Costco - hearing aids

[mrsstats]

My husband needs hearing aids. Price from the doctor was around $5,000 a pair for the high end. Costco is about 1/2 the price. Has anyone used them and would you again?
TIA

 

[Passepartout]

Do a TUG search. It's been discussed fairly frequently. Many have gotten their aids from Costco and seem satisfied. I got mine through VA, so can't compare with Costco personally.

 

[DaveNV]

As you research the thread already mentioned, I'll add my two cents: Costco hearing aids are among the best you can buy anywhere, and for a fraction of the price. With the generous return policy, you have absolutely nothing to lose. If you aren't satisfied for any reason, you can return them for a full refund. Just be sure you upgrade your Costco Membership to an Executive Membership before the purchase. You'll receive a 2% rebate on the purchase, saving you even more. And if you use the Costco Citi Visa card for the purchase, you'll get another rebate, and an extension on the hearing aid warranty. Win-win-win.

Dave

 

[MabelP]

Thank you, Dave. Great info on savings.

 

[easyrider]

My brother in law bought Costco hearing aids. They have blue tooth so he can listen to music. Other than phone calls, he really doesn't use them to hear people talk that much.

Bill

 

[bobpark56]

My husband needs hearing aids. Price from the doctor was around $5,000 a pair for the high end. Costco is about 1/2 the price. Has anyone used them and would you again?
TIA

Not sure why, but your TUG posting was initially providing no way to reply to your query. I have Costco hearing aids (my second set in 8 years), and I absolutely endorse them. A lot may depend on your technologist, though, but Costo in our area seems to have done a fine job in selecting theirs.
One other thing...When you do buy, it will pay you to sign up the executive membership. The cash back from this will more than pay for that membership, and you then continue to get extra rewards as you spend...especially if you also get the Costco credit card.
Hope this helps. --Bob Park

 

[Rjbeach2003]

Another endorsement for Costco Hearing aids. I heard from others they paid between $6000 and 12,000 for theirs. A friend got his through VA and they were good as well.

 

[Bucky]

I now get mine from the VA but I used to use Costco. I actually liked my Costco ones better but money talks.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

DH has Costco hearing aids and is quite satisfied.
FWIW hearsay from a "friend of a friend" recommended Oticon and dissed Costco, Miracle Ear and Beltone.

 

[pedro47]

Another satisfied Costco customer . I lost one hearing device on a cruise in Egypt several years ago. Costco replace the hearing aide at no cost to me. I am totally satisfied with their service.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Costco hearing aids have worked out to the same cost as V.A. -- free.

That's because it turns out my supplemental health insurance will pay up to $2,500 every 2 years for hearing aids. As it happens, the cost of my outstanding new Costco ReSound hearing aids totaled $2,498. So it was the same out-of-pocket cost as V.A. but in a more convenient location with a less bureaucratic & more commercial ambiance.

My only gripe with the ReSound digital hearing aids from Costco (& it's a minor gripe) is that the little rubber shrouds that center the receiver in the ear canal don't stay on reliably. It could be my fault, I don't know. When replacing the tiny wax guard that goes in the downstream end of the receiver, I sometimes manage to shorten the part of the receiver that the rubber shroud fits onto. The shroud goes on OK, but does not stay onto the little part I pushed in & shortened. Fortunately, the device works OK without a rubber shroud, but the shroud situation is a (minor) nuisance that I did not experience with Starkey digital hearing aids from V.A. Only way I can get the ReSound shroud situation squared away is to go back to Costco. They fix it, but it doesn't always stay fixed. So it goes.

Nice feature of the Costco ReSound hearing aids is an iPhone app that plays cell phone audio directly through my hearing aids wirelessly -- Blue Tooth or some such. The cell phone app also provides for adjusting hearing aid settings (volume, balance, etc.) via the iPhone touch screen. It's convenient & gives good audio quality for phone calls, podcasts, recorded music, internet audio, & so forth. I doubt ReSound is the only kind with that feature. No doubt all the top hearing aid companies keep coming up with improvements & advancements.

Hearing restoration has not been perfect with digital hearing aids, not Starkey (V.A.) & not ReSound (Costco). But it has been very good & I am better off with it than without in in my several years of experience.

BTW, the reason I quit using my V.A. Starkey hearing aids is that I lost 1 at a large outdoor event. I didn't realize it was missing until I was in the car driving back to the hotel afterward, meaning that hearing aid was forever gone-gone-gone. When I phoned for a new appointment with V.A. Audiology, I found out V.A. criteria had changed & I was no longer eligible. So goodbye, V.A. Hello, Costco.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Dean]

As a physician who wears hearing aids, I'll probably get my next set from them. My wife and I both wear them, high end Resound. The last I looked they did not have the smallest ones, just the next size up but it's been a year or so. I have a fellow physician who got them at Costco as his first set about 2 years ago and is happy. I'm told they're proprietary and thus other audiologists can't work with them or make changes to them but haven't confirmed this.

 

[MULTIZ321]

......Nice feature of the Costco ReSound hearing aids is an iPhone app that plays cell phone audio directly through my hearing aids wirelessly -- Blue Tooth or some such. The cell phone app also provides for adjusting hearing aid settings (volume, balance, etc.) via the iPhone touch screen. It's convenient & gives good audio quality for phone calls, podcasts, recorded music, internet audio, & so forth. I doubt ReSound is the only kind with that feature. No doubt all the top hearing aid companies keep coming up with improvements & advancements......

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Hi Alan,

You are correct, all the Major Hearing Aid Manufacturers have iOs (Apple) and Android Apps that pair with many of their hearing aid models via
Bluetooth that allows for connectivity for phone calls, podcasts, recorded music, internet audio and Television audio. These Apps also allow the user to make certain hearing aid adjustments such as changing the volume or reducing background noise or changing programs. Some models have Tinnitus Programs that can be activated by the Apps to help lessen the annoyance of Tinnitus. These certainly are not your grandparents hearing aids.

Best Regards,

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

...... I'm told they're proprietary and thus other audiologists can't work with them or make changes to them but haven't confirmed this...

Hi Dean,

I'm a retired Ph.D Audiologist and worked in a variety of settings, including the VA for 30 years and am proud to have worked with veterans.

You were given accurate information that hearing aids purchased at Costco are proprietary and cannot be programmed or adjusted elsewhere - it has to be done at Costco.

I forgot to add in my previous reply to Alan Cole, that some hearing aid models are Rechargeable and do not require batteries and other models require batteries.

Good Luck in gour decisions.

Richard

 

[AwayWeGo]

I forgot to add in my previous reply to Alan Cole, that some hearing aid models are Rechargeable and do not require batteries and other models require batteries.

My Costco digital ReSound hearing aids conveniently take the same size mini-button zinc-air batteries that worked my V.A. digital Starkey hearing aids -- the batteries in the brown packages.

That means I can use leftover V.A. batteries power my current Costco hearing aids. (Waste not, want not.)

After I run out of V.A. batteries, I can buy more at Costco or Walmart or Amazon, etc. -- maybe even eBay.

Is this a great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[MULTIZ321]

My Costco digital ReSound hearing aids conveniently take the same size mini-button zinc-air batteries that worked my V.A. digital Starkey hearing aids -- the batteries in the brown packages.

That means I can use leftover V.A. batteries power my current Costco hearing aids. (Waste not, want not.)

After that, I can buy more at Costco or Walmart or Amazon, etc. -- maybe even eBay.

Is this a great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Alan is talking about size 312 Zinc-Air batteries.


Richard

 

[Beach57]

They sell older models though, not the newest technology.

 

[DaveNV]

You might want to check your research. Costco offers lesser models, for those who need a lower price point. But they definitely do sell top of the line stuff, too.

Dave

 

[Dean]

You might want to check your research. Costco offers lesser models, for those who need a lower price point. But they definitely do sell top of the line stuff, too.

Dave

When Looked 2 years ago they had high end options but not the top, specifically not the smallest units which was what my wife wanted. That could have changed, things like this change fairly often.

 

[Bucky]

Here’s just one informative conversation on another forum I follow about Costco’s newest model

Costco Kirkland Signature 10.0 (Product Information)

Kirkland Signature 10.0 is a RIC instrument available from Costco with features similar to Phonak P90 products. • Simultaneous connections to two Bluetooth devices • Reduced listening effort for soft speech • Built-in motion sensor improves speech understanding when walking • Personalized...

forum.hearingtracker.com

 

[MULTIZ321]

When Looked 2 years ago they had high end options but not the top, specifically not the smallest units which was what my wife wanted. That could have changed, things like this change fairly often.

Hi Dean,

As you probably know, there are several major categories of hearing aid styles - Receiver-In-the-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aids, Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids, In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aids, and Canal Hearing Aids. While different models are different sizes, I think your wife wants Canal-style hearing aids. Some Canal-style hearing have dual-microphones which are absolutely essential for noise reduction (groups, restaurants, parties) and some are not due to size constraints. One needs to make a choice between size and performance. Certain features are eliminated the smaller a hearing aid is, one being the hearing aids cannot communicate with each other and have to be adjusted separately. Also power (gain) is limited, Bluetooth may or may not be available and the number of programs is limited. There's not just one best hearing aid - many factors need to be considered.

Richard

 

[GrayFal]

So I have read thru this thread.

We are going back tomorrow to the office of the ENT to meet with a person about hearing aids.
I assume they will go thru the options with us (for my husband) and then we say we will think about it. Kind of like a timeshare presentation?

After this appt we will make an appt at Costco to purchase the style that is most comfortable for him.
Does this sound about right?

 

[wackymother]

So I have read thru this thread.

We are going back tomorrow to the office of the ENT to meet with a person about hearing aids.
I assume they will go thru the options with us (for my husband) and then we say we will think about it. Kind of like a timeshare presentation?

After this appt we will make an appt at Costco to purchase the style that is most comfortable for him.
Does this sound about right?

This is what we were planning a few years ago for my DH. We went to the audiologist who had worked with my MIL; she had very serious hearing loss. The audiologist spent a lot of time w DH and recommended some aids that did seem excellent. Then we went to Costco...and the audiologist there said that his hearing loss was not enough to warrant hearing aids! So we held off, and now he's going back in July for another test.

The private audiologist was great, but part of the premium that my MIL paid was for his patience and accessibility when she had problems. Our Costco hearing department is intense. DH is waiting about eight weeks to get an appointment.

 

[DaveNV]

Our Costco hearing department is intense. DH is waiting about eight weeks to get an appointment.

Is there another Costco you can visit? Eight weeks seems like a long time for something like this.

Dave

 

[wackymother]

Is there another Costco you can visit? Eight weeks seems like a long time for something like this.

Dave

There are two others fairly close...but they're even more packed than ours! We live in northern NJ. We've been to Costcos in other places and they are absolutely peaceful compared to ours. Anyway, we were thinking it would be a long wait for the evaluation and fitting, but then adjustments would not need such a long wait.