Have any of you guys bought a hearing aid off eBay?

[dr.amy]

While I would argue against purchasing hearing aids off the internet and programming them yourself, If that what someone chooses and is aware of what that entitles them to (or doesn’t entitle them to) then so be it.

However, to make a blanket statement that Audiologists are “dumb and a rip off” is ridiculous and insulting. Additionally, any statements made by you regarding the knowledge an Audiologist has (or doesn’t have) are only made to further your own financial interests “hearingaidsonebay”. I am exceptionally knowledgeable and good at my profession and I still ask that my patients return more than once for adjustments on their devices. I do this not because I don’t know what I’m doing, but because I have a vested interest in my patients success, their increase in quality of life, and I want to ensure that everything is working well for them. You cannot just plop in a certain amount of volume/settings on hearing aids, send a patient out the door, and expect everything to be fine. Adjustments are necessary. Even those people on this thread who have serviced themselves have had to make changes to the settings, to the way they fit, to any number of things. Also, most people cannot tolerate prescribed levels of gain if they have never worn a hearing aid before. Your statement would say that my 93 year-old patient with a moderately severe to severe sensorineural hearing loss and poor word recognition and has never worn a hearing aid is dealing with someone who doesn’t know what they are doing because they needed to return more than once for an adjustment! Absurd. Your lack of knowledge about the ear and how it works is doing a serious disservice to those you interact with all in your chase to make a buck but under the guise of helping.

Furthermore, I’d be interested to find out how you are supposedly providing CEU hours to a field of Audiologists and in what setting you are providing them. Instructors providing CEU’s typically work for the hearing aid manufacturers and provide educational sessions regarding their own technology. Please share with me your credentials so that I can be sure to avoid working with companies who feel that such a large number of the people (i.e. Audiologists) they sell hearing aids too have no idea what they are doing. It seems to me that a rate that high would speak poorly of the training they receive from people like you and not their education since a majority of specific programming knowledge is gained through training provided by the hearing aid manufacturers themselves.

Well said…thank you :o

dr. amy

[Neilk]

That’s such a BS!!! Audiologists are dumb and are a rip off. I am one of the educators for their continuous education classes and 95% of them have no idea what they are doing as far as programming. If any of you guys had to come back for adjustments more then once, then the fitter has no idea how to program your hearing aid. Besides most of the hearing aid dealer’s education is high school diploma or GED!!

Audiologists are dumb and are a rip off? I am not one, I am just a satisfied customer of one of those dummies. I don’t take offense at your post, it doesn’t refer to me. However, I think this post speaks volumes for your own claims. How can someone who sounds uneducated be an educator? And you are claiming that “If any of you guys had to come back for adjustments more then once” implying that one fitting should do it all … and you claim to know what you are doing and that you train others to program??? If you believe that yourself, you are so far off course that you could not possibly be an educator … or educated. And there you are insulting the average hearing impaired person … stating that they should know exactly what to tell the fitter the first time they are experiencing new hearings aids … and that they should not require an adjustment or learning period with their new aids during which they might very well want to try different settings to fit their own personal needs, desires, or requirements. Now then … who is full of BS? Try looking in the mirror. Who is a fake … break out that mirror again.

[Normandy]

There is no doubt portable MP3 players can get loud enough to damage your hearing. I never tried to measure the output of one, but I doubt they match the output sound of even a mid power Instrument (~120db). Certainly the output power of them is a fraction of a watt.

If the big auto makers could outlaw tuning up your car, they would have! Now that I think about it, reality is that with electronic ignition there is no such thing as a tune up.

BTW, there are a couple of companies that supply decent hearing aids along with the programming hardware & software. HearSource.com America Hears, and you can purchase the instruments over the internet. Most of their instruments are priced around $1000 with the programming kit included.

Also consider HearSource.com. Excellent hearing aids and customer service. Really couldn’t get better for the do-it-yourself hearing aid programmer. Everything you need included in the kit for $995.

And they are set up to provide support and happy to do so. No sneaking around without support or warranty.

[pvc]

Also consider HearSource.com. Excellent hearing aids and customer service. Really couldn’t get better for the do-it-yourself hearing aid programmer. Everything you need included in the kit for $995.

And they are set up to provide support and happy to do so. No sneaking around without support or warranty.

HS may be ideal for you. But some of us prefer not being limited to one specific brand. The various brands have different features and capabilities that some of us may not want to do without.

Learning your way around various fitting software programs does take some effort. But I believe the average person can do it without constant hand-holding.

Once you become successful at programming various brands then you are free to switch to other brands. Also note, I believe that “most” people with profound hearing losses are likely better served by using an experienced audiologist. I say “most” because I believe it depends on the individual and on the severity of loss.

[elijahlovejoy]

That’s such a BS!!! Audiologists are dumb and are a rip off. I am one of the educators for their continuous education classes and 95% of them have no idea what they are doing as far as programming. If any of you guys had to come back for adjustments more then once, then the fitter has no idea how to program your hearing aid. Besides most of the hearing aid dealer’s education is high school diploma or GED!!

this is not constructive. it is insulting. i wish Admin would delete it.

[Maureen]

That was posted a year and a half ago - why resurrect such an old thread just to complain about it?

[Spaceman]

I received my Siemens Pure 501 RIC aids today from bidbybid. The package including the Tek Remote and charger is very impressive.

Phillip included the warranty card on which he had written the serial numbers as he registered them, he said in my name. I located the serial numbers in the battery compartments and verified both match the numbers he registered. The warranty card is indisputably a Siemens card and I am sure he did register them in my name. I am looking into how to get hold of Siemens warranty to confirm this to be the case.

But for those wondering if these are genuine, if you could see all that is included and the very high quality of everything that is included you would have no doubt that they are genuine Siemens hearing aids.

Also, I received an email from The Hearing Company that my Connexxlink has been sent Priority Mail and as I am only about 160 miles from them I should get the package tomorrow. I will let you know.

Hi Casey
Did you ever get your Connexxlink?
How did things work out?.
Are you happy with everything?

[Spaceman]

this is not constructive. it is insulting. i wish Admin would delete it.

No, No…Please…Don’t sensor this…
My experience matches up with exactly what he is saying.

If he truly teaches them, then he should know how bad things are!!

People need to here this message.

I am on this forum because of this very problem…

[clifford]

Hi, wow this thread is a couple of years old and has taken a lot of twists and turns ,but the origional question is exactly my concern. And even deeper , I actually bought a pair of used (referbished) Delta 6K from a Audi company on line. I’m not a rich man but thought that for an entry level bte it was a good investment. I don’t need lots of hi tech features like bluetooth etc. I currently own a pair of in the ear ha’s ,probably analog ,for 10 years. I hate them and they sit in a drawer.
Now my next step is to locate a Audi ,get an hearing test and HA adjustment.
My investment was a crap shoot not knowing if these HA’s will fit my needs,hopefuly they will. I have hi freq. difficulties,cupping my ear with my hand solves my problem but I can’t walk around doing that all day. :-)))
So, my question is how should I approach the Audi ? It’s like going to a McDonalds and asking them to cook “my” hamburg.
Will appriciate your comments

CLIFFORD

[foxhunter]

One way is to tell the Audi.you just got relocated to the are if he would help program it

[elijahlovejoy]

Hi, wow this thread is a couple of years old and has taken a lot of twists and turns ,but the origional question is exactly my concern. And even deeper , I actually bought a pair of used (referbished) Delta 6K from a Audi company on line. I’m not a rich man but thought that for an entry level bte it was a good investment. I don’t need lots of hi tech features like bluetooth etc. I currently own a pair of in the ear ha’s ,probably analog ,for 10 years. I hate them and they sit in a drawer.
Now my next step is to locate a Audi ,get an hearing test and HA adjustment.
My investment was a crap shoot not knowing if these HA’s will fit my needs,hopefuly they will. I have hi freq. difficulties,cupping my ear with my hand solves my problem but I can’t walk around doing that all day. :-)))
So, my question is how should I approach the Audi ? It’s like going to a McDonalds and asking them to cook “my” hamburg.
Will appriciate your comments

CLIFFORD

is there a university or community college near you which teaches Hearing Aid Fitting? The people there need patients to practice on, and they don’t care where you got your aid.

I’ve thought of writing to all the audis around, individual letters, saying "I’ve just moved to the area and have … aid, what would you charge…?

And if you walk in, maybe it would be better to talk to the fitter, not to the front desk secretary/receptionist who may have been told “Don’t encourage people who bought somewhere else…”

The tide is changing. Audis will soon realize that people who bought elsewhere can bring an income stream.

And, hey, they all are in business to help people, right? Many really are.

Let us know how it goes.

elijah

[jimmyb29]

I bought a pair of Resound Azures from E-Bay a couple of years ago, at a VERY good price! The seller was in London, England. I sent my hearing chart and they adjusted the aids in advance, and I can hear very well. The downside is that it’s VERY hard to get adjustments and parts! You are asked to “go back to the place where you bought them!”

[elijahlovejoy]

I suggest you rather stick to the tried and tested. Wouldn’t want to waste your money now would you?

the evidence suggests that you lose money if you do NOT buy from plilip. bidbybid. No?

let us know how you fare. thanks. elijah

[system]

I’ve bought hearing aid supplies ie ear hooks, battery draws etc and its been very good. But would never buy HAs off eBay as I go or fittings all the time, might be as I’m profoundly deaf

[elijahlovejoy]

i love my Costco.

110 mile round trip

great fitter!

elijah

[WebGuy1]

I met my audiologist at a chamber of commerce function. She offered to adjust any hearing aids I bought used that she can program (many brands) for $100 an ear. My nearest costco is an hour away. The audiologist there who I have never met in person, said he would program any used aids they sell for me at no cost, provided I could fit around his busy schedule and the serial numbers came back as not stolen. So there are many options for getting ebay or other used hearing aids programmed.

One thing though, with the technology advancing as quickly as it is, I would personally never buy anything but current generation used hearing aids. Meaning probably nothing over two years old.

[zoph]

I am considering replacing my older Siemens with Siemens Pure Micons.

Would like to learn opinions as to whether in 2013 I might have favorable experiences with the newer Siemens technology that would be similar to experiences of Casey and BubbaB in 2010 with the older technology.

I am contemplating dealing with bidbybid for the aids and thehearingcompany for interface and Connexx software.

Will greatly appreciate pertinent observations from members and guests.

[WebGuy1]

I don’t know about Siemens. Also guests cannot post and it took two weeks for my post above to be made visible by the moderators. Anyway…

Do many of you think it is worthwhile to try to buy the audiologist software and interface, if you are a geeky user rather than an audiologist?

[Neil.pbp]

Oh this thread is ancient, but I think still important today. I’d highly recommend getting the s/w and interface. I’m on my 2nd pair of hearing aids from bidbybid (supplied with s/w). I’ve successfully used the wireless ConnexxLink interface (but I think that is no longer available) and now I’m using a mini pro from AliExpress with cables from thehearingclub.com.

DIY is not beyond the average geek, a great learning experience and allows trying out so many different settings that would not be at all pragmatic if it involved an appointment. Most recently I’ve been trying out high frequency compression (shifting). Don’t think its generally useful to me but I can hear cymbals in music again!

I’m sure there are some great audiologists that provide good value to some customers, but that has not been my experience and I don’t want to pay 2-3 times more for hearing aids from a local audi for a few “free” appointments. I’ll only deal with an audi’s that offers service for a fee.

[z10user2]

Are you saying you have the Connexxlink? I think it’s still being used for programming. There are a few other options now available to us all.