No warranty when buying on Ebay, Way, way too risky especially for more expensive HA’s.
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I brought my Phonak aids from a hearing aid seller and got a 6 months warranty. I have taken great care of aids and have a hearing aid dryer. I have rules like do not wear aids during the rain. My local audiologist quoted 3500 for one P70-UP aid when l brought one for 1,175 on eBay.
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I’d say I enjoyed a noticeable 15% improvement in positive results right after switching from the Marvels to my current Phonak Lumity Life aids. That was 10 months ago. Yes, I’ve had some issues (requiring the speakers to be changed at the 4-mo mark, learning the hard way these Life aids are NOT waterproof as Phonak claims), but now I’d say the improvement factor is more like 25%.
It takes time to literally live through myriad events where one aid will out-perform the other. In terms of phone or TV streaming, the 2 models are identical and EXCELLENT. In terms of hearing speech in LOUD places, the Life aids win hands-down; ditto for the Life aids’ ability to adjust to ambient noise and enable better speech understanding without having to change programs.
A MAJOR improvement is the Life aids’ ability to comprehend speech in more challenging circumstances. I’m forever having folks talk to my back, or ask things from a different room, or even at home, my hubs will be downstairs in the echo-y kitchen and ask me something as I’m halfway up the stairs. I can HEAR these people and understand enough to answer back - which is a phenomenal improvement over the Marvel aids.
Being able to comprehend speech has given me a LOT more confidence and opened up my desire for social interaction. Instead of shunning conversation with strangers or anyone who speaks with an accent, I step a bit closer, focus on what they’re saying and actually comprehend so I can answer back bingo on the button! It’s liberating and enabling. So much so that I actually doubt most folks even know I wear aids.
That said, I do have situations that no aids can fix right now: how about hearing while hiking single file all strung out on a trail? Not sure how good I’d be. Or someone with a soft voice + accent talking to me behind a face mask? I’ve had to ask for a “repeat” in those instances. But nothing I can’t live with.
As for lifetime battery replacement? I kind of doubt it, but we’ll find out! So far, my aids continue to charge up nightly in their charging base. But as these rechargeables wind down, there will come a time when the BTE unit WILL HAVE to be replaced. My audiologist recommends that I turn them in just before the 3-yr warranty wears out. That way, Phonak would be likely to replace them - but I honestly don’t know! If they are tested at the factory and appear to be working why would they replace the BTE unit?
Bottom line: YES. The Phonak Lumity Life aids are WORTH IT. I’m glad I have the Marvels if ever needed, but for now, that would be a last resort over my Lumity Life aids.
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No that’s incorrect, if the hearing aid is still within warranty it’ll be honoured, I’ve brought all of mine from eBay over many years without issue, for those of us are experienced using eBay you also get buyer protection from both eBay and PayPal incase something goes wrong.
Sorry - but please don’t mislead posters on HT. Buying aids on eBay is “extreme risk”.
Hearing aids on eBay are wild cards and it can be more trouble than it’s worth. You don’t know their history, the aids still need to be adjusted to fit your ear and hearing loss, and there won’t be any warranty or services with the devices.
And with OTC aids now available - why go the eBay route if you have a mild hearing loss? If you have a serious hearing loss - the last thing you want to do is buy aids through Ebay.
Who do you submit it to for warranty? Also how do you ensure that it’s truly under warranty. I ask this because I once bought a PartnerMic online (not through EBay) According to Target software it had a 3 year warranty. However when I had an audiologist check with Phonak, it was grey market and had no warranty. All worked out well as I had an extended warranty that was eventually honored. I think buying through EBay with due diligence is a reasonable thing to do, but one should use care. My suspicion is that most people have no trouble dealing with issues that pop up early, but that issues that pop up outside the return period are problematic. Hopefully one gets a good enough deal that one just buys another one.
The only extreme risk is listening to anything you’ve said.
As I’ve and many others has brought from eBay over many years without issue, shows that it’s not “extreme risk”.
I’ve dealt with both Phonak/unitron and ReSound directly, you can also check directly with the manufacturer with the serial numbers for HAs, I don’t know if accessories are the same, I’ve also brought boxed and was able to check before buying, I believe the savings you got from buying off eBay outweigh the no warranty surprise.
Exactly, I think 90% of us are willing to take the risks to save up to 2/3rd the prices been offered.
Going through ebay to get aids for profound or serious loss would, for me, be a non-starter. I have profound loss in the mid to higher registers of my right ear. As a result, I have a power receiver in that aid, but not the other. I doubt that configuration would be found on ebay. Moreover, the two aids are programmed entirely differently. I realize that tenkan and others program their own aids. I’m not willing or ready to go down that road–despite all the assurances, I’ve seen how things turn out to be more complex and frustrating than I wish to tolerate.
at my audi/provider I can trial aids for a month or more; and then trial various levels/cost of one brand. Then I can trial another brand the same way; and another, if I wish. When I’m certain that I have what I like, I make the purchase. My audi has a plan that allows me to pay off the aids interest free over a year. If there are issues, the audi is a 10 minute drive away. If an aid has to be sent in for repair under warranty, they take care of it all and give loaner aid(s) until mine come back fixed. I also need custom molds with my aids. These can make a world of difference in terms of the quality and effectiveness of HAs. When I had mild feedback issues with the right aid because of the mold, my audi reshaped it in office. Now it fits perfectly; no more feedback.
None of that happens on Ebay. Impossible to get custom molds on Ebay, and they can make a world of difference. I don’t want to hassle with phone calls to a company concerning warranty issues over ebay aids–something tells me this will end up with more frustration and anger than I want.
So yes I pay more for convenience and help with dialing in my program and other things. It’s worth it. To me!
That’s ok, for us and others it’s perfectly fine.
But most people know it’s pretty easy to change a receiver to meet ones loss, those of us who DIY get the most benefits from going on eBay as you say, plus it’s very easy to get custom molds impression from any audiology clinic, you can then have them send away to the manufacturer or you can take the impression away and have it sent to any other place to have your molds made, as I’ve done, plus the majority of people fit the moderate/severe hearing losses so domes are perfectly fine for them.
Yes this is my point, it’s completely up to the individual, after spending the cost of up to 10k some of us just don’t want to be “joined at the hip” to any one clinic, so I’m happy that your happy with your choice.
Do they? I don’t. And how/where do I do that? For me, it’s where I purchased the aids. Lots of audis don’t want to deal with aids bought elsewhere; they’re too busy!
Or do you DIY your own power receiver in a custom mold? I’m jsut not handy enough to do all this myself.
I figure that people who come to this forum with a virtual deer-in-the-headlights look, asking about buying aids, don’t know enough to deal with aids bought on eBay. I’m not even thinking about possible seller dishonesty or device defects. I mean knowing how to go from new, perfectly good aids in the box to properly fitted aids in their ears that’ll actually help with their hearing problem.
I’m not questioning buying anything on eBay, but when you get into expensive “health” related devices such as hearing aids - eBay is not ideal. Furthermore anyone would have to be a complete fool to think an aid they bought through a third party on eBay would be covered under warranty. You’re barking up the wrong tree tenkan.
Now you’re throwing more stuff on the wall and it’s not sticking. Solid majority of HA manufacturers do not deal/take calls from hearing aid users. Their mainly set up to communicate through HA dealers/Audis and not John Q. Public. If you think someone can buy a HA on eBay and then have a person to person discussion with Phonak or ReSound - good luck with that. You won’t get far at all before Phonak and ReSound rep says “they only deal with HA suppliers and Audis directly” and certainly don’t want to discuss some ill-thought out HA purchase made on (throw the dice) eBay.
In fact many HA manufacturers don’t even have customer service, since they would prefer anyone with a hearing loss get answers from a trained Audi, hearing aid dealer, ENT, etc.
If you don’t believe me - Google it.
Sorry if doesn’t work that way for you, but down under we don’t have a problem, I’m speaking from experience, so sorry not you’re made up think maybes.
I’m sorry but I thought you said it’s “extreme risk” and I’m taking about HAs and accessories, don’t know why you think “medical” in general means you shouldn’t buy used, HAs are classified as a medical device tho, but so what, you can’t compare to say a CI, this is why as you mentioned before OTC is the way forward, and not just for mild/ moderate,OTC is pushing into severe loss anyway, plenty of people tried and using to attest to that.
I don’t think, I do it, so have first hand experience with dealing with this, being in a smaller country we must get better customer service! HAs get one year international warranty as well, so if you buy new on eBay you get this straight away, even when outside this period, the price is quite reasonable for repairs and still outways the ridiculous price charged by your clinics.
Again I’m happy that your happy with the way you do things, it’s just not for everyone, and I stand by my statements regarding eBay HAs sales, but your taking a lot… without any experience in doing this.
Sorry no need for uncle Google for something like this, but something I did notice through the pandemic, was a real willingness for everyone in the “industry” to help out with a lot of these very issues you mention.
Sorry - but our just looking at one side of the coin. Suggest you read the following and then seriously re-think your position.
Here’s a brief list of the things that you should consider before buying your hearing aids on eBay:
Hygiene - Perhaps the single reason why you should not buy a pair of 2nd hand hearing aids is that you have no idea what kind of health issues the previous owner has had. Hearing aids are personal medical devices and contagious diseases can easily transfer from one person to another through the use of hearing aids.
Experienced users - Buying second-hand hearing aids for first-time users of hearing aids are not recommended. Even experienced HA users. Consult a local audiologist before buying any hearing aids especially if you are a first-time user of hearing aids. Your hearing loss may be pathological or may be a referable case that requires further investigation.
Suitability - Consultation with your audiologist could ensure that the hearing aids that you plan to buy online covers the range of your hearing loss. Also, other elements of the hearing aid for example the length of the receiver in RIC models is long enough and fits well on your ears.
Local or online support - Make sure that you have access to a local audiologist. Remember that it is extremely unlikely that the hearing aids purchased on eBay have any warranty left on them. And by chance if they do, you will have to get an Audi to assist you to transfer over the registration and any warranty left on the hearing aids to you by the manufacturer. But most Audi’s if not all, don’t want to get involved with used hearing aids because (1) there used and (2) a professional Audi would steer a HA user to new hearing aids.
Age of hearing aids - The life of hearing aid depends on the quality of the build and the way they have been treated. Buying a HA older than 3 years old is not wise and of course “why is the hearing aid” being sold in the first place. Did the dog try to eat it?
Technology level - The price of hearing aids varies based on their technology level. Make sure you consult with an AuD or search online to understand the technology and sound processing level of the hearing aids you might think to purchase on eBay.
Faulty hearing aids - There is a risk that the hearing aid that you buy on eBay is faulty or has had a history of intermittent problems. Make sure that you share the concern with the seller and leave the option to return them after a period from purchase if they didn’t work well. Again having access to a local AuD would help manage unexpected events.
Notice all of the above mentions Audiologists. Like “Warning - eBay doesn’t employ Audiologists”.
Enough said - moving on.
Sorry but you cut and paste “recommendations” are nonsense, something you’d find on Google and pushed by the “industry” why to only buy “new” from a clinic, all of your “recommendations” are easily avoided or easily to rectify.
I’m glad we can move on, we both have better things to do then argue about this
I’ve bought hearing aids off eBay for around 10 years.
Never once has one failed and needed a repair. Maybe I’ve been lucky? Maybe I know how to look after them better?
Been perfect for me.
Definitely will work if you learn enough for it to work. If you’re not willing to learn, then it won’t work.
Hi Bluejay, how does this acoustic phone program work? I don’t understand. My left ear understands the sounds well, but not the right because I have a very severe loss. I activated it from Target, but I always use the left ear for phone calls. I added “360 Degree Speech” to the special programs, activated “ZoomControl” and opened the “DirectTouch” program, at least in the car or phone calls I will transfer the sounds from the right side to the left. It seems like they both work the same. I don’t understand.
OK - no techie here - but I have the SAME left-ear dominance as you - even tho my audiogram shows I’m flat on the floor in both ears. It’s a brain + ear thing.
But to address your question about “Acoustic Phone” it’s a feature that the more powerful, higher-end Phonak aids have. I have actually dedicated a program to JUST Acoustic Phone so that if I ever need to use a phone that I’m not already paired + connected to via Bluetooth, I’ll be able to hear the call stereophonically. It’s kind of like wearing headphones - I hear the sound in BOTH ears but not directly into the aids like with BT streamed calls.
The other features you’ve enabled (360-Degree Speech, ZoomControl, DirectTouch) are features that our smart aids should use when they detect that is needed. But Acoustic Phone is a different animal altogether when set up as a dedicated program. It ONLY works for calls when the handset/cell phone is placed near the BTE mic for pickup. If I walk around all day with my Acoustic Phone program ON, things would sound HORRIBLE. So it’s an emergency-use kind of feature that I’ve dedicated a program for.
It’s just a program that lowers the highs as the phone doesn’t pick up the very high frequencies so you hear less background noise as well.
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