Hear.com "free trial"

Hearing Aids Manufacturer Support
#1

I’ve recently received several promotional messages from <hear.com>, each of which offers a “45 day free” trial of “the best” hearing aids. Turns out the evaluation is online, and the company ships a tablet and some special microphone/headphones to applicants for a test modified remotely by a licensed audiologist, after which it appears that EVERY person answering the promotion is offered “good, better, or best” hearing aids in exchange for a credit card charge of $3,000, $5,000, or $7,000. The seller says they participate with all insurance companies, but of course most insurance companies don’t cover hearing aids. In a brief search, I didn’t find anything on this site about the company, the evaluation, or the products they sell (which are not identified during calls or on the company’s website. Can anyone here offer any opinions or descriptions of personal experiences?

Thanks so much,
Jim Robertson

#2

Hear.com is a marketing arm of W/S Audiology. They sell Signia hearing aids but rename them Horizon. These same hearing aids are sold at Costco under the Rexton brand name, but they only cost $1600 and you can return them at any time within 6 months. This essentially gives you a 6 month trial for $1600.

#3

Go to Costco. Much longer trial period and prices are way lower. Been happy with Costco since I bought my first hearing aids from them more than four years ago. Just bought my second pair from them. Saved close to 5000 over what my local hearing aid dispenser wanted for similar technology.

#4

The “free” trial offered to me by hear.com involves credit card payments to them of either $3,000, $5,000, or $7,000! Any idea which HA sold at Costco corresponds to those payments? I’ll look up W/S Audiology to see what I can learn.

As I recall (I currently have KS10 HAs, and before that I had 70 series Phonics (I think the KS10s are equivalent to Phonic V90s, and I think the trial for the KS10s was 3 months, not 6. Of course, that makes no difference now that Costco and Phonic have parted ways, but a few months ago (and AFTER that relationship rupture) I lost one of my KS10s on a “Rails to Trails” bike ride under the continental divide at the Idaho-Montana border (somewhere in the middle of an unlit 2 mile long former railroad tunnel. When I went to Costco, they looked up my history and they told me I was eligible for a FREE replacement. WORLDS different from a “free” trial that requires an enormous (even if temporary) hit on my credit card!

#5

Hear.com sells Horizon hearing aids with different levels of features, hence the different prices for their “free” trial. The Rexton BiCore hearing aids are identical to the premium $7000 hearing aids from Hear.com except that they cost only $1600 and the trial (return period) lasts 6 months instead of 45 days and includes all of the adjustments you need until you get it just right.

#6

Thanks for that specific information. I had my KS10s cleaned at Costco today, and I think my speech discrimination is actually a bit better. I asked the front counter person (not their hearing aid specialist) whether overall, hearing aid technology has improved enough in the past few years to the point where my hearing might be better assisted by new HAs. She said probably not, but also stated that Phillips devices had perhaps the “cleanest” amplification (i can hear a constant bit of hiss from the KS!0 in the right ear. She pointed out that if I wanted to do a comparison, new HAs available from Costco for sure $1500 to $1600 per pair could be returned for a full refund within 6 months provided I’d not lost or damaged them. I HAVE used my loss replacement warranty for BOTH ears, during the time I’ve owned my KS10s, so perhaps I’ll try the Phillips devices if I lose one of my current devices.