Update...do not buy used hearing Aids off Ebay, Costco

Hearing Aids
#27

Costco will reprogram fairly new hearing aids that you inherited from a family member or a partner - ie your grandma died and left you these hearing aids, this is fair enough - you can probably talk to the store, explain your circumstances, provide some kind of proof, this is my grandma, this is her Costco card, this is her purchase agreement, this is her death certificate, they will probably do it. When it becomes yours, there is no warranty on it, but you got a hearing aid for free and Costco is spending time and money, also providing you services for that hearing aid for free - so fair enough, no warranty.

The problem with hearing aids bought off ebay though is they are often lost/stolen. Because Costco has that one-time replacement policy sometimes what people do is - they ‘lose’ their hearing aids, claim for a new one from Costco, and then sell the old one on eBay. Are you kidding me! Costco can tell, because it’s been reported stolen or lost! No way they’re touching that!

Go ask for a refund from the seller.

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#28

There is an earlier discussion about this. The policy was a person can transfer them to another person but they have to do that at Costco.

I also got a pair of Brio to compare with current aids. The fitter was talking them up. Seeing that they aren’t MFi, I thought I see what they were about on the cheap. I encountered the same problem. One was a “lost” aid. The other was supposedly destroyed in the repair center. (internal theft)

#29

I bought a like new pair of Phonak Virto Q90 312 ITC HAs about a month ago. I made the mistake of not getting the serial numbers to find out the power level of them. They then appeared they would not work for me. So, I passed them onto a friend.

He has had a hearing test, new impressions made, were sent out to a lab to be re-cased, got them back, had them programmed, and just this Monday is now using-wearing these and is basically very happy.

Of course like any other wearer, he’ll no doubt need additional future tweaking and adjustments to dial them in better to his personal liking and needs.

The total outlay of cash came to about $1200 total, and has a like brand new pair of HAs with a one year warrantee at a cost savings.

No, Phonak themselves won’t take them back for any modifications, but there are many local businesses and 3rd party repair businesses who will often gladly help somebody with a used HA.

As for local businesses, this might vary, some may say yes, and some may say no. As for the use of a hearing test that may exceed a period of 6 months, I think some states have laws that they require a quite recent test. Others have no time limits.

#30

Oh, okay. If you search EBay for hearing aid programming you will find this service for a fee. But I don’t recommend doing it that way. You should look at the DIY category, specifically How to Program Your Hearing Aids [DIY].

#31

Just an FYI…I just found another pair on Ebay but before purchasing I had the seller send the serial numbers. I then called Phonak to check and see if they have been reported missing. Phonak was much less than helpful, they kept insisting I deal with one of their dealers. They finally, as a “one time courtesy” ran the numbers for me and told me they were not reported stolen but reported replaced. They would not elaborate any further and kept insisting I go to a dealer as they had already gone “well above the level” of dispensing information to the end user", they only deal business to business.

I did not purchase them.

#32

you don’t need to call Phonak, you can run the serial numbers in the
Target software.

Identify aid from serial number-Target
#33

I expected perfection and got it. Need to do your research.

#34

Perfection/period! No details? What a remarkable hero you are!!

#35

The scam du jour is to buy Costco hearing aids and then “lose” them shortly before your warranty expires. Then you can wear the new pair and sell the old pair on EBay. So like I said, don’t be looking for perfection when you buy from EBay.

Maybe I need to do 22 days of research! Hahahaha.

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#36

Sorry Mr. pvc, but I have NEVER seen a pair of Costco hearing aids on sale on eBay, new or used. And why would you “lose” them? They are great hearing aids and the price is low enough that you can buy a new pair without being screwed. If you are dealing with a reputable dealer on eBay, I wouldn’t worry about the theft. What you need to worry about is the fact that over the next 5 years, the choke hold of the big six will be broken, and the traditional practice is going to either adapt or fall by the wayside. This means in addition to cutting overhead (multiple offices, too many employees) the traditional practices will need to put a lot of pressure on the big 6 to reduce prices.

With regard to your comment about me being remarkable, if you want the full story, take a look at some of my other posts. The information is there. And I don’t mind criticism - it helps me think.

I suspect you are a traditional audiology practitioner. If you are, wake up and smell the coffee. My guess is that the number of traditional practices will halve over the next 5 years. I think there will be consolidation among the big six.

#37

You must not be looking hard enough! I’ve bought USED Costco hearing aids off eBay.

https://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m4084.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xphonak+bri.TRS0&_nkw=phonak+brio

#38

Okay Mr full-of-yourself…
Checkout an earlier post in this thread by @Recoil_Rob as an example of the common practice of “losing” your Costco hearing aids. I wouldn’t do it. But others do.

Your suspicions couldn’t be further from reality. You should check out the DIY category and learn a few things before you spout off.

1 Like
#39

You can. Got to eBay and do a search on Hearing aid programming. I had six companies pop up. Look at their satisfaction ratings and reviews. Looking for someone else to program stolen hearing aids is not advisable, but you can call the manufacturer and ask. Some will help - some won’t.

#40

Yeah, right.

I just did that Ebay search, I picked the seller at the top of the list and asked if they can program Phonak Brio 2 from Costco, his reply…

“I cannot. Only Costco can do that.”

#42

Your seller is ill informed. I can program the Brio’s, Brio 2’s, and Brio 3’s. You didn’t read the examples that I gave you earlier before we digressed into talking about finding an independent who will program stolen hearing aids?

Here’s the examples again (of Brio’s being programmed by other than Costco); Example1, Example2.

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#43

This is my opinion only, but if you have a typical ski slope hearing loss and money is a big issue, buying a used pair from eBay and just wearing them as is might make sense.

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#44

Not quite sure what you’re suggesting. If you’re suggesting buying a pair of aids from somebody who will take an audiogram you submit, select an appropriate receiver and program the aids to the audiogram, that could work, although it might not be that cheap. If you’re suggesting just picking random aids of ebay and wearing them as is (previous user’s programming), that doesn’t sound like a good idea. It might work, but kind of a crap shoot.

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#45

I thought he meant the latter myself. Ski slope is pretty common so I see his thought as being a pretty good bet. Yup…kind of a crap shoot.

#46

The pair I bought off eBay recently had the left one programmed with the tinnitus masking feature turned on. I didn’t actually try to use the existing programming, but it seemed to be for a moderate loss, not the severe to profound loss that I have. They have standard receivers with short wires. The standard receivers seem to be adequate, but I don’t like the short wires. I am used to open domes and these have what I believe are called power domes. Kind of a double dome thing. I will say they were way cheaper than going to an audiologist. A little over $500 and they are still in warranty until 2020. Buying off eBay isn’t for everyone, but it is about the only way I could afford decent aids. A friend of my wife gave her a pair of Phonak BTE aids. I don’t remember the model. My wife gave them to me and said for me to use them. I but batteries in them, turned them on, and was blasted by very high level sound. These were meant for someone with a really severe loss at all frequencies. I gave them back to my wife’s friend and thanked her for her concern. I don’t know what happened to them. I think that they might be fun to play with.

#47

Yikes!!

  1. Don’t wear hearing aids that are programmed to someone else’s loss! At least get them programmed to your audiogram.
  2. Don’t wear receivers that are not within your fitting range.
  3. Don’t wear receivers with wires that are too long or too short. They generally come in sizes 1 thru 5. Know your size.
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