So you’ve gone and had a hearing test and you can’t believe the cost of hearing devices. ‘They must be gold plated’ you think to yourself. Ordering online and cutting the ‘middle man’ is becoming an attractive option. Is it a good idea? Before you hand over your credit card –educate yourself and read further:
1. One size does not fit all!
A hearing aid is just like headphones. I can work it out myself, right? WRONG. Experimenting with your ears is not a great choice!
Hearing devices need to be measured inside your ear and set up for your hearing. It’s the reason why there’s a whole university trained profession behind this skill. An audiologist is going to get you the best fit. They will carefully fine tune the devices using special equipment. Anything you buy online could never have the same sound quality. Without fine-tuning -an online purchased device could give you background noise that’s unbearable or speech like nails on a chalkboard. You may ask an Audiologist to fix it, problem is, most won’t touch it since it’s from an unknown source.
The biggest risk here is not even about losing your money – you could even do serious damage to your hearing.
2. Is it going to be comfortable?
There are millions of things we can buy online. How many times have you ordered clothes or shoes in your size that just don’t fit right?
The same risks apply to buying a hearing device online. If fitting your foot is hard enough… finding something for your ear canal is 10 times harder.
To make it worse… our left and right ears are even different sizes
NO matter how many online product reviews your read about a device, it will never guarantee you the type of result you’ll get by sitting in front of an Audiologist who measures your ear canal and lets you hold the devices in real time.
3. Are you getting what you’ve paid for?
So you think your getting a fully digital, tiny, whiz bang hearing device with all the latest features in a leading brand?
Here’s what you might actually be getting:
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- a refurbished ( a nice way of saying used) hearing device. This is quite repulsive when you really think about it.
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- an out of date model with no manufacturer’s warranty
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- a ‘no name brand’ hearing device
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- an amplifier that looks like a hearing aid that doesn’t have good sound quality or comfort
- a giant thing resembling a banana that you are supposed to wear behind your ear.
In the long run, you may buy another device from an Audiologist the old fashioned way, face to face. This time you get countless appointments, a warranty and the genuine device you wanted. Save yourself time and money and do it the right way the first time.
Carefully select a device just for YOU and it should last about 6 years.
