From our Guest Blogger about her experience exploring hearing aids for the first time… Just to clarify, we are posting a personal story, and the company which is mentioned is not a paid sponsor.
In a year’s time of always needing to ask people to repeat themselves, I knew it was time to at least explore getting hearing aids. My experience with a pair from my ENT’s office did not go as well as I had hoped, and I was not happy with the little tiny aids I had chosen for the allowed 2 week trial. I just wasn’t ready. Upon returning them at the end of the trial I was charged $300 for the return. At that point I started asking around to see where my friends and other people went for help, and Costco was continuously the clear winner. A few weeks ago I headed to Costco and set up an appointment while shopping there in order to speak with someone about their hearing aids.
The day arrived and as luck would have it, I got a parking space at the front door.. the start of a positive visit! I was even taken a few minutes early – another happy moment. The very nicest man spent at least 2 hours with my testing and a quite thorough discussion. Then he sent me out into the store with 2 different pairs so I could walk around and try them out among lots of people. After the second excursion into the world of sound, I chose the first pair. He totally agreed with my choice. They are over the ear which you can’t see, as they are hidden by my short hair style. The great price was also a huge plus.
A pair was ordered which I picked up a few days ago. Again there was a clear explanation about the care and use. I was given further material to help with all there is to know and I am looking forward to the trial period of 6 months with a Free Return policy! They are tied into my i-Phone during this trial period.
In summary, the hearing aids through my ENT were $6,500 and had lots more features but I like mine from Costco which are $1,800 on sale and are just straight hearing aids. I will use the next couple months to see if I need further features for additional sound cancelling options, etc but am very happy with the fact that I could return them at no cost if I choose not to keep them.