I know I have been asking a lot of questions here. I’d like to think out loud with you and let me know what you think.
The option of buying a pair of hearing aids from ebay is much cheaper for me. Almost the cost of buying two hearing aids on ebay is the same as buying one hearing aid in Egypt.
On the other hand, here are the downsides. First of all, I can’t guarantee the customs. There are no rules here so I might not get the aids in the end. The alternative is to look for someone coming from Europe to bring them but I know no one coming soon.
Secondly, there is no warranty for the aids so I won’t be able to have them programmed in a company here. The alternative is DIY but I am not confident about doing it by myself without direct guidance from someone expert.
Last but not least, I’m afraid I will need to fix them at some point. In this case, I will not be able to have them fixed here. Throwing them away and buying new ones is not an affordable option to me.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you buy ones from abroad at your own risk or stick to your comfort zone and pay more for hearing aids in Egypt?
You’ve asked great questions. (You remind me of when I was going to buy my first hearing aid. … and I did a lot of thinking too.) You’re in Egypt and I really respect you for the solutions you find.
Could you hook up with someone in the armed forces? Perhaps you could network with them, as they are likely to be frequent travelers.
I’ve seen posts here about someone paying a fee on the internet for setup and reporting good value
The myPhonak APP is supposed to allow audis to do most setup remotely. That’s for high end Phonak hearing aids.
I’ve got hearing aids with rechargeable batteries. I was advised to have them replaced after they are two years old so that I have new batteries with better capacity. Same person said that I am lucky getting the number of hours in a day that I do; however, it doesn’t seem long enough to me. I often charge after about 12 hours and that takes about an hour at an inconvenient time. This is a daily event and I’m not sure you thought of it.
I’d buy from abroad; if COSTCO is reading posts I’d recommend you set up and sell hearing aids in Egypt near our friend here!
Finally, setup is the key. I finally have working hearing aids after working hard to reach this point. My question to myself is, “Why haven’t I considered self programming?” I see happier people amongst the group that set their hearing aids up themselves, and it seems great friendships there.
I have great respect for you and the knowledge you have. I’m going to keep watching here so I can see what I can learn!
You’ve helped me understand that my issues with hearing aids are really quite small and I feel happier with your help after reading your posts. Thank you!
Are there specific websites where I can find traveller people like that?
I don’t mind considering this option.
I was thinking of having hearing aids work with disposable batteries! We have a daily power cutoff here so I’m not sure rechargeable batteries would be a good option!
Thank you! I’m still at the beginning of my learning journey and I want to learn more and more.
