for different brands. I think that when you see steep discounts offered, it's either because it's a lesser-known brand or an older model. Assuming that it's not a dodgy vendor, either one of those might be perfectly acceptable compromises, but you'll want to make sure you know what kind of return policy they have, how the aids will be fitted, who will provide service, and what kind of warranty is in place.

If your mother already had a hearing test (I think it has to be quite recent—within the last 6 months) and a recommendation for a device from an audiologist, then an online seller could be an option. Costco is also an option, though my understanding is that they offer a limited range. This is probably fine if she has a mild to moderate loss that is easily fitted.
posted by amusebuche at 6:33 AM on August 8, 2010

There were some useful answers in this thread just a week ago.
posted by ceri richard at 11:29 AM on August 8, 2010