Need help from Phonak Perseo 211 DAZ Owner

Hearing Aids
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#1

New to the forum, thanks for the great site!
That said, I am so saddened by what seems to be the case with the hearing aid industry… It is a huge scam.
How can they charge people $3000-$6000 for a pair of aids, then five years later they don’t even have parts anymore?
I bought a very nice, well taken care of, pair of Phonak Perseo 211 DAZ and went to a Phonak dealer today to have new ear molds made, have them tuned to my hearing loss, and possibly get a user manual… After trying to talk me into a $4200 new pair (I told him that with 2 yrs or less to live, that would be stupid), he then agreed to modify the pair I had just bought. Seems he has no idea how to program them (“these are so old”)… These are from late 2009, and he thinks they are old??
He said he would have to contact Phonak to find out how to program them. He had no owners manuals and suggested I contact Ponak for one. I did, and they told me they have none, nor where I may find one.

If anyone here has this model, would it be to much to ask to copy it and email a copy to me?

Sorry for my first post to be so negative, but Lord, I had no idea this industry was like this… I have been wearing one Siemens Ituis Dir in my right ear for two years now. Had someone give it to me, and it’s been great, but would like to have two. I thought $300 for these two Ponaks was a steal (they paid $3800 for them in 2008)… I just hope I didn’t throw my money away…

Regards

#2

Err … Perseos ARE old.

I have hundreds of clients and I can’t think of when I last touched a Perseo. Maybe 2006?

Should a client turn up with a Perseo I’m sure I have the fitting software … err, somewhere. I’d have to remind myself how to use it again 'tho!

The fact that Phonak have no manuals or parts might have given you a hint that these aids are way, way obsolete.

You can’t really blame a whole industry for the fact that you spent $300 on a pair of used aids without first checking if they could be programmed etc first.

#3

Not to sound rude, but c’mon now, really?
The Phonak Company Rep told me they were discontinued late 2009… Hmmm, that seems to be less then 3 yrs ago? How many electronic items less then 3 yrs old after end of production is it nearly impossible to find people to work on them, or even find a manual?
I have TV’s, MP3 players, etc., etc., that I can still find places to repair, manuals, etc. for…
But hey, who’s going to buy a new $5000 pair of aids if they can get their 5 yr old “ancient” ones fixed?

And lastly, BEFORE I bought these, I called two authorized Phonak dealers in town and asked them if they would be able to tune, and make ear molds for me… Both said “no problem”… Both have also tried talking me into the new technology ones… Sorry, I don’t want, or need, Bluetooth…

#4

This was when the parts bin was discontinued: the actual product stopped shipping ‘new’ when the Claro/Perseo series of Chips was replaced by the Palio circuit in 2004.

#5

Perseo’s haven’t been fit in a LONG time…discontinuing them isn’t when they stop fitting them…it’s usually because they haven’t been fit in 4 or 5 years…

Doesn’t mean they aren’t good hearing aids if they work properly and they can still be adjusted if you have the correct software. I think it would also take someone who has been fitting hearing aids when Perseo’s were being fit because I doubt if a new audiologist/HIS would even know what to do with the software if they saw it.

Unfortunately, It seems that perhaps when you purchased these you got ahold of people that were either being completely honest and couldn’t see the development of newer tech OR you got people who could see a “new sale” on the horizon when they could sit and tell you that your current devices are out of date and “unprogrammable” which is just sad but entirely possible.

#6

That said, I am so saddened by what seems to be the case with the hearing aid industry… It is a huge scam.
How can they charge people $3000-$6000 for a pair of aids, then five years later they don’t even have parts anymore?

and you want one of the Pro’s here to bail you out?

I thought $300 for these two Ponaks was a steal

did you really expect a deal/steal for used aids at $300?

#7

Seems to be a whole lot of opinions in here, and many apparently are from those who sell aids…
Here is what the email stated DIRECTLY from the Phonak Company…

Dear Mr. Cook:

Thank you for visiting the Phonak website and for your inquiry. The Perseo was released in 2004 and discontinued in late 2009. Please contact your hearing care professional for service options as Phonak is not licensed to work directly with the consumer.

Thank you,

Stephanie Leist
Phonak-US Consumer Representative

So who am I to believe? She obviously is not saying what you are telling me, i.e., “discontinued in late 2009” vs your "discontinued when “the Palio circuit was released in 2004”…

#8

:slight_smile:

Thank you DocAudio for such an honest and mature reply. That’s what I came here for.

Regards,

CJ

#9

Unless I’m missing something, he agreed to help you?

Here is a manual

http://www.who-sells-it.com/cy/hearing-planet-1344/phonak-perseo-behind-the-ear-211daz-technical-guide-4984.html

It’s not clear if they introduced something new to this line (PersonalLogic) or if it was introduced in 2003, but sounds like maybe it was not a big seller.
http://www.hearingaidmuseum.com/gallery/General_Info/HACompanies/phonak.htm

Have you tried to get support on older electronics before? Good luck.

#10

The Phonak Company Rep told me they were discontinued late 2009

Phonak are legally obliged to provide spare parts for several (?7) years after the aid is no longer actively sold.

As you have been told several times the Perseo was OLD in 2005-2006.

That means that many younger dispensers have never ever seen this model.

If you don’t want to believe people who work with hearing aids every day of their lives then that’s your call.

By the way, you keep bandying around $3000-$6000 for a pair of aids … have you ever paid anywhere near this amount for your hearing aids?

You seem to want very low cost or free support from Phonak etc. I was just curious as to how much financial support the hearing aid industry has had from you over the years?

#11

I believe in the U.S., manufacturers have to provide service and parts for 10 years after product is last sold. The way Congress is “working for the American people” today, they might of shaved it down to 7 years or shorter. Who knows?

#12

Manufacturers have ‘current’ and ‘legacy’ models. If I ring up Phonak today, I can order both: however the only one I would be buying is the current model: as this offers the best to my customers. The legacy models aren’t officially discontinued until a period afterwards, to cover insurance replacements/ warranty failures etc.

In any case you misquoted what I said: I didn’t use the word ‘discontinued’ in relation to 2004, you edited that into your ‘quote’ to suggest that there was an inconsistency that supported your argument.

Sorry, but that’s not on.

#13

The Audiologist that is working hard on helping me was actually #3 I went to, guess I failed to mention that? He is a great guy, and retuned my single Intuis that I had just had retuned by one of the other Siemens specialists… It would not quit screaming feedback even on the lowest setting…
Anyway, thanks for the manual link, really appreciated… I have been a PC nut for decades… Maybe apples and oranges, but I can STILL find parts for PC’s I built for people back in the early 90’s, not easy, but very doable… I even got my Grandaughters iPod from 2002 repaired, again, not easy but got it done.
My Intuis has been discontinued for quite a few years, but I easily find people to work on it… Seems that you can still buy brand new ones from Asian markets, FDA certified authentic, but they wanted $400 for one. Probably should have gone that route, but it is only 4 channel, the Perseo is 12 channels I believe?
Anyway, thanks for the help with the manual, and I hope my new Audiologist has luck getting the program. He has the cable but said he could not communicate with the aids, so probably the wrong software…

Regards,

CJ

#14

He will have to have a Hi-PRO box…if he has the noah-link then it won’t communicate with the older circuitry.

#15

You the man Doc!!!
I will call him in the am and if he hasn’t gotten that info from Phonak yet, I will probably happily surprise him!

God bless those of you being so very helpful. It really is appreciated more than I can express!

#16

Sent you a PM for clarification…

#17

Hey again Don!
The Manual you directed me to I found a couple days ago… Isn’t that a spec sheet, more for you Audiologists than users?
I’m not sure if they even have them, but I was looking more for a user manual such as how to turn off, how to clean, how to install batteries, etc… Not that I don’t know how to change batteries, but the Perseos don’t have a volume dial, so I have no idea how you would turn them up or down… I did figure out the on/off switch is also a toggle for programs, but that was about it…

Thanks for the effort anyway!

CJ

#18

Close…but I’m missing an essential body part to be “the Man”…lol. It’s a common mistake…no worries and glad to help. Replied to the PM BTW…hope that cleared it up!!

#19

Hey CJ, that’s the only manual I found.

Also, Doc Audio is a chick.

#20

start at page 9… looks like you are screwed for volume control unless you get a remote.
http://www.hamzehce.com/ar/files/PDF/perseo.pdf