For those with Costco hearing aids, what can you tell me about the wait time? Did you have to wait a while for your initial appointment or fitting appointment? Do you find it easy to get an immediate appointment when you have a problem? How long is the wait typically? Thank you!
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I got my hearing tested at one of the Kaiser clinics. I got lucky as they had just hired a new audiologist and had some appointments available.
After getting my test results, I called Costco and got my first appointment the next week to discuss the brand of hearing aid I wanted. However, I was pretty flexible as to the time and date.
My hearing aids came in the next week and a fitting was done that week. At that time I made an additional appointment. I had the choice making that appointment the following week or selecting something else. I elected to schedule the next appointment in two weeks.
My local Costco has three fitters on staff, plus two or three additional employees to clean hearing aids and make appointments. They didn’t seem that busy during the middle of week the times I was there.
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Hi Abram, I hope you’re enjoying life Down Under. My Costco appointment wait time is typically about two weeks. Longer appointments are harder to book than shorter ones. And my El Paso Costco does not seem to encourage online appointments. I realize the online services are limited, especially since they can’t do real ear measurements that way.
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Thanks. Yes, I’m enjoying it here in NZ. Missing family and friends, but making some new friends, and nice to be near wife’s family. Thanks for the sentiment.
Interesting about telehealth. That was another question I had… whether or not they actually encourage / provide regularly those services.
If I’m making a list it seems like the main drawbacks of costco are:
- They refer out for complex cases (tinnitus/unilateral, asymmetric, or severe loss/conductive losses, exceptionally poor word rec, wax) - not sure how universal this is, but this is what audiologists report receiving costco referrals for in some areas.
- No Phonak / Sonova aids currently available
- High percentage dispensers, with experience level varying (same old story, some of the HIS’s are great, so not necessarily a knock on costco)
- While they mandate REMs, reports come in that not all providers are equally expert in providing the service (this is a problem beyond costco too of course)
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You’re moving from your original question about wait times.
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Regarding wait times if one has a problem. IF something stops working, just stop by the store. If it’s a receiver they’ll replace it. If it’s something they can’t fix, they’ll send it to manufacturer with 1-2 week wait time. If one needs a hearing aid adjustment, I’ve always been able to get appointment within a couple of weeks–usually within a week. I think wait times for initial appointment vary depending on store. I didn’t have much of a wait (few days)
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My experience with Costco was less than 2 weeks to get the initial appointment then to be fit with the new aids was another appointment that took less than 2 weeks.
This Costco allows the aids to be dropped off anytime you visit for cleaning or simple repairs.
This Costco also has 1 audiologist and 1 or 2 HIS at the store regularly. The experience level is 10+ years for each of the HIS fitters. They both are highly rated in my opinion. These fitters regarded the audiologist there as a very experienced audiologist that they could always depend on for answers.
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I suspect experience level varies a lot from store to store. Our stores have quite a bit of turnover.
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In my case at Costco I was able to get in the next day, and fitted 3 days later with Jabra Enhance Pro 20s. Hard to beat that.
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It’s been 2 1/2 years since I got my KS10’s. If I remember correctly, it was about 2 weeks.
Costco has been very good about fixing problems. A couple months ago I was having trouble charging. My local (Prescott, AZ) store updated the firmware. Since then I had trouble only once (possibly from not getting good contact) but otherwise, the charging has worked perfectly since Sep. 21. (Described at Costco apparently fixed my KS10 charge problem).
— Fred
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Got in the next day. Impression taken and moved forward with the purchase. Now 2 week wait to get the 9040’s. My current Audi for the Reals is roughly 2 weeks. She’s busy, Costco’s busy. It is what it is.
If your need is a small one (short appt or minor tech thing) I find that simply showing up at the opening time, or before, is a good bet. Usually one of the techs will find a moment to help you or tell you when to come back. They can often fit you in.
Two weeks for a hearing test; a few days if I’m having trouble. It took 2 weeks to get M&RIE receivers and molds, 10-14 days for new aids time ('10, '15, '20, '23).
I’m in Illinois. Once I got 2 new receivers out of warranty from the Dedham, MA store, and a few months ago I got new wax guards and domes from another store outside of Springfield, MA just by showing up.
One of the reasons I went with my nearby private audi office (three people on staff, plus counter person who does cleanings and appts.) was that my local Costco quoted longish waits for an appt., even for cleanings. when wax clogs my aids, even a high end model becomes useless. At my local audi, I can literally walk in the door and get a cleaning. However, now that I have a Jodi vac, this service isn’t necessary!
The Costco tech I encountered was…less than enthusiastic, or looking to problem solve, or help for that matter. BUT: this is a 'two time" experience at one Costco many years ago… As others have said, quality of service may/will vary from store to store, and month to month as people move in and out. Many here have had good experience with Costco.
My right ear in particular is difficult for a number of reasons. Both ears have been reconstructed heavily through multiple surgeries. General Practitioners don’t know what they’re seeing when they look in my ears. My right ear has profound loss. I need a power receiver and custom domes. I’m not sure if the techs at my local Costco can handle that. Maybe! But again, after trialing two aids at Costco, I ended up at my local provider and have stayed. Part of it has to do with familiarity–they know me and my hearing issues. Costco has a bit higher turnover. For many, this may not matter.
For what it’s worth, in Perth Western Australia I could get in tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… A little issue with ID to sort out first.
When I initially called my very busy local Costco in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (huge parking lot always full), I was told the first opening was 6 weeks away. However, being keen to get in, I asked if they could put me on a call list if any cancellations occurred. Just a couple days later, I got the appointment moved up 2 weeks. Then , a few more days later, it was moved upt by another 2 weeks, making the wait time from my initial inquiry become just 2 weeks.
I had that appointment yesterday, was very favourably impressed (especially about a workers compensation potential claim the audi made about my hearing loss), and about the fact that I was able to order a Jabra Enhanced Pro 20 (the newest model just out) and will be able to pick it up, programmed to my needs, 13 days from yesterday.
I posted a detailed description of the entire appointment experience on this forum last evening.
Jim G
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The key here is to be flexible with the scheduling.
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Southern California: 4-5 weeks till initial appointment, device fitting after another 3-4 weeks.
Here in TX, I called and got a next day appt, was fitted 3 days later. Jabra Enhance Pro 20.
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Are wait times even important? For the initial hearing test and fitting, I would say no. Most people getting hearing aids procrastinate for months, if not years.
For people who have hearing aids who need new replacements quickly, due to loss or catastrophic failure, it could be a factor.
But as others have noted, Costco provides excellent post-sales service with no appointment necessary.
And as noted by many, wait times vary wildly, sometimes even at the same location, so an anecdotal survey like this is not going to yield any useful results.
Listing other “cons” of Costco gives this query a bad smell. Are we going to make a list of the “cons” of using a private practice?
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