Should I purchase hearing aids off the internet?

Purchasing items online has become increasingly easier and more mainstream. Consumers can find a variety of items online, often at a discounted price. But is buying online always the best option? In terms of your hearing healthcare, the answer is no.

Numerous websites advertise hearing aids for a price lower than what you would spend when investing in hearing aid technology through a Hearing Care Professional (Audiologist). However, the amount you actually pay to an online retailer will likely be much higher than advertised. Most online retailers charge additional or hidden fees for cleaning supplies, programming services, programming equipment, repairs and/or warranties. These additional services are essential to optimizing performance with hearing aids
and are typically included in the cost of a hearing aid purchased from your local audiologist.

Selecting hearing aids are best left to the professionals

Some online retailers advertise "pre-set" devices and will "program" those devices without first obtaining a comprehensive hearing test by a licensed audiologist. Online hearing screenings cannot accurately diagnose hearing loss type or severity; they can only determine if a possible hearing loss is present. Each individual's hearing loss is unique and cannot be completely generalized into a category of severity, as many online retailers suggest. If an online retailer attempts to classify your hearing loss based on your answers to a few questions or uses only one response from a hearing test to determine which hearing aid you need, you may actually be purchasing an amplifier that is being marketed as a hearing aid. Hearing aids are class II medical devices and MUST be programmed specifically for each individual based on the results obtained during their comprehensive hearing evaluation. This is required for a precise and optimized fitting. If devices are not programmed in this manner, they will not provide benefit in difficult listening environments and overall sound quality will suffer. Furthermore, without a comprehensive hearing evaluation by a qualified audiologist, any potential medical components to your hearing loss will remain un-diagnosed and untreated. Obtaining a current hearing test prior to pursuing amplification is crucial to determining an appropriate treatment plan as well as a major factor in determining a person's success with hearing aids.

Online retailers often boast that their devices will be sent directly to you; however, many consumers have never worn hearing aids and need a profession­al to walk them through the process of hearing aid use. Imagine having diffi­culty communicating with your loved ones or feeling isolated from your friends. You find a solution online, order hearing aids or an amplifier, and get excited that you will finally be able to hear better! The devices arrive and you pull them out of the box - but you quickly find that you don't know how to insert them, don't know how to change the batteries, don't know what all the parts do, and find that they just don't sound right. Then, while trying to figure out how everything works, you drop one of your hearing aids and it breaks! You quick­ly become frustrated and have no idea what to do. You call the online com­pany where you purchased the hearing aids, but you are put on hold. You want to talk to a person face-to- face, so you stop by your local audiologist's office for help. You find out that only very minor repairs can be made, because your brand of hearing aid is considered a proprietary device (belonging only to the online retailer you purchased from). Since it is a proprietary device, the hearing aids can't be adjusted or programmed in this office, even though you have already identi­fied numerous situations where they are not helping you communicate. You are told that you will need to send the hearing aids back to the online retailer for programming adjustments, which does not allow for real time feedback from the consumer. You may even be required to send hearing aids in multiple times before your concern is addressed. Unfortunate­ly, each time you return the hearing aids to the online company, you will likely be required to pay for ship­ping and will be without sound until your hearing aids are returned. The investment of time and money is ultimately much higher than you anticipated when you purchased these devices online. This is just one example experienced by a consumer that came to Johnson Audiology for help, after purchasing a set of proprietary hearing aids online.

Occasionally, online consumers are able to find a hearing aid from one of the "Big 6" hearing aid manufacturers(Phonak, Starkey, Widex, Resound, Oticon and Siemens) that are dispensed by Audiologists; however, purchase of these devices online can be very costly and is not recommended. The major manufacturers do not authorize the sale of their products online and are warning consumers not to purchase hearing aids in this manner. Many manu­facturers will void the war­ranties of any devices purchased online, ultimately adding additional costs to the consumer's perceived "low price". Some manufacturers are even recalling hearing aids sold by these online companies and have requested that the hearing aids be returned once located. While many audiologists can and will program these devices for you, there will be fitting and programming fees charged for these services. This again adds to the consumer's initial "bargain online price" and can add up quickly.

Scheduling an appoint­ment with and investing in hearing aid technolo­gy through an audiologist ensures that you are well informed regarding your hearing health care, that your treatment plan is tai­lored specifically to you, that you are offered the latest technology, and that you have a Hearing Care Professional support­ing you every step of the way. Your audiologist will work closely with you to educate and counsel you about your hearing loss, guide your selection of an appropriate hearing aid, set realistic expectations for your journey to better hearing, answer questions, also provide the support and counseling you need to be a successful hearing aid user. Programming adjust­ments will be completed in the office in real time, which is the best way to account for your individ­ual needs and allows you to get right back to hear­ing the world around you - uninterrupted! While purchasing hearing aids online may be tempting, there are many potential pitfalls and hidden costs associated with this meth­od that consumers must take into account. Better hearing is a process and requires support from your family, friends, and audiol­ogists. Always remember to research reviews (other than those found on the retailer's website) and con­sumer reports before pur­chasing any item online. And don't forget the age-old adage "If it sounds too good to be true...it prob­ably is".

Noteworthy:

Numerous websites advertise hearing aids for a price lower than what you would spend when investing in hearing aid technology through a Hearing Care Professional (Audiologist). However, the amount you actually pay to an online retailer will likely be much higher than advertised.