Hi ZTC, just want to say first off that I have every admiration for you guys, especially after my experiences!!! (& not just the audio I’m seeing at the moment) THAT’S definitely a given! Also the way you’ve set out & explained the business is tremendous too & I doubt anyone could argue with the costs & difficulties of running a professional business. Thank you for all that & hope that one day you WILL be able to afford a mansion, drive a Porsche & wear a Rolex!! But yes, I can see that there ARE going to be cost differences between different companies, depending on all sorts of things but I still say that a £900 difference for one aid is sure going some! I would have thought that anyone who spends a wee bit of time doing some basic research isn’t willingly going to pay THAT sort of difference… but I suppose it does take all sorts to make a world & maybe some one who lives in mansion wouldn’t worry about it!
Funnily enough the top price I was quoted actually came from what is probably the biggest, oldest & well known (certainly by the older generation) chain in the UK. Judging by the full on ‘campaign’ adverts in the national press every month they MUST have an enormous advertising budget! I’m afraid I decided that I’m not going to be the fool that pay’s for it!! The cheapest quote I had was also from a national chain (but owned by Starkey!) My audiologist (independent) couldn’t quite match it but quoted a price at the lower end of the scale… I decided to pay a bit more simply to have the benefit of completely independent expertise & no loyalty to any particular manufacturer! That was probably a bad cost decision on my part but the guy IS great so no problem!
As for the ‘choice’ issue… I know you’re personally biased towards Starkey & honestly make no secret of that… & I’ve certainly had top- notch service from them, that’s for sure! I CAN see your point from a ‘price break’ supply & demand view but (always a but!) as a user I would be wondering if I had received the best aid for my circumstances or if I had missed out on something better because my choices had been restricted to only a couple of makers. For instance Siemens have now come out with the only real (as yet) competition for the Soundlens IIC… I’m trialling the Soundlens at the moment & although my canals are fine for IIC’s I only just make it in the decibel loss stakes & so have to put up with the consequent feedback issues… if I want IIC’s. Starkey & Siemens both claim to have the bees knees in best feedback management. I now HAVE to consider if the Imini might manage that better for me & although I don’t know yet how the Imini stands up in other respects with the Soundlens… as I now have an unexpected choice I’m going to have to be having a word with my Audiologist about the spec. with a view to trialling them regardless of my feelings of wanting to stay loyal to Starkey. Hope all that makes sense… sorry if we may differ a bit but if you ever get back to the UK & fancy a stay in sunny Bournemouth…get in contact… I don’t drive a Porsche but the house has got a pool & it’s a fair size!!! my wife’s a good cook & the wines good too … you’d be made very welcome