Glad that the hands free appears to be compatible with Android. Iâve used the Phonak Brio 4âs the last few years, and can not, will not, go back to Bluetooth adapters/dongles/whatever. It got me though countless virtual meetings at work. My Brios just have to hold out until my insurance resets.
I have KS9s and feel the same way.
Checked with my local Costco (NJ) store today and HAS said they had not heard anything about the 9050âs but said that Costco doesnât tell them anything and they are always the last to know.
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Went to my local Costco today. They confirmed that they recently had a meeting and that the Philips 9050âs are coming. They could not give a date.
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I contacted Philips customer service to inquire about the availability of the Philips Hearlink 9050. They informed me that the product was recently announced, but it will only be available for purchase through Costco. Unfortunately, they couldnât provide a release date or any further information on when it would be available, as they are not authorized to comment on that.
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This makes me wonder 
. Maybe Costco is waiting for the Smart Charger to be released before they release the Phillips 9050s. I think I would consider it if I were them.
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My dog told me a dog at the dog park told him 9050s would be in Costco by Thanksgiving
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That was my dog who told him that. He said to tell you he was just funninâ.
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Was waiting for them after hearing about them in January. First hearing aids. Had also researched the Jabra EP 20. After not even any info of really any definitive type, decided to fit the Jabras late AprilâŚexpecting the 9050 then to immediately arrive. EP 20s showed me how much I really needed them. 9050 tech and reception/performance will be interesting to watchâŚbut I am pretty much delighted with my current situation and will keep tabs on developments for future adoption. Not using the six-month switch tactic.
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I am new here and have a question. About 2+ months go I bought Jabra Enhance Pro 20 - chose them because I always had ReSound and thought thatâs what I should pick. One month later left aid stop working - microphone. One month later other aid stopped working - microphone. So I returned them and they suggested Hearlink 9040 because I have moderately severe hearing loss. So I got a pair of those 10 days ago and I love them and they improve my hearing greatly. I also have Auditory Processing disorder. Today - 10 days into my 9040âs I see where the 9050âs are or will be available very soon. So my question is will they allow me to exchange my 9040 and get 9050 aids and is it worth getting 9050âs - are they a lot better than 9040âs. I feellike I need and should have the newest and best technology and aids I can get but feel guilty about returning a second pair all within 3 month. Thanks for your replies
We donât know how soon they will be out, so donât return the 9040s until you have a replacement⌠Assuming you bought from Costco, thereâs no problem in returning them and no reason to feel guilty. Itâs their policy; you didnât create it. âIf FOR ANY REASON, you are dissatisfied . . .â If you return them any time within 6 months for any reason, they must honor their policy. They own it. In fact, you may want to buy the 9050s before you return the 9040s. That way you can have a direct comparison and keep the pair that works better for you.
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ARe you sure you trust that dog, lol?
Yes, this. They might have to take back the old ones but they donât have to sell you the new ones. Problem solved if the new ones are already sold. If I were @Roger5 Iâd subtly raise the subject without putting it out there as a concrete plan. Itâs probably good to get a feel for how the windâs blowing from the fitterâs perspective. Itâs good to keep them onside.
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I believe that some people want to behave ethically and others donât by taking advantage of others whenever they can. Costco has always been extremely generous with return policies. But there is a limit to what is acceptable when unethical members do things like trying to return a 3 year old tv or a 10 year old couch. What is being suggested isnât that bad, but will a Costco fitter truly respect a customer when they obviously play games with the rules?
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Costco invented the games and the rules. You donât need to worry about them being abused by their customers. If they are prone to be abused in a certain category, like with electronics, they already implemented a more stringent 90 days return policy to protect themselves. So they know how to protect themselves, you donât need to worry about it on their behalf.
Even with their liberal return policy, itâs already very well calculated based on actual data. Iâm sure that the amount of extra sales they generated simply because of their liberal return policy more than offset the loss they make have to take for the amount of returns they accept. Itâs already all baked into the pricing model anyway.
Sometimes they donât even take the loss on the return, but they make the manufacturers take the loss on the return. Thatâs why sometimes you see instruction from manufacturers to contact them for support instead of returning the item to the stores. Now is that âfairâ to the manufacturers then for consumers to return things a year later? Sure it is, because the manufacturers already accepted this risk when they struck a deal with Costco in order for their products to get a foothold in such a lucrative sales channel. You have to look at the macroeconomic of things like they do, instead of sweating the individual ethical prepondering of returning something after having made use of it for 6 months and wonder if itâs an ethical thing to do or not. Itâs totally ethical to comply and play by the rule that is setup by the retailer (and not yourself) in any situation.
As for hearing aids, who is to say that itâs Costco who will lose money on the 180 days return policy? Itâs probably already all negotiated up front with the hearing aid manufacturers, and I wouldnât be surprised to see that itâs the manufacturers will eat the cost of the 180 day return and not Costco. So what if somebody returns an older model like the 9040 for a newer model like the 9050, does Philips really lose money? They make up for the lost sale of the 9040 with the new sale of the 9050, so itâs not like they get hurt on their end. They manufacture HAs by large volume, so a restock cost of the 9040 is peanuts to them anyway. They probably have thousands of 9040s in stock that are going to remain unsold now due to the fact that theyâre introducing the 9050 to replace them. So what if they sold a pair of 9040 for under 6 months only to have them back in their used/returned stock pile? From a financial stand point for them internally, itâs probably a wash for them if they move a pair of 9040 from an unsold stockpile that might eventually be scrapped because nobody will buy them anymore, into a used/returned stock pile.
I lose no sleep playing the game that Costco and their manufacturers set up for their consumers to play, because theyâre taking advantage of us consumers with those games just as much as THEY ALLOW us consumers to take advantage of them back. Itâs quid pro quo to everyone, and at least itâs THEM who set up the game and rules for everyone to play by, itâs not the consumers who get to dictate the rules of the game. And by being the one who gets to set up the game, theyâll always come out ahead of the consumers who play their games, why? because they can change the rules of the game anytime themselves. But consumers also hold their own power by voting with their wallet. So itâs a tango that both sides dance, and by the look of it, itâs a win win tango for both sides.
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I donât agree. Their employees and shareholders benefit when they are profitable. Members benefit when they are profitable by paying the lowest prices possible. Their suppliers are in a similar situation. You are technically right, But would a small business owner want customers like you? I would not.
And that is why a small business owner would never be able to have the policy that Costco can afford to have. Costco moves merchandise by the volume, and itâs this economy of scale that is providing a win win for everyone, for Costco and their employees and their shareholders and their suppliers and their customers. Nobody is losing here. Whoever said that Costco is not profitable because theyâre being abused by their customers on their liberal return policy? If anything, itâs thanks to their liberal return policy that things are working out too well for Costco as well as Costco shoppers.
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A small business would write different rules. The problem with giant corporations that manufacture hearing aids selling them through giant retailers that have enough market power to control the market is that small businesses donât have a lot of areas to compete in. They already lost when Costco decided to sell hearing aids and developed their business model.
Corporationsâ only purpose is to maximize shareholder value. Any public good they provide is either incidental or dictated by law. Totally unregulated capitalism will always end up with a single corporation owning everything.
Thatâs why regualting business is critical it the marketsâ and our health. You should never ask a business to do something against its own best interest. You need to tell them.
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Agreed. I buy almost everything I can at Costco because of those policies, including clothes in different sizes because I know I can return those that donât fit. But I stay way within the lines of what is reasonable by acting in ways I would want to be treated. I think most members are like me. But I think Costco would change the rules if more members came near taking obvious advantage. I hope that never happens and I donât think we should regulate commerce.
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Exactly. Iâm actually in the same boat as yourself, I donât abuse the system that Costco has setup. And Costco relies on most members being reasonable like us in order to be able to allow this win win situation to keep on going. Otherwise, as you see in electronics, newer and better models come out too often too much every year that this liberal return policy is not sustainable and had to be adjusted to avoid abuse.
But I donât see returning an older model like the 9040 to get the 9050 within 6 months as abuse, because you still spend the money at Costco for a pair of hearing aids in the long run. Now, if somebody returns a pair of hearing aids just before 6 months then buys another pair with the intention of return them again before 6 months, and keeps on doing so, effectively to get âfree useâ of hearing aids over and over again, then of course that is abuse. But Costco already has a way to deal with that as well, they simply will refuse to sell you anymore hearing aids, just like how they implemented the 90 day return policy for electronics as a control measure to avoid abuse. So I think all is good there because Costco keeps customers on a âbalanceâ to avoid abuse and most customers get it and also stay on this balance.
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