The pop out retainer came a little late for me as I lost two and I also have a problem with the domes coming off and lodging in my ear. Insurance covered one but since they were in the same ear they did not cover the second loss. ( I now have a problem with the retainer poping out) My grandkids tell me I have a string coming out of my ear, I kind of wish I went for a more expensive aid but in the end it is the fitter that is the most important. All Costco hearing centers are not created equal.
I ended up going with the Costco BTE Rexton Cobalt 12s at the Costco’s hearing specialist’s recommendation. They seem to be working fine so far though I never did try other different brands.
Regarding the domes coming off in the ear, the specialist said they will replace them about every 2 to 3 months at no cost to prevent that.
HighFreq
I asked the hearing specialist at Costco for some extra domes last week and she said that it is Costco’s policy not to give their customers extras because the customer may replace them incorrectly and get it stuck in their ear canal.
I was also told to come back every 3 months for complimentary cleaning and dome replacement of my Rexton Cobalt 16’s.
That is good information. I had my hearing aids for a year now and never realized that Cosco offered tis service. Thanks
So glad I was able to help!
I suspect they are not “buying in bulk” so much as the mfg knows (or Costco agrees) they will buy a TON of them in a year.
I hear nothing but good things about Costco aids and their audis
My Costco just gave me a half dozen. No charge.
I have been getting the domes 6-8 at a time, no questions.:rolleyes:
I just got the Kirkland HA’s at Costco two weeks ago, my first HAs.
Damage due to shooting small arms over decades.
Had my first re-fit today, bumped them up a bit, added a profile for music.
They are comfortable, work very well, I could never go back to not having HAs.
Costco cannot be beaten for service and their 90 day 100% return policy is three times the 30 days required by law (Washington State). No sales tax on HAs in WA State.
I paid $1999 for 2 aids and a full kit including 10 zinc-air batteries and 2 rechargables with a dryer/recharger and other stuff. Apparently this is a bargain, I’m very happy with mine and with the audiologist.
You can go to any Costco in the country. You don’t have to go to the one you bought from.
That’s another big advantage for people who travel, or move. Others dealing with an audiologist can usually get service on the road but often have to pay extra when it would be included if they were at home. Of course, Costco can be a lo-o-o-o-ng drive from many remote locations.
Hello. I am new to this forum and on a steep learning curve. This is my first hearing aid search. Good results from phonak IX trial, but price is very steep ($7,400 the pair). So I have been researching, and thank this forum for all the leads and interested people.
As far as my current comparisons go, it looks like the specs suggest that the latest model of Kirkland signatures are Siemens 701 Pure. It most closely matches the number of channels, RIC and look of the instrument in their adverts. The hearing technicians often are not too precise about information.
I will probably go for the Kirkland if I can confirm that they are the Pure 701, which their specs seem to match most closely. Any of the experts here have better information? I am ready to pounce when I have all the facts.
I also plan to get the programming equipment, but Siemens does not have the software on the internet any more. I hope they will send me a CD-ROM. Any info on this?
Many thanks for a good forum.
Aloha WCH & all interested,
I have been using a pair of the Costco Premium HA’s that were introduced the summer of 2010 since late July. Performance has been good, although one of them died a couple of weeks ago. Costco provided a loaner (demo) unit with my program in it until a new replacement arrived.
I had been using a set of Costco/Rexton Insite BTE before that but had some reliability problems with them in that they would sometimes change programs, or turn themselves off randomly. Costco took them back, put me in the new Premium HA’s and gave me some cash back as the new ones were cheaper than the old ones! Another case of technology getting cheaper as time goes on.
In scanning the web I came to the conclusion that the new Costco aids are very closely related to the Siemens Pure 701. I think that the Costco aids may not have the Sound Learning 2.0 function, but most of the other features seem to track, although the marketing words have been changed here and there. Looks like they have the Siemens “S” receiver, rated at 45 dB.
Plus points on the new aids compared to the Rexton Insite from my viewpoint are: much better feedback damping, smaller size, rechargeable batteries/charger.
Minus: in very low ambient noise situations (quiet room) I get some white noise (microphone noise) and am still working with the audi to reduce the gain to minimize it, but in doing so am not getting as much gain as I had before. Overall perception of the sound is pretty comparable and the white noise is usually not noticeable as normal there is enough background noises to cause the gain to be suppressed some anyway.
Keep us posted if you can find some software/adapting cables or whatever!
Chuck
You cannot compare prices of different models. You failed to mention the type of testing done…did your local audiologist provide speech mapping? does Costco? Shopping around and concentrating on prices is a poor way to approach hearing healthcare. You should look at service. Prices of hearing aids and dispensing fees are regulated by colleges and associations, so dont think you are getting a deal at Costco. You cannot compare a high end price that you were given to a mid level product and think you are getting a deal…you are misinforming the general public by stating that and this thread reads as if you got them half price at Costco. Any deal from a manufacturer is supposed to be given to all vendors of hearing aids.
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If your hearing healthcare provider had done their job, you should realize that hearing is highly personal…and that there is no one cookie cutter solution for everyone. Without knowing your hearing loss and talking to experts or people involved in the hearing industry, you cannot ask the general public for their feedback and recommendations. They are not equipped to offer you valid solutions to your hearing needs. There are hearing solutions at all technology levels and prices. You should have walked out of there educated with many different solutions for your hearing loss, and not have to ask the public, who no little of hearing aids, their opinion and recommendation.
I hope you’re not referring to the US. Prices for the same items can vary a great deal from dispenser to dispenser. It’s really more of a value analysis. Are you getting your money’s worth or is the dispenser just getting your money?
If you have the usual SN high frequency loss…mild to moderate (the majority), I think Costco and their brands certainly ought to be tried. The cost difference is too great to be ignored. The aids they sell are made by the leading mfg’s and are substantially identical to the big name brands.
Don’t let anyone scare you…Costco is reputable and gives you 100% money back if dissatisfied.
More serious losses probably will do better with an ENT and then an Audiologist. Just my opinion, Ed
I have had my new hearing aids(Rexton Cobalt 16) for 10 months now - they are a great improvement over my previous pair. I was in Costco a few days ago browsing at the hearing aid centre and they cleaned my hearing aids and replaced both receivers with upgraded ones and new improved domes. They work way better. All free…
I have had my Cobalts 16 for over a year. Why did they give you new receivers? Perhaps I need new receivers also.
Not sure why they replaced them - but they are an improvement. Ask for the ones that thedomes clip on to.