Here are some interesting prices. I just ordered some Oticon More 1 aids including initial fitting for $3865. Almost nobody pays the $2500 price for lifetime services. Most service visits will be either $40 or $120 if more complex.
Fitting includes real ear measurement.
Interesting. Does that price include a fitting with a local audi or only a remote fitting?
That is at Duke University and includes they’re fitting. They already performed and billed for the hearing test.
Most visits would be $40. I could have purchased one year of service for $1200 or lifetime for $2500. They are returnable within 60 days for a refund minus a $499 fee. I think their normal fitting fee is $385.
Actually since I am in a different state they will not do remote services due to state licensing concerns.
The prices seem a little steep, but I’d guess you’ll want to use them as much as possible if you were paying prices like that.
I was told that nobody does that but usually pay $40 or possibly $120 for a visit, depending on what needs to be done.
Adding together tge lifetime service plus the hearing aid cost is really not that much higher than what some providers charge for their bundled aids and service.
EDIT. This site lists the price as $3709 each. That will be $7418 for a pair.
Yes, I paid a bit more for the Signia Ax7 offered by my provider, but everything else post-acquisition has been free. And that/s been a fair amount of visits! If the customer needs custom molds, this adds a bit into the mix. If a customer moves from domes to custom molds and has to reconfigure the aids as a result; or if they’re a musician who needs to tweak their aids…or someone who wants to find the right mix for noise in crowds versus home alone…orif they’re lucky like me, has an audi that can shape their mold in house to achieve better results…etc…free visits to do all of this are golden.
My shop is ten minutes away, and they all know me. That’s different than the experience of most purchasers of HAs. I’ve worn aids long enough to know that convenience and a quick appointment count for a lot. So the “bundled” option has been a good one, for me. If I lived three hours away from my shop, or if I could only book an appointment a month out, I might take another option.
By the way, since I bought an at-home wax vaccume for my aids, my visits to the shop have gone down a lot!
If you already have an audiogram no more than 6 months old will audiologists program using that or do they insist on new one like vision prescription?
You’ll be fine with 6 months, even 12 months, but yeah once they get older then that, they start on the sales pitch to get another.
One previous hearing provider I used was a one man shop who, I think, wanted to be retired. Although they were close by, there were times where I could not get in contact with them. Driving 2 or 3 hours to an appointment is better than that.
The whole hearing aid sales process seems very opaque to me. I bought my first HA (just one) from a Dr of audiology at an ENT. The 2nd and 3rd pairs were from Costco where a pair cost less than the first one from ENT. I did not find a lot of difference in service between Costco and ENT except in price.
The true cost of cars and many other consumer products can easily be found out, but apparently not with HAs.
I think if you had a good audiologist you might have noticed a difference. I went to Costco for 10 years after exhausting most local options to save money and have the flexibility of changing locations if I desired. I believe I now spend a little more money for a good audiologist a little further away. I am still within the refund period by so far, I am quite impressed. My brain is still adjusting though.
I do not mind paying more to get very good expertise and service, in addition HAs that meet my needs.
The ENT is used has about 10 offices listed on the directory for Hearing Aid Tracker’s website along with many other firms. I am sure there are some good ones in the list, but unsure how to go about finding one.
Any suggestions?
As a data point, I go to a mid size audi office (three audis on staff plus a resident). I’m doing a one week trial of Oticon Real 1s and the trial paperwork puts me on the hook for I think $580 if I lose both aids or fail to turn them back in after the trial.
Their bundled pricing has tended to be on the higher end in the past (e.g. $6800 for a pair of Phonak P90Rs in 2020 with 1 year of followup visits included, along with 2 years of free tips/wax guards/etc), so I’m interested to see what they price the Reals at when I get the price quote.
Regarding those P90Rs, I bought them using Amplifon and that took the price down to $4922 from $6800 for the pair.
If the audi is paying in the vicinity of $600 for Reals/P90s/etc, they’re making an absolute killing on the bundled price.
They are not. They are likely paying much more, but it can vary a lot given what sort of relationship they have with the manufacturer. But if they are a small private clinic doing only low volumes of a particular manufacturer with no access to any sort of sale pricing, one premium device could be $3500 (so, $7000 for the set). That’s CND.
Ain’t happening… That’s down in the range the V.A. pays.
I agree wholeheartedly so i struggle with whether or not or how much credibility to give purveyors of hearing devices. It offend leaves me feeling i should not take my eyes off the huckster who, if he isnt totally upfront can feel like a carnival shell game, not to say there arent some quite ethical its just deciding who is honest and who a player
I know Oticon’s prices were raised when the Real was released. Prior to that I paid $2820 for a new pair of More 1 excluding their service charges. I believe the price went up a little over $300 for the Real or More. I will know for sure in 3 weeks when I exchange the More for Real.
True, gross margin is 77%, but that excludes R&D, distribution and other expenses which seem very relevant from a cost perspective. Their operating margin was 20% which seems surprisingly low.
This is very interesting. I live in Charlotte area but used Duke medical services for many years for issues I had. I have a high regard for their services.
This could be plan B for me if I am not satisfied with new Costco aids. Did you get a discount on aids? Would they offer remote services in state? Finally, would you recommend them.
FWIW, this would be a 2.5 hour drive one way for me too.
Thanks
I do not know about remote services in state. Their services are unbundled from the cost of the aids but initial purchase includes fitting and first 60 days of service. The testing, done previously, was covered by my health insurance.
I would recommend at least the South Durham office. I would say they are better than by experience at Costco in Greensboro. I will DM more details later when I get home.