I was told by an audiologist at Kaiser that Phonak would replace with new batteries. He implied it might be a special arrangement for Kaiser NCAL. They (Kaiser) actually sent you a reminder that your warranty was coming to an end and encouraged you to bring your hearing aids in so they could send them back to Phonak. That was for my Mom’s hearing aids. I didn’t have rechargeables at Costco but was encouraged to bring aids back near end of warranty.
My memory of the US user mentioned is that he noticed a decrease in performance but attributed it to heat exposure. Really would be nice to hear something official. Admittedly “official” could vary by country and manufacturer.
Let’s see, Phonak can install new batteries for $5.00 or risk a lawsuit as well as their reputatiion. which alternative seems more plausible?
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@jeffrey - If they’re the type of people who would change my hearing aid earmold formula to save 59 cents on the dollar, just so they can still call said earmold “acrylic”, avoiding FDA regulations, causing me to go to the ENT doc more than before, I wouldn’t put it past them to do this too.
I will say that hearing all this talk about rechargeables not lasting as long over time isn’t really selling their case to those of us that are already complaining about having to recharge every day 
I think I saw another thread about not letting them fully discharge or it would cause problems? (I’ll be honest, I was just skimming as I was looking for Oticon information and ended up in a thread about Oticon chargers so I may have misunderstood)
How long do rechargable HAs actually last? My traditional battery HAs last 7-10 years though that was before all the fancy Bluetooth stuff, no idea about the more recent ones.
@codergeek2015 After I got accused of being rude for stating that in my observation most of the actually unrealistic “crazy what ifs” came from the rechargeable camp I’ve tried my best to be pretty neutral and respectful and it seems most of the other traditional battery folks have left or are doing the same. I guess saying it’s not for you is how you perpetuate a jihad 
I actually am curious about rechargables and the current state of them as I assume one day they will be an option for me (hopefully not the only option!). I do think it’s a good fit if it is supported by your lifestyle but it does seem getting a full picture of the pros and cons is tricky. I am fully aware of the pros and cons of conventional batteries obviously 
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Bear in mind that the consumer legislation is different here than in the USA, but specifically in the case of GN I know that not to be the situation.
ALL Resound aids that get sent in with dying batteries get replaced with new aids: Obviously so, we get a brand new aid and serial number - the aids have no baseline programming (so never used as demos either). The only case where this doesn’t happen, is where the fault is too minor (slightly blocked mic or receiver change). I also know this because the U.K. MD who I’ve known for 15years or so, told me. If it’s likely to cost more than half an hour of technician time at £100/hr +, they just write off the units vs the component cost of the new build. You can easily verify the serial number change as the first two digits are the year code.
Also, if you think about it from a reputation point of view it makes zero sense to put out a repaired unit vs one that come from a quality controlled environment. Even if that product has been on the shelf for a year or more (which might mean that the battery isn’t fully 100% anyway).
In any case, have you considered that agents or sub-division suppliers might be set up to do mic and receiver changes on an ITE, but re-wiring a RIC chassis where the mics are actually soldered directly to the amplifier circuit with 1/2mm reflow pads and serious ESD risk issues and microphones that have to be paired and calibrated for sensitivity? I don’t think you properly understand the absurdity of your suggestion. Even 10-12 years ago, you’d replace the entire chassis on aids that were serviceable like that, now, you’d not think about opening the case.
I accept Oticon/Bernafon are a bit of an outlier here, but everyone else is just going to throw the chassis - even if they think the case is worth keeping for some bizarre reason. Otherwise you’re getting a new hearing aid, good/bad or indifferent battery contained within. If your audiologist or the repair house they use don’t give this level of service, then I suggest you insist that the HA get sent back to the actual manufacturer (and get a set of loaners to cover the time) like we do here.
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My Oticon Moores are my first rechargeable HAs and they are only 1.5 years old, so I can’t say for certain, but I don’t see how that would have any impact on how long they last - unless I am missing something. As far as I am aware the battery is the only difference between the rechargeable and disposable battery option (for the Moores) and I can have the battery replaced in my audis office. I will have to pay for that once the warranty is over though.
I think the thread you refer to about not letting it discharge fully might have been referring to the smart charger. From what I understand that battery is NOT replaceable, so if that battery stops holding a charge after your warranty is over you would need a new one. Right now I get 5-6 charges of my hearing aids from one charge of my smart charger, so I do expect that to degrade eventually (my guess is that is why their marketing says it is good for 3 charges, maybe?) The comments about not letting it discharge completely were just general tips for any rechargeable batteries, same as in your phone or other device.
Like I said, my only experience is with the Oticons which can have batteries replaced in the audis office. I have no idea what the impacts of rechargeable batteries are on the longevity of HAs if the batteries are not ‘easily’ replaced.
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Isn’t this the case for the typical end-of-warranty service?
No, a receiver change would normally be done in the Audiologist’s office and a mic screen can often be cleaned there too.
You normally only send aids to the manufacturer if they are faulty, or the batteries are dying.
Maybe we’re talking about something that doesn’t exist in your market? Here in North America at least, it’s customary to send aids in for service shortly before the warranty expires, whether or not anything is known to be wrong with them. They’re supposed to come back in tip-top shape. For aids with no identified problems that pass whatever diagnostics are performed, will the service involve full replacement, or just peripheral stuff like replacing receivers and cleaning microphone ports? At issue in this thread is whether end-of-warranty service will always result in new rechargeable batteries being installed.
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There’s no reason why any manufacturer wouldn’t be fitting new rechargeable batteries at any given service. It’s a total ISO failure as you haven’t got traceability of your product. What if one caught fire and brought a plane down following a factory refurb?
If you send an aid back and there’s no reported battery fault, then it will come back with the original battery. If you report the fault you’ll get a new battery and possibly the whole electronics module.
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I’d understand this if it were a user-replaceable battery, which none of the current rechargeables have. Do you mean they can’t assume the installed battery, possibly soldered in, is the same one it left the factory with when it was new?
So, notwithstanding the above, one shouldn’t expect a new battery unless they’ve reported a battery fault. I believe the manufacturers could protect themselves, to some extent, from false reports. The aids know battery level, how long they’ve been running, and under exactly what conditions, so they could judge if the battery is working ok.
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If the battery analysis shows no faults, then it’s up to the manufacturer to do it in a precautionary basis. If the aids are ‘low hours’ or ‘low cycles’ then why would you replace the batteries in otherwise fully functional products?
Conventional Electret Mics are about 1dB less sensitive every year, but unless there’s a reported issue, they wouldn’t change them either.
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No reason, I guess, yet there’s an oft-repeated belief that all rechargeable aids will get a new battery when they’re sent in for end-of-warranty service. People are relying on this when making buying decisions. But it’s apparently not a well-founded belief.
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You state this based on what? Rumor? Please give more than one example out ten thousand otherwise successful battery replacements.
Based on the last few days’ discussion in this thread. What ten thousand successful battery replacements?
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The discussion here is end of warranty service, not replacement due to a fault, and it makes sense to me that they are just going to service and replace things that need servicing and replacing. Unless there is a verified source from the manufacturer that they replace the batteries at this time regardless of its status it seems likely it’s not getting replaced unless they detect issues outside of acceptable parameters at the time of service.
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OK. I’m trying to be objective but admit I have very little info. I do know that many of us have been told by providers that batteries would be replaced on rechargeables near end of warranty. I also know that rechargeables have been around since about 2016. That’s about 8 years ago. I haven’t heard of widespread dissatisfaction about rechargeable hearing aids failing early due to battery’s inability to hold a charge. I’ve contacted Abrams and asked him if he can get any info from manufacturers, but until I hear otherwise, this doesn’t seem to be an issue for MOST people. I’d agree if you’re somebody who likes to keep hearing aids for 6+ years that rechargeables might not be a great option, but that doesn’t seem to describe much of the forum.
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My Costco fitter instructed me to return my KS10s just before end of warranty to get the batteries replaced. Apparently it’s routine with them.
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My private provider has told me to send my aids in at two years if I noticed a reduction of charging, AND certainly at three years, just before the end of warranty. Two have suggested that patients often get new aids back at the the three year mark. No mention of folks getting aids back with old, used batteries installed.
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