Was at a Costco today and walked by hearing aid display. Didn’t see KS10. Asked when KS11 might be coming out. They said they don’t know until they show up, but KS10 is discontinued. Seems likely that KS11 will be soon, but it’s just conjecture. They could choose to do things differently.
KS10 has been scrubbed from the Costco Hearing Aid Center website too.
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They sell you something when they know you will return it when the successor comes out in 2 months? I think I’d do that too. I can see it from that perspective.
WH
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Costco allows returns for 6 months. This is atypical behavior for them. I have heard that of all the aids they sell the KS10 was the least reliable, both from reports here and to talking to my fitter at my local Costco.
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@WhiteHat: Their business analysts have it all figured out → hearing aids as a loss leader for prescription drugs, spectacles, electronics, geriatric health aids, pet food, and bedding. They know exactly the incremental sales in each category that are driven by customers’ satisfaction with their hearing aid value proposition. They play these things off one another in a symphony of interdependent profit margins and turns.
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That’s interesting. Do you think Costco loses money or just breaks even on hearing aids? It’s certainly possible. Amazon lost money on books for decades. Possibly still does. the did it to establish market share.
Hi! Newbie here. I purchased a pair of KS10’s from Costco to be delivered to me in about 10 days. I’ve paid for them. I’m thinking I’m better off returning them or not taking possession of them at this point. Am I off-base on this?
Uh oh. Negative Costco remarks. I’ll step aside
If you can wait, wait. Some may say with their return policy, go for it. But my Costco will not allow an upgrade just because a new model comes out within the return time frame. They will accept it for refund, but won’t sell you the new model. I called around to 3 Costco’s in my area and talked to the manager of each one and only one said they would accept a return for a new model. The one that did, also said he would accept customers from other stores that were denied, but that the aids would have to be returned to the issuing store, and he would sell the new model. They all share the same customer tracking info.
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Good to know since this is a model I thought might work for me. Nic that one from the possibilities.
Why would you want to return them? You might like them and if you return them you won’t have the option to try them. They “may” be Costco’s least reliable hearing aids, but the aids they are similar too are one of the most popular hearing aids out there. I don’t see any downside to trying them. If you don’t like them, return them. Then you’ll have more information and could make a decision on what model might better suit your needs.
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@4mulch: I would find out whether your Costco allows return/upgrade transactions. If not, I would wait for the KS11, since KS10s don’t have the best track record, as it is.
People here may say “Keep it and try”, but it’s not their money on the table. Check first before you commit, is my advice.
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Interesting, I’d read only good things about the KS10s on this forum…sounds like they have a reputation for breaking down. Good performance, but bad endurance?
(and no, this isn’t a dig at costco. I like that they offer good HAs at lower prices.)
It is a comment I’ve heard several customers say they were told this by costco HCPs when asking about KS10s. No data.
WH
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I got my KS 10s in April 2021 and they have performed flawlessly…I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Bluetooth performance with my Android phone and Windows computers couldn’t be better.
I am essentially deaf without them.
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I don’t doubt this at all. I simply don/'t know.
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I walked by and noticed no KS-10s, so I asked. The person at the counter told me that they were having some issues with Power Management and corporate told them to stop selling them until the issue is resolved.
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Thank you all for your replies to my question about possibly returning the KS10’s I haven’t taken possession of!
I called my local Costco and they advised that the KS 10’s were removed because they are having charging issues. They did not think it had anything to do with a new model. They had no idea when a new model might come out.
Also, at this Costco they do not do upgrade transactions, but they are fine with returns and a return does not hamper the customer from purchasing a new pair at all. I was glad to this news.
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Costco releases a new model on pretty regular 18 month intervals. The KS10 was announced April 1 2021, so on that basis we can expect KS11 to be announced on Oct 1 (or the first business day after that, Oct 3). And if they follow pattern, they’ll likely be a minor upgrade, still made by Phonak.
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Costco renegotiates the contract, and the next model, if there is one, isn’t guaranteed to be Phonak. My KS 5 and 6 aids were GN ReSound, and earlier models were Rexton, IIRC. I didn’t keep up with the underlying brand for later models,
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