What about used hearing aids??

Did you check with your audiologist first to be sure it would work for you? It's an intriguing concept, considering the cost of these things.

I came across a site called "DIY Hearing" or something like that that sold hearing aids and other equipment. New, not used, but cheaper than at the audi's office. I thought it was a bit strange to attempt to buy something like that online rather than through an audi, but if you know what you're doing, it seems a viable choice.
 
I am currently thinking of buying newer ones from ebay. I have a pair spotted, but dont know if my audi will program them. I will see her next month. Kinda want a new audi even more than new aids. Sadly, she is the only one on my insurance. My aids are now old enough that I cant get them fixed.
 
I did check with my audiologist actually. They weren't happy that I wanted to go the eBay route (and this is at a university, you'd think they wouldn't care!) but they said yes the Resound Plus5 would probably be fine for me, so I got them with Buy It Now.
 
I'd suggest to check with your audiologist because he/she may not have the right equipment to set them up and have them tell you which ones to look out for that would suit your loss. Also, when you decide which to bid on BEFORE bidding contact seller and ask for serial number in battery door, how old they are, and why they are selling. If anything sounds out of place don't buy. Knowing the serial number on them will allow you to contact the manufacturer to make sure they were not reported lost or stolen. Hearings Aids I found are a hot ticket item to be stolen. I learned hard way from mine being stolen and I swear I saw it on eBay but, what can I do or how can I prove?

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!
 
Seriously??? Wow, how can hearing aids be stolen? Mine are in my ears or on my dresser at all times.

Or occasionally in the locker at the gym when I go swimming; I guess that would be an opportunity for a thief, if someone knew it and could figure out how to break into the locker when no one else is around. But it seems unlikely.

I wonder how people get their hands on aids to steal them. Amazing that they are a hot item.
 
Beach girl said:
Seriously??? Wow, how can hearing aids be stolen? Mine are in my ears or on my dresser at all times.

Or occasionally in the locker at the gym when I go swimming; I guess that would be an opportunity for a thief, if someone knew it and could figure out how to break into the locker when no one else is around. But it seems unlikely.

I wonder how people get their hands on aids to steal them. Amazing that they are a hot item.
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People have had CI processors stolen off their heads when an opportunistic thief thought it was a fancy bluetooth headset.
 
That made me wonder, sorry to derail the thread, but can HA's be put on personal insurance for theft or loss? I will ask my insurance guy. It is handy that a daughter is his room mate. heh
 
InfamousMacBook said:
I'd suggest to check with your audiologist because he/she may not have the right equipment to set them up and have them tell you which ones to look out for that would suit your loss. Also, when you decide which to bid on BEFORE bidding contact seller and ask for serial number in battery door, how old they are, and why they are selling. If anything sounds out of place don't buy. Knowing the serial number on them will allow you to contact the manufacturer to make sure they were not reported lost or stolen. Hearings Aids I found are a hot ticket item to be stolen. I learned hard way from mine being stolen and I swear I saw it on eBay but, what can I do or how can I prove?

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!
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If the audiologist didn't have the right equipment, the HAs are too old and you don't want those. :giggle:
 
LDNanna said:
That made me wonder, sorry to derail the thread, but can HA's be put on personal insurance for theft or loss? I will ask my insurance guy. It is handy that a daughter is his room mate. heh
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Theft and damage, yes that's easy. Loss is harder because that's your fault. Sometimes they can be put on homeowners or renter's insurance but not always. Sometimes they fall under personal property protection but not always. There are also companies that specialize in hearing aid insurance coverage.
 
Very good points. I'm going to check with my insurance guy too. I never even thought about getting special insurance for them; always assumed they would be covered under my homeowner's policy.
 
Beach girl said:
Very good points. I'm going to check with my insurance guy too. I never even thought about getting special insurance for them; always assumed they would be covered under my homeowner's policy.
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I did check into that. For my insurance, that would only cover if something happened to them inside my home. If there was loss, damage, theft, etc. from anywhere else - homeowners would not cover it.
 
wow, why would an audiologist not be happy that you're going the used hearing aid route? They would make money programming your hearing aids. That should make them happy. What is the maximum age I should get? I know that 10 years old is way too old, but what is maximum age?

I plan to talk to an audiologist ahead of time and see if they'll let me go the used hearing aid route. If not, I'll have to find a different audiologist.
 
Etoile said:
If the audiologist didn't have the right equipment, the HAs are too old and you don't want those. :giggle:
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My audiologist only does Oticon, Seimens, Phonak hearing aids and told that if I were to go with ReSound or another brand (not sure what out there) that he would not be able to program. I went with a Phonak because that is what I had before. When I was at the gym it was during overnight cause mine is 24/7 and the person broke a bunch of locks to get in lockers and stole my bag where my hearing aid was in a portable drying case. I wasn't the only one so I don't think they were after my hearing aid but, I was convinced that it was on eBay because the guy selling was from my city and said he acquired from an estate sale and wouldn't give me the serial. If I had the serial I would of been able to get ahold of police to possibly retrieve it.
 
InfamousMacBook said:
My audiologist only does Oticon, Seimens, Phonak hearing aids and told that if I were to go with ReSound or another brand (not sure what out there) that he would not be able to program. I went with a Phonak because that is what I had before. When I was at the gym it was during overnight cause mine is 24/7 and the person broke a bunch of locks to get in lockers and stole my bag where my hearing aid was in a portable drying case. I wasn't the only one so I don't think they were after my hearing aid but, I was convinced that it was on eBay because the guy selling was from my city and said he acquired from an estate sale and wouldn't give me the serial. If I had the serial I would of been able to get ahold of police to possibly retrieve it.
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You should have informed Ebay.
 
I'll pass on buying used hearing aids. Most hearing aids don't last more than 5-7 years under extreme changes of weather, humidity, etc.
 
sequoias said:
I'll pass on buying used hearing aids. Most hearing aids don't last more than 5-7 years under extreme changes of weather, humidity, etc.
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Yes, 5 to 7 years is just about the timeframe on how long the user usually wears the same hearing aid. Not to also mention that a better one would sometime also come along during that time period.
 
Makes sense not to buy one that's 5 years old, then, but if you can buy one that's say 6 months to a year old, because the person was only using it prior to getting a CI or switched to another brand or whatever the circumstances, why not? These things are not cheap, and if you can get $6,000 worth of hearing aids ($3,000 each x 2), at a much lower cost why not?

This is assuming they check out as being appropriate for your loss, seller can verify serial number, your audi can program it appropriately, etc.

The biggest obstacle for many people to getting hearing aids is the price of them. I understand there is more than 100% mark-up on most. Will your audi give you a substantial discount, ever? Not terribly likely, although might be possible in rare cases.

With a very thorough background check on exactly what you're buying, buying used might fill a need for those who otherwise could not afford them. OR for people who just want to save some money, regardless of what they could technically afford.
 
Can a person have hearing aids programmed, molds made, and hearing aids fit all on the same day or will it take more than 1 visit?
 
More than one visit. The audi will take an impression of your ears and send those in to have the molds made. They will come back in about 10 days or so, and then you go in for the fitting and programming.

Probably you will need one or two appointments, maybe more, to tweak the fitting a little bit one way or the other. If you haven't worn HAs for a long time, the audi might program the volume to be on the low side, and then gradually increase it as you get used to all the "noise."
 
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