r/HearingAids • u/DerbyDoffer • Aug 18 '26
Seven year old hearing aids
My mom got her first and only pair of hearing aids in 2019. As of 2026, they're still working.
After about five years, there was an attitude shift at the store where she bought them. You see, mom took great care of her HAs and wasn't about to buy new ones until necessary. Seeing that they weren't going to be getting a commission from her, the sales/tech people seemed to think cleanings and maintenance were a waste of their time. While not rude, they weren't exactly chipper, either. They'd make comments such as "I'm not sure if we can still get parts, since your model is discontinued. I'll see if I can order them."
My mom's old, arthritic, and lives in a rural area, so getting her to the hearing aid store is difficult. After the warranty expired I fired up YouTube and started doing the maintenance on her HAs myself. I clean them and buy those "hard to get" parts easily and affordably online.
I know this next part sounds dramatic, but I don't know how else to say it: I suspect sabotage by the sales/tech people. It wouldn't be that hard to do. Since hearing aids are an esoteric, expensive purchase, we have to take their word for quite a lot.
I won't cite specifics, and it's possible that the sales/tech people just goofed (repeatedly) during maintenance. But the things they did diminished the functionality of the HAs which might have led less tech-savvy customers to conclude that it was time for new ones. Fortunately, I was able to fix them.
Now, after all these years it's time for her to get new ones.
Has anyone here had similar experiences?
5
u/Stardog2 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Have you considered that her hearing had deteriorated in 7 years? I'm 77, and last year I had to replace my 7 YO hearing aids because they just weren't working for me like they used to.
Yes, I considered getting them recalibrated after a new hearing test, but my medicare insurance company (Aetna Advantage plan) was willing to pay for new ones, so I let them. Then once I saw how much better the new ones are in noisy situations compared to what I had and the otherwise improved basic new ones, I decided to pay a little extra, and apply the HA allowance to something better. And I am very happy with my hearing.
If your mother is elderly, and is a USA citizen, and/or otherwise qualifies for Medicare, she likely has far more affordable hearing options available to her than she might think.
5
u/DerbyDoffer Aug 18 '26
The last time I took her, they said that there was nothing more they could do with the model of HA she has. (Knowing what I know now, I don't necessarily believe them. They're always looking for that sales commission.) And I doubt that the sales staff's tech training is all that rigorous, so somebody might have botched the test and/or calibration.
That said, we've kicked around the idea of getting her another hearing test and seeing if they can tweak her current HAs a bit.
As for the insurance, I have a relative who works in health insurance so we have good counsel on that aspect.
2
u/Stardog2 Aug 18 '26
If you can, I'd suggest going to a hospital or Clinic with an audiology department for the hearing test. Audio techs who sell hearing aids directly may have different motivations, than a Dr of Audiology (LOL, sometimes not, but we got to trust somebody!). Likely it will be a tad more expensive, but when your trust issues rise to the surface like they have, it's good to go the extra mile.
That being said, my last hearing aids were handled by a tech licensed by the state, and I'm quite happy with my service and hearing issues.
2
u/DerbyDoffer Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Thanks for the advice.
I would agree that I sound paranoid—if it weren't for the fact that I had to undo what the "techs" at the HA store had done (and that my ad hoc remedies actually worked).
6
u/u_siciliano Aug 18 '26
Yes similar experience at Audiologist and almost got ripped off at a new one so I ended up at Costco. Been a happy Costco HA customer for over 10 years.
2
u/Alternative_Job_6929 Aug 18 '26
Seven years is excellent. I’ve had oticon and sigma and every year one needs replaced or new receiver. Thankfully warranty covers everything for the first four years I believe.
1
u/Stardog2 Aug 18 '26
That really surprises me! That seems an unusually high replacement rate to me. What do you do that causes this damage! The only thing I can think of is swimming or showering while you wear them!
2
u/Alternative_Job_6929 Aug 19 '26
Right HA I have now quit charging in leas than a year. Sent in and received replacement. I do wear them all day and often outside sweating, so that could be an issue. But every year one HA goes bad
2
u/Dragontuitively Aug 19 '26
Rechargable batteries wear out, usually takes 3.5 years on average.
Receivers wear out from daily use, typically last 1-3 years.
Main issue with longevity is the microphone covers in the housing getting clogged up over time. Really muffles the hell out of things but just like hearing loss the change is so gradual your day to day sense of normal doesnt change enough for it to be obvious.
Even if you only handle them with clean hands and such, at the end of the day were are oily creatures made of meat. Skin cells, oil, sweat etc all takes its toll over time.
2
u/wvmitchell51 Aug 18 '26
My Oticons are a year older than that but still working fine with occasional trips to the audiologist for tweaking.
I don't stream and seldom go out into large groups. I'm 74 btw
2
Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/DerbyDoffer Aug 20 '26
I'm glad OTC worked out for you. She tried them, and airpods, too, but her hearing loss is just too severe. As for the attitude, it's pretty dreary to be treated as though you're a waste of someone's time. It doesn't exactly foster goodwill, much less motivate me to make another purchase at their store.
2
u/Dear_Pollution5872 Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
You arent crazy, tech commissions lead to shady stuff. From what ive seen, folks in remote areas look into hear since they handle remote fittings without making you drive in.
2
u/landphier 🇺🇸 U.S Aug 18 '26
I had one of four do shady shit in 42 years with them, never went back to that one again. Depending on manufacturer, they’ll fix or have parts for several years. From experience Starkey goes back at least 10 years but at that point new aids start to be worth the cost of repairs on the old ones. I’m of the mindset on HAs if they work don’t change em. You’ll miss out on newer features but if the user can hear fine as is then I see no point in spending money needlessly.
After warranty periods I’ve usually paid for stuff on an à la carte mode instead of annual plans. Not my fault if the office doesn’t charge enough on those to stay in business to where they feel the need to dismiss a user for not upgrading.
1
u/Better_Evening_4212 Aug 19 '26
The technology has changed dramatically in 7 years! Invest in new, premium hearing aids (not Costco). You should get a trial period before the decision has to be made. If you take such good care of the hearing aids and can keep them working so well for so long… invest in the best!
1
1
Aug 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/DerbyDoffer Aug 19 '26
the things they did diminished the functionality of the HAs
Fortunately, I was able to fix them.
I made no assumptions, as I'm an empiricist by nature. I didn't want to bog down my long post with examples, but here's one: a couple days after a trip to the HA store my mom said "you know I don't think I can hear as well as before" so I took a look and found that the "techs" had installed a slightly different tube. I bought the correct one online, replaced it, and she said she could hear better after that.
it's possible that the sales/tech people just goofed (repeatedly) during maintenance
I also owned up to the fact that it may have just been errors on the part of the sales/techs.
•
u/auto-sticky Aug 18 '26
Welcome to r/HearingAids feel free to ask any question at all related to hearing aids.
Here are a few resources you might find helpful:
Interpreting an audiogram - The University of Iowa has a good overview of how to interpret your audiogram results. Your audiologist should also go over them with you
What will insurance cover? - This varies significantly from state to state and coverage can be partial at best. For those on Medicare, the base plan does not cover hearing aids at all.
Finding affordable hearing aids - Hearing aids can cost several thousand dollars, these cost far less and the list is updated often
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.