I think it’s more likely that people who don’t like the adjustments made by the Costco HIS would try the DIY programming route rather than try to find a non-Costco HCP to do the programming to them. That’s probably because Costco HA users are the budget conscious type of people in the first place, so the DIY route might look more attractive than the other route of having to find another independent HCP who would agree to program their Costco aids and pay extra to get it done. With the DYI route, you make a small investment for the interface, and you take control of doing your own programming, which in the long run is probably still much cheaper than paying yet another HCP to do it for you when it’s not a guarantee that a non-Costco HCP will do a better job more efficiently than the already paid-for Costco fitting service.
Depends on the cost of the independent HCP I suppose and if Real Ear Measurements are needed as well - which obviously cannot be done at home.
The one I found would likely do it again for me (including REM) if I booked just a full hearing test for $50 (she actually did it as part of a free screening test last time), versus $275AUD for a Noahlink Wireless.
Ultimately I may end up doing both as I would ideally like to have full control over my hearing aid for all sorts of tweaks, but for now I’m giving Costco a lot of chances while the only additional cost to me was to have a manager turn up to my appointment a few weeks ago.
Speaking of REM. At my first fitting at Costco, the HIA did the REM test. When I went back, he changed from the microphone in ear receivers to the receivers without microphone, and from closed domes to open domes. I asked if he was going to do REM again and he said it wasn’t necessary except on the first visit. Is that correct? Should he have done the REM again after the changes?
Thanks.
Of course not. The difference is that you choose. During the trial period, you should be evaluating the provider as well as the hearings aids.
@billgem wrote:
Yes, Abram (@AbramBaileyAuD), Costco does do REM, but I have found their hearing testing to be lacking. No speech in noise, no word recognition, no tympanometry, no middle ear inspection, etc.
@billgem, I do not find their hearing testing to be lacking. Not for me or my partner who have had Costco hearing tests in both Maryland and California. We have had speech in noise, word recognition, middle ear inspection, etc. I do not remember them doing tympanometry however.
Both HCPs took a lot of time with us. I have also have had three REM tests; every time I changed the type of dome. My partner has had two REM tests; when she changed HAs. They have continued to be very thorough. They also know their way around the fitting software well.
My HCP had his own HAs as well which I found comforting.
I do not think we are missing out by not going to any particularly ‘good’ private audiologist we might have otherwise been enough lucky enough to have found.
Whenever you change the fitting drastically like going from closed domes to open domes, and change receiver types, REM needs to be done again because you have now altered the physical fitting of the whole system.
What should be happening when changing the receiver type and the dome type is first and foremost, the Costco HIS should update the programming software to reflect these changes. I hope he did that. That alone will force the programming software to re-prescribe the gain curves to reflect the new fitting setup.
The fact that the gain curves get re-prescribed automatically for this new setup means that whatever was done to adjust the original gain curves to match with the REM target is gone for good already, because the old REM adjusted gain curves had been replaced with the newly prescribed gain curves. So by default, REM needs to be done to adjust the newly prescribed gain curves up to target again.
Even if the REM adjustment data has been stored somewhere and is not lost (unlikely), the old adjustment data was for the old fitting of the closed dome and the old receiver type, so this old REM adjustment data, even if it is still stored somewhere, is by default already useless and not applicable in the new fitting setup anymore.
Just by going from closed to open domes, this will cause a lot of the amplified audio to leak out. So the re-prescribe gain curves would need to boost up the amplification to make up for this audio leak/loss. But it’s not clear if the calculated and re-prescribed increase in amplification is sufficient or not, because there is no information about your ear canals’ sizes that the re-prescribed gain curves can take into consideration in its re-prescription calculation. And there’s no telling if the hearing aids can deliver a strong enough amplification increase based its calculation compared to real life as well. So that’s why REM needs to be measured and verified and adjusted again to match up to the target gain curves again.
Your Costco HIS told you REM isn’t necessary again after the first visit simply because all he cares about is that he has already checked the box that he did REM, so that perfunctory job requirement was already done, the box was checked, and he doesn’t care to do it again. His interest is not about doing the right thing for you. His interest is to save his own time and not have to do something again simply because the box has been checked as he was required to do and that’s all he cares about.
Thinking this thread got way off topic…
Posters have written about Costco vs independent audis. That’s not the choice. We have to choose between specific practitioners (and associated staff).
Basically, we have to start with one practitioner. If that one provides good enough service, why look farther?
AND - has anyone found a 9050 available for purchase yet?
Curious why you are asking for DSL-5 then asking for everything turned down. Why not just skip that part and use NAL where the highs might not be quite as harsh.
What are the adjustment/follow up appointments for?
“Harsh highs” wasn’t the problem after the Costco REM - overall volume at every frequency was. Something went wrong in the process, but I don’t know what. I have had a REM done elsewhere for the same aid+receiver+dome which turned out fine, so I actually do have something to compare against.
Short answer behind my switching to DSL is that the high compression and “flatness” of the NAL sound doesn’t suit my needs, to the point where it was actually problematic.
If you’re interested you can DM me and I’ll give a detailed explanation, as I don’t wish to side-track this thread on that topic.
Ok so back on track then…
I asked yesterday when my 180-day trial period will up for my Philips 9040, and it’s mid-July. But if I am after a 9050 I’ll have to order it early July apparently, unless I’m prepared to spend some time without a hearing aid in the swapover period.
C’mon Demant and Costco - hurry up and finalise your agreement!
Im waiting to trial the 9050 as a replacement for Resound One’s. Like Tom Petty said, The waiting is the hardest part…
In the US, I returned rechargeable Jabra Pro 10s and bought Pro 10s that use disposable batteries. I did it as a refund and new sale. The credit and debit hit in the same month, so it was a wash in terms of cash flow.
The benefit of the refund/new purchase is that the warranty for the new aids starts on the day of their delivery. Also, I could compare the 2 different aids. If I had done an exchange, the warranty would have been almost 6 months shorter. Also, I’d have had to give up the aids I was exchanging when the order for the new pair was entered, so I’d have been stuck with 3 year old aids for 2 extra weeks - not the worst thing in the world, of course.
I recommend that approach, if Costco will do it for you.
Dr. Cliff just released a new YouTube video today removing his recommendation for Costco hearing aids. I thought that in light of what has been discussed in this thread so far, it might be relevant to share this video.
When did he recommend Costco? It’s been constant negatitivity for as long as I remember.
Haha, it sure does seem like he’s always been against Costco, huh? Well, HE claims in this video that he used to recommend Costco before, whether that is true or not, I won’t bother to verify. 
Methinks the good Dr. is feeling the heat from the soon to be released 9050’s, at a markedly lower price than anything he sells!
His anecdotal opinions reek of Cliffisms!
The entire video was a promo for his paid Hearingup network of providers.
Please…Spare us from Cliff, before I jump off!
He did manage to sneak it in there that his practice is not perfect, only 4.9 out of 5 stars rating, LOL.
We do not have Costco in Asia and nearest is in Taiwan & China but they do not have HA’s center. We are at the mercy of paying high price or buy online and have it service for a fees (if you know what your HL is!).
At the end of the day, you decide on how you want to spend your money.
His very early days. Probably before he started getting an influx of former Costco HA wearers.