Specsavers for first time digital hearing aid buyer?

Hearing Aids
#1

I have recently been looking into getting a digital hearing aid and am a little overwhelmed by the choice and expense! I have a moderate hearing loss which is not expected to decline for many decades, but I also have tinnitus which can be severe at times (I’m hoping hearing aids will help this). I have been looking through the forum and have not been able to find out much about peoples direct experiences with specsavers products.

I was reccommended a number of what seemed like very similar products to me Hidden hearing suggested the Opticon delta mini 7 or m120 and Amplifon suggested Resound products. I was also in Specsavers and was offered their ultimate listening advance range. I understand that the advance range is a re-branded version of Starkey s series - and the s11 appears to have better software than the Opticon products I was offered.

All of the products sound great, but the difference in price between specsavers and branded products seems phenomenal to me, especially given that all of these are very big companies. I’m wondering if there is a catch? I have not been able to find any reviews of specsavers hearing service that is not somehow affiliated with their website.

I have also been given conflicting advice with regards to whether I should get BTE or CIC hearing aids. I realize the chip is the same but do different styles offer better quality of sound or durablility?

I would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks.

Kathleen.

(Hz) L R
125 40dB 15dB
250 45dB 15dB
500 45dB 20dB
1k 50dB 10dB
2k 35dB 40dB
4k 15dB 75dB
6k 25dB 85dB
8k 30dB 90dB

#2

The only thing I can find regarding specsavers is for eye wear. a little more info might be of some help.

#3

Specsavers have their hearts in the right place - they want to sell hearing aids at low prices.

However be aware that they may not spend much time with each client - the margin isn’t there to support a lot of hand holding.

Also they might be less than keen to offer ‘exotic’ options such as CROS systems.

However they don’t have 25%+ of the UK private sector market for nothing.

#4

My apologies Hask12, I didn’t stop to think that specsavers might not be in the US. They are mainly an optician chain in the UK and Ireland, however more recently they have branched into hearing aids.

What I really wanted to know about specsavers is other peoples experiences with them. I am aware of very mixed reviews of their glasses, but I don’t know anyone who has bought hearing aids with them.

Thanks Englishdispenser - if less client time is the only drawback, then perhaps it will be the way to go for me.

Cheers,

Kathleen

#5

Kathleen, you will find that Specsavers prices are very keen.

You will also find that one dispenser tends to cover a number of shops and so you might find he/she is only in your local town one day a week and may be booked up well ahead.

This could be an issue for you to get the fine tuning visits needed for a new aid (especially the first time) in a timely manner.

Call you local shop and ask!

#6

As far as I know, Specsavers hearing aids are manufactured by Siemens.
They are in fact Siemens models with a different firmware.
As well as Rexton, Miracle Ear, Hansaton and many, many others.

#7

Specsavers offer aids from a variety of manufacturers.

They can however be slightly different models: for example 14 or 18 bands instead of 16 to make the Specsavers own brand model ‘unique’.

The fitting software can also be rewritten for Specsavers … at least the user interface part.

All this can help the manufacturers: “Of course we don’t sell the same model to you Dear Private Dispenser as we would to Specsavers.”

#8

I would like to say that the Specsavers hearing aids has excellent quality with reasonable , you can have a try it .

#9

goodscoolxh, you are based in China running an e-commerce website.

Err … how do you know about Specsavers?

There is a strange smell of luncheon meat around here.

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#10

i am also considering specsavers as the place to purchase ric’s. they apparently use siemens, starkeys and phonax. my first and last audiologist visited me at home which seemed like a good idea at the time however it became increasingly impossible to get an appointment with him and i had continual problems with the aids. i eventually got a part refund after threatening court action.however. i am extremely cautious now but will deffo be using an audiologist with premises.
8 months down the line my hearing loss has got the better of me and i have attended specsavers. i have chosen the advanced range costing around £1700 however i am reluctant to pay cost upfront without seeing the product.and am now in a dilema whether to go ahead with the purchase. they do offer a 90 day trial with full refund if the aids are unsuitable. please help

#11

I’ve not dispensed in the UK since the year 2000, when I moved to America. Back in ‘my day’ they were not offering hearing aids.

For me I would be a bit worried about a company that does one thing ‘branching out’ into another thing. Boots the Chemist did this with hearing aids, offered some great hearing aids, from a great manufacturer at great prices. But then realized they didn’t understand the industry at all, were losing money on the deal, and then bowed out of the market again returning to what they did best.

So that would be my concern. On the up side, a 90 day free trial is pretty darn good, and that price I just read didn’t seem outlandish. So for me, maybe I’d try that trial and see how it went.

#12

Hi … I bought a RIC aid from specsavers and returned it after 4w for full refund. I had a dispenser rather than audiologist so pot luck there. You cannot compare with branded aids as specsaver have own specification.
I went to audiologist and I am very happy with the outcome. Specsavers are cheap but you get what you pay for and they lack on knowledge, up to the minute aids and aftercare.
They are based in Jersey (off shore island in UK for American readers) so pay less tax and so should be cheaper.
I to have tinnitus and deficit in one ear and RIC aid is very helpfull and does not have the occlusion effect of the in the ear aids.

Good luck,

#13

@ ZCT; Hi, Specsavers have been in the u.k market for quite a while now; in fact they have 25% share by £ notes, nearer 30% by unit sales.

@ pondlife; in the uk you say audiologist, I say dispenser ; tomato/tomayto :wink:
Sorry to hear you didn’t get on with your RIC; btw, the parent company is indeed in Jersey, but the branch you visited is almost certainly based in the UK tax area as they are joint venture businesses, not group owned as such
And as for lacking on knowledge, up to the minute aids and aftercare, I say; RUBBISH!
But I can only speak for myself, as can you.
Cheers!

#14

Hi Im planning a visit to my nearest spec… can you assure me that I will get a good quality aid , want to queary siemens and starkey…

any advice
frances

#15

Apologies if that sounded a bit abrupt pondlife, but I was rushing off to eat!
That said, I see posts claiming Specsavers haven’t got time to look after their clients or aren’t experts because they’re “new to the market” or “opticians selling hearing aids in their spare time” or similar scare stories that competitors have told some of my clients:( (not so much these days, I guess because they’ve realised people aren’t as gullible as they thought!)
I certainly don’t recognise either of my Specsavers businesses from these descriptions. Sure, we’re busy, but we have sufficient staff to cope.
Sure, some of the branches have a dispenser in attendance one, two or three days a week ( some trade six days a week, which is rare for a hearing centre of any denomination), but all are Specsavers branches and all of the optical staff in those branches will go the extra mile to ensure a hearing client is looked after even if the audiologist can’t be there daily.
The manufacturers would be silly to withold product from the uk’s biggest private company too, don’t you think? So no, our products aren’t “so last season”!!
Oh, and apparently we don’t offer homevisits either, so I’ve no idea where I’ve been three times this week so far :confused:

My tea was great by the way :slight_smile:

#16

Hi Frances, set you a PM reply, hope you got it ok; if not, nag me !

#17

Generally speaking, I think that getting aids rebranded like this is a good way to get a great discount on hearing aids. The aids are the same models as sold by the major manufacturers. It’s likely that the technology level will be a year or two behind the newest models of the manufacturer but I don’t think that’s much of a disadvantage. Think of it as hearing aids that have been well field-tested. I also think that by going this route, you may be able to have easier access to adjustments and repairs than through an audiologist. Whatever way you choose to go, best of luck to you!

#18

Specsavers are a real (huge) company … so in a way you are safe … but they might also be impersonal and difficult/slow to deal with in the event of problems.

However their prices are VERY low, so bear that in mind too.

#19

I have been wearing Specsavers Hearing Aids CIC for two weeks now I found Specsavers very helpful and professional, (Tallaght, Dublin branch) I am profoundly deaf in the left ear and way down in the right. I went back 2day for a check up, I had the left one turned down a bit, I have to go back in 4 weeks or \i can call anytime if I have any problems, I was very pleased with price I paid and also I get 4 years free batteries, so far very happy.:slight_smile:

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#20

Did they refer you to your GP in the first instance and then discuss the options like a CROS system given that you have an asymmetric loss?