I have a pair of in the ear mold hearing aids still under manufacturers warranty that I had sent “rush” to remake the mold. The audi said the rush was 24 hours to repair. That was ten days ago. The 24 hours is for the time Phonak actually receives and repairs the hearing aids. So there is the one or two days for mailing it and there was the Memorial day holiday. All in all I have been without my hearing aids now for 12 days and found out they just received it back today. Also the technician who reprograms the hearing aid is out for the day and I was told the Audiologists are busy with patients so I might get it back later today. I am being charged $80 to send it in and another $80 for the “rush” job.
It is impossible to find out anything from Phonak. They keep referring me back to the audiologist. I don’t get much sound out of my other ear since. I have been pretty much isolating the last ten days because I can’t hear well with just one hearing aid. I was in the store today and the cashier said something. i wasn’t sure I heard her correctly so I repeated what she said to make sure. Another customer turned to me and explained the situation to me. I really can hardly function with just the one hearing aid.
Can’t anything be done about the slow repair of these hearing aids under warranty?
I suspect you may feel dismay over my solution, but it works absolutely. I bought a backup pair of hearing aids on eBay. It was worth it for the feeling of comfort knowing I would not be without amplification. I have had to rely on them during issues with the pair I usually wear.
Good for you. However, for some, affording one pair of hearing aids is stressful, affording two impossible. SHAME ON PHONAK.
It’s why l brought V90 SP aids on eBay and used it until the Paradise aids came out. I still use the V90 SP aids as backup. So far none of my Phonak aids needed any repairs. It’s the full shell ear molds silicone that irritates my ear canal so l have to get hard shell earmolds.
I feel the same way you do. My hearing aids are at minimum Phonak platforms that are at least 9 years old and I bought them used on ebay to keep costs down. Not buying the top of the line model helps too–Phonak’s 30 versions cost a lot less than their 90 versions. I don’t know if that is helpful. But it is that approach that enabled me to buy 2 sets of HAs for less than most folks pay for one set. This does limit me to very old platforms where the aids cost a few hundred, not a few thousand, dollars. Some folks want the latest version and would not manage their aids that way.
Thanks, it’s a great idea to get a back up pair. It is really hard to function without my hearing aids.
UPDATE: Phonak dropped the extra $80 charge for the “rush” service. They said they were backed up. I did get the hearing aids back today. It was 9 days without them. The audiologist however told me today that since I didn’t buy the hearing aids there, if I need reprogramming it will cost $500. (I bought them in a different state and moved recently).
$500 for reprogramming seems outrageous to me. I wonder for those of us who have medicare advantage plans if we submitted a claim if that would affect the amount that could be charged. Of course the audiologist could always refuse service if they didn’t want to accept payment. But then they might have signed up with medicare and agreed to accept payment. There are so many questions that could be asked its mind boggling especially when you are a procrastinator like me searching for perfection and so doesn’t purchase anything.
This and so many other reasons are why I self programmed from the beginning.
I am so sorry you are getting thrown under the bus.
Were the hearing aids returned to you with your original programming in them?
Hang in there and good luck.
This is why it’s a good idea to have Target software and Noahlink wireless . You could save the fitting that was on the aid just in case you need it.
I bit the bullet when I first needed HAs and got expert programming from a great audiologist, and tweaks while the tweaks were covered. I didn’t start DIY programming until after working with professionals. I was scared to have a totally ignorant fool tinkering with my adjustments without the correct initial setup. I think now I have advanced from being a totally ignorant fool to being simply an ignorant fool tinkering. This forum helps a lot.
The way people struggle with hearing aid prices and programming makes me sad and angry. People deserve fundamental support for their wellbeing. My actions in how I manage being partially deaf are kind of a protest, in my mind.
Hi Cohen, what you say makes sense. We do all need to have our own ways to protest. I had no idea until I found this forum that it is possible to do our own programming and I am curious now to do it myself.
Will have to look into that. Just now learning about diy programming.
You can get a copy of Target here just by asking.
Then you need a NOAHlink Wireless HA Bluetooth Programmer like this one.
You can search around to find the best price or make the guy an offer .
You can find out how to use it from the people here. They’re really helpful.
Hope that helps
Thanks for this information! Perhaps I will join the people who do their own programming. It would be a challenge and a way to rebel against the ridiculous high prices of paying someone else.
Hi Monteith, DIY is certainly doable for some folks. I don’t know about other manufacturers’ programs because I’ve only owned Phonak hearing aids recently. Phonak has clear indications of recommended settings. I am very careful to watch those limits. I’m deaf enough that some audiologists have recommended semi-linear amplification. I do hear better with that. It does, however, exceed some recommended amplification cutoffs.
That is part of the reason I’ve been very careful to work with audiologists as I program. I sometimes go lower, but I never go higher in amplification than they have programmed. I don’t know your audiogram, so you may not need the caution I just mentioned.
Hello @cohen, I wouldn’t worry too much about exceeding the volume/MPO Barb, the first time being fitted with my Naida P90’s by my excellent A.uD, whom is very supportive of my DIY, and usually has the computer screen turned towards me whilst doing any adjustments… Anyhow, I asked why there was an warning exclamation mark on the Target screen, MPO had exceeded 132db on my left sided Naida, she just said, “It doesn’t matter, it means nothing, and don’t worry about it…” So, I haven’t worried about it since, I trust her implicitly, and that was almost 2 1/2 years ago, with no apparent damage since… Mind you, there isn’t much residual hearing left to damage 
but, I haven’t noticed any downturn in my hearing, in fact since then, I transferred all the settings via Target, from a set of Naida M70’s that had REM done by a NHS A.uD, (Different A.uD) into my Naida P90’s, and its the best I have heard in over 30 years! MPO warning is still up though… Cheers Kev 
Well, I have severe to profound hearing loss in one ear and moderate to severe in the other ear. It does seem like a good idea to protect whatever hearing we have since we could lose more due to over amplifying. My original hearing loss was due to an infection and some of it was inherited, but I am sure loud noise made it worse.
That really concerns me. Enormously.
If you are achieving that level then it seems there is a risk of injury to your hearing.
If you are not achieving that level then perhaps there is something wrong with your domes or otherwise with the physical configuration of your hearing aids.
Seems like one or the other is likely occurring.
Hello @rkaplan, I wouldn’t worry about it, I’m not… But, at first I was slightly apprehensive, not anymore, I have dead spots, with no response above 3KHz on the left, and no response above 6KHz on the right, there is very little hearing left on the left side to actually damage, digital hearing aids don’t actually pump in those levels, if I recall correctly, it’s around a third of the actual MPO, perhaps our resident experts @Um_bongo or @Neville might explain this better (Again!) I use full shell silicon moulds or molds for our American cousins, with no vents, in conjunction with “Twin walled/Double walled tubing”, that gives me around an extra 5db of gain… and prevents most of the feedback, in fact I don’t get much feedback, unless I cup my ears, or occasionally a hat is too close for comfort, and I wear a lot of hats… I have quite a collection. Cheers Kev 
Hi Kev, That’s interesting. The audis did seem casual about adjusting my fittings using semi-linear. I was very surprised to see how much amp there was for 80dB sounds. Of course, loud sounds may not last a long time, and the issue is (loudness x duration) in part. My sensitivity may also come from my awareness that noise-induced hearing loss has been shown associated with changes in the gene where I carry the mutation. Obviously, with my loss, it’s not simply about noise. But I sometimes wonder how sensitive I am to noise damage. I’ll never know, and life is too short to worry about everything–just key things. It reminds me of a joke I heard about someone asking for a blessing from a religious leader, who said, “may you be troubled by many small things.” So the person receiving this blessing naturally asked, “What kind of blessing is that?!” And the religious leader replied, “Would you prefer to be troubled by one BIG thing?” Barb