I have had Costco Rexton Trax 42 hearing aids for about 6 months. I thought and still think that Costco ha personnel are tops. However, I started hearing a shrill whistle from the ha in my left ear. After a few days I called Costco and asked what could be causing this. The receptionist, not the audio people, told me that I didn’t have it inserted tight enough in my canal. I have an ear mould in each ear and I tried again and again to reseat it so I would not hear the whistle. When that didn’t work I got an appointment for the next day. It isn’t easy for me to get to the nearest Costco which is more than 100 miles away.
I met with an audio specialist and told him the problem. He looked in my ears and told me that I had too much wax accumulated and that was causing the whistling. He could only suggest I go see an ENT physician to get my ears cleaned (I had that done just before buying the ha in April). He told me that I should plan on seeing an ear specialist every few months to get my ears cleaned. I told him that would be too difficult for me to do and told him that I wanted to return the ha. No problem, he said, and immediately filled out the proper papers and I got a full refund.
Since returning home I have been looking on the Internet and found that there are “wax screens” that should be changed every few months. No one had told me that wax screens even existed or that the ear mould could be cleaned. I had used the tool that came with the ha to get out ear wax remnants.
Since I will be moving from Maryland to California in a month where there is a Costco a few minutes from where I will live. I’d like to get another pair from Costco and try again. In between I am following a routine to soften and clear out any remaining ear wax and, if necessary, will go to an ENT for a full cleaning.
What I would like to know and cannot find an Internet link I will ask you in the hearing aid forum community the following:
Do Trax 42 (used with ear moulds) have replaceable wax screens that I could change on my own?
Does it look like there will even be a better model than the Trax 42 in the near future? And
Do any ha have direct contact via bluetooth between the ha and an iPhone without wearing a device (smart connect)? I read somewhere that Apple may soon have an app that can directly communicate with some ha without using a middle device.
Thanks for reading; I look forward to reading your comments.
Ed Eckert
Ocean City, Maryland