Hearing Aids v/s Online Devices: Know the Difference
Numerous items can be purchased cheaply online. If you have a minor hearing loss, you may be tempted to purchase a personal sound amplification product (PSAP), often known as “hearing amplifiers” or “hearing aid amplifiers,” from an online retailer. This device is comparable to “cheater” eyeglasses sold in local pharmacies. However, hearing loss associated with ageing is more complicated than age-related vision loss.
These inexpensive items tend to amplify all sounds, not simply those that are inaudible. Online companies may offer tutorials on how to clean and utilise their products, but nothing is customised. At a hearing clinic, your hearing aids are customised to your exact hearing loss and any additional conditions you may have, such as tinnitus. Each individual needs distinct adjustments and counselling on an ongoing basis. Many consumers need specific ear tips, which aren’t available online. Clinics can also pre-program your hearing aids to change settings based on the environment. In addition, if your services are bundled, you can return whenever necessary for cleanings or adjustments.
After purchasing hearing aids, the typical user will require three adjustments to get optimal sound quality.
As hearing aids are medical devices, they must be prescribed and fitted by a qualified and skilled professional. Purchasing a hearing aid without an initial face-to-face consultation, professional fitting, and regular follow-ups could result in the purchase of an inefficient device for your hearing loss or, worse, the further deterioration of your hearing.
Check how we support our clients throughout their journey with us.
Buddy packBuying From Big Retailers and Manufacture Owned Clinics
The majority of well-known hearing aid clinics are owned by hearing aid manufacturers or have close ties to them. Like many other sectors, they are attempting vertical integration by establishing their own storefronts to sell directly to consumers. While other large international retailers have begun selling re branded store-specific hearing aids that can only be programmed in-store.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission distinguishes between healthy competition that supports fair prices and competition that local independents just cannot afford. Large scale international corporations are able to sell their products at a lesser price due to their purchasing power. Local businesses are unable to compete and are forced to close their doors.
Consequently, this is a major issue for local Australian firms. However, the problem does not end there. For patients with hearing loss, reduced prices come at a price.
Find out WHO OWNS WHO?
WHO OWNS WHO?Low costs are quite alluring. However, hearing loss treatments are not merely a product. When we purchase hearing aids, we are also investing in a service that will last long. We rely on the practitioner’s experience to discover the best answer for us, and we believe “the expert” cares enough to find it.
Large hearing aid manufacturers are motivated by sales and lack focus on solutions. As a result of this mentality, corporate suppliers have based their companies on the notion that employees are under constant pressure to push a particular product line and must exceed sales goals in order to obtain bonuses or commissions. Some clinics also pay commissions to health funds for every hearing aid fitted to a fund member.
As these clinics only fit hearing aids produced by their connected manufacturers, this drastically limits your options, as you are limited to purchasing only one brand. This does not necessarily imply that the offered brand or devices will be ineffective; rather, it indicates that there are no viable alternatives.
Moreso it is essential that your hearing aids can be adjusted at any clinic whether you relocate or travel. In addition, if you are ever dissatisfied with the hearing aid or the care you receive at that store, you will be dissatisfied unless you acquire new hearing aids from a clinic that offers a range of hearing aid brands.
It is uncommon for an independent practice to incentivise their staff or offer exclusively hearing aids from a single manufacturer, while certain providers may have agreements with specific manufacturers. The majority of independent providers provide options depending on your individual needs and preferences.
Hearing Buddy Independence, in contrast to manufactured-owned enterprises, enables it to supply clients with a wide variety of options, as opposed to limiting them to a few possibilities or selling rebranded products.