Buying demo HAs (Oticon)

Hearing Aids
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#1

I am new to HAs and on a low income. A kind audiologist is offering to sell me Oticon Agile Pro aids for much less than retail, but they are demo models. I love the aids, but they don’t come with the standard warranty–just 6 months repair warranty offered by the audiologist.

Does anyone know if manufacturers make the demo models any differantly from their retail models? Can I expect these demo aids to last as long as a relatively new pair?

For my first experience wearing HAs, these seem stellar. I am hoping I am making the right choice to buy them.

Thanks for any help or advice!

#2

If they are marked DEMO don’t buy them - they are not the property of the audi.

If however they are ex-trial aids … but otherwise standard then that will be fine … but ask the audi to change all consumables such as filters and wax traps, and also to wipe down the whole unit with a bug killing wipe !!!

#3

Another option would be Costco or Sam’s.

#4

I have some hearing aids that I have had in my cabinet for awhile. If I sold them at a reduced price in order to clear out some stock, I can still call the manufacturer and register them as sold and provide the patients name and they will get the full manufacturer warranty…regardless of the fact that they have been in my office for 8 months.

Professionals are not allowed to sell hearing aids that are marked “DEMO”. If that is what they are trying to do, run, don’t walk to a different provider.

#5

Doc Audio,

Thanks so much for your advice. We would be none the wiser without it.

I think I mentioned in another thread that an audi offered to sell me a demo of the Oticon Delta.( I had lost one of my original pair, not purchased from her.) She was going to charge me $500 and give me a six month warranty. The aid was marked DEMO.

She let me trial it. After a week of wearing it, the aid fell apart without my knowing it. All I had left was the receiver dangling from my ear. If someone hadn’t spotted the aid on the floor, I would have been out $500! Stupid me. Needless to say, I returned the aid and have not returned to that audi who, btw, was in a very reputable ENT office.

I will be picking up my new Oticon Agil Pro Minis tomorrow morning from a different audi.

Doc Audio,
If I had “bought” that DEMO aid, would she have been able to simply pocket that $500 and not even declare it as part of the business? Just curious.

#6

Thank you all so much for your advice! (And please keep it coming.)

I am so conflicted about this situation because I love these demo hearing aids. And I don’t know how I’ll deal with the audiologist about returning them–he has spent so much time with me and I have referred friends to him. What should I say?

#7

Well, you don’t owe him anything yet, right? If you don’t want to keep them you can just say I’ll pass this time. But if they are a good deal and better than you can get other places, why not go for it?

The warranty thing would be something to ask, if they have not been sold to an end user it looks like you could get the full warranty. Maybe they were registered to a previous buyer who then returned them and the Audiologist never sent them back, maybe? How would the warranty work in that case, DocAudio?

#8

If they were returned by the wearer within the trial period, they can still be registered to a different user.

I’d tell the professional that you can’t afford the price he’s asking for a new pair and you don’t want to purchase a hearing aid without a manufacturer warranty. You never know what will happen, you could need to move or something and then what are you going to do for service? You’re stuck.

Does the provider have financing?? A lot of offices have credit card companies they work with that offer 12 months interest free financing…

#9

Thanks again for your input. I’ve already asked the provider about a less expensive, new aid. But he said that, for one I’d probably be happy with, the price would be quite a bit higher. Financing is available, but it’s really not going to make an astronomical price seem palatable to me.

So, my current plan is to try an “affordable” (relatively) hearing aid from Costco. Then I can choose whether to buy the new, warrantied aids or risk buying the demo pair that I really love.

I suspect, after wearing these high-end aids, that I may not be happy with the less expensive ones. But I do have some concern about the demos, based on what you have told me.

I sure am glad I found this forum! Again, thanks!