I’ve just come across The Hearing Co. - “The #1 Choice For Hearing Aids” - Rechargeable Hearing Aids for $197.
“Using the same materials, technology and processes as expensive hearing aids, we created The Hearing Co. with one major difference: There’s no crazy markups, no prescriptions, no middle men and no celebrity endorsements. Just the hearing you deserve, at a price available to everyone.”
What’s the story? I can’t find any mention of them in this forum. Anyone have any experience of this outfit?
Please be very careful with “manufacturers hype” when things “sound” too good to be true, trust your instincts ; )
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I would be very careful, at least for me the most important part is my audiologist’s expertise in doing my hearing test and making the needed adjustments so i can understand speech.
There are some red flags there. In particular, these quotes:
If you don’t have a prescription or hearing test, that’s fine! Simply start at the lowest setting and slowly adjust the amount of hearing support until you’re able to hear normally again.
It doesn’t sound like custom programming is possible here, so God only knows what frequencies are being amplified or by how much when you “adjust” them. And if that wasn’t bad enough…
They’re also fully adjustable, with up to 80 dB of hearing support for mild hearing loss all the way to moderate-severe hearing loss.
80 db? I’ll defer to the experts here, but that’s a lot of gain for people to be blindly messing around with, with no idea how it’s applied across frequencies. Someone whose hearing loss doesn’t fit the built-in profile (Ski slope? Basic amplifier? Who knows!) could do some damage cranking it up higher and higher trying to make it work for them if the problem is that it’s programmed for ski slope and they have reverse ski slope.
That’s not to say they wouldn’t work well for people with the right type of loss. Maybe they would. But the marketing here is a huge red flag.
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Worth while reading their reviews. Those posted on their site are all 5’s. Those on the BBB site, not so much.
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They could be paying people to post these five star reviews
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Check out the manual for what their advertising as their “BTE” hearing aid
It’s simply an amplifier.
Take this sample:
Our hearing aids offer both high frequency and low frequency listening modes, which can be controlled with the On/Off switch. The lowest position is Off, the middle is low frequency and the top is high frequency.
When in louder environments or group conversations, we recommend using the high frequency listening mode. When in quieter environments, listening to the TV or having one-on-one conversation, we recommend using the low frequency listening mode.
This is describing a cheap amplifier. It’s falsely claiming it’s an OTC aid, but it’s not. Don’t buy from this company.
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Don’t know how they can claim they are the #1 choice for hearing aids given that, per their own site content, they haven’t even been in the OTC HA business for a year yet. They do not have a phone number anywhere on their site. They offer a refund in the first 60 days, but you need an RMA, they must “inspect them” and they don’t refund “insurance or shipping costs.” Kind of skate around questions re technology. I think someone would be better off with an aid that is backed by a known company (even if OTC), with proven support, and a payment plan to cover costs. It is tough to get service on anything these days, so better to start with proven organizations. The reviews seem a bit specious. One guy claims to have tried “dozens” of aids and these are by far the best…
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Just like Nano. State of Vermont AG files an lawsuit against Nano claiming they are hearing aids. It’s really hearing amplifier. Even Dr. Cliff Aud talked about these Nano devices.
As the OP. I thank all those who’ve weighed in on this topic.
A few comments:
- Even their $197 HAs seem to be a little more than a simple amplifier. They talk of “our built-in background noise cancellation”, so there’d seem to be some rudimentary filtering. Their $497 Micro CIC HAs claim “11 channel digital sound processing”.
- They appear to be in a different league than the Nano HAs, which are clearly just rebadged cheap Alibaba amplifiers.
- They’re “located in Canada - with our company being incorporated in Thornhill, Ontario and our main office being located in Toronto, Ontario!” (not sure why Toronto, Ontario earns an exclamation mark).
- They do have a phone number: +1 (437) 600 1584.
- The reviews are definitely OTT, but they’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make them look authentic.
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@KiwiJohn I see you are in Auckland. That means you have the option of going to Costco for hearing aids. Typical cost for a pair of good hearing aids is NZ $2,5000; not sure if that is after the Government subsidiy of $1,0000
I am so glad I happened on this Post. I’ll offer my experience with these economy type hearing devices. (I’ll call them devices vs. aids). They all do indeed seem to be simple amplifiers rather than specific aids tailored to different hearing issues. So hear is my history with these “economy” devises:
MD Hearing: I’ve now been through two pairs. The behind-the-ear model of the MD worked (for me anyway) better than all the other brands below. But during my first set, I lost one. My fault. So I ordered another pair. The second pair worked for about 6 months when one device just quit working at all. Then, a couple months later the other had a constant, loud buzzing that wouldn’t stop. Customer service was non-existent. In fact, the recording said: “mailbox full”.
Nano: These never worked right from day-one. You would be out somewhere and one or both would all of a sudden just stop working. You press the change button and it may/may not start working again. Then in another 10 minutes or so, one or both would just quit. I was too mad to even try and call customer service.
Audien Hearing: I’m now in my THIRD pair. They seem to work OK, but also seem to have a life expectancy of about 6 months before they just quit working. It reminds me of a light bulb where you get so many hours before they quit. This time, I bought their basic pair and their deluxe pair (at a big discount). I also bought their 4.00 per month lifetime insurance to see, eventually if this works. LOL
Conclusion: Seems like a waste of money in the long run. Plus the hassle of always needing a new pair. The companies that sell these amplifiers are primarily “sales” companies. At the prices, they can’t afford reliable customer service. But if you want to purchase, someone is immediately available. LOL Again. I would not begin to compare these to a custom hearing aid. But these sales companies probably know that the only alternative today for many people is $1,500.00 ++++.
They are what they are. My only real complaint is that you can’t keep them working past 6-9 months before needing another pair.
Anyway, thanks for letting me rant.
Rick
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@Rick5 Thanks for posting, and welcome to the HearingTracker forums!
I’m glad this thread gave you a valuable opportunity to share your experiences (I wouldn’t call it a rant!). You’re right that these el cheapo outfits trade on the fact that the only alternative today is $1,500.00++++. In the end, it comes down to personal budgeting priorities.
I don’t know whether you’ve had your hearing checked by an audiologist. If not, it could be worth finding one that’ll give you a free check and a trial period with a pair of genuine HAs, to compare them with your (third pair of !) Audien amplifiers.
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Hi John
Thanks for the welcome. LOL It sounds like I’ve already spent $1, 500.00USD. In the past, I’ve had a couple of hearing tests done at the ENT Doctor’s office while being treated for an infection from a virus. But nothing recent. I will give this third pair of Audien’s a try and see how long they last. And, find out if the insurance is any good. Next stop will probably be Cosco. LOL $1500.00 for a good test and custom aids.is one thing. $2,500-5,000.00 is something else. Thanks for your reply.
Rick