Avoid Argosy Hearing aids! -- Dear Folks,
Although I was a hearing aid user, before I became a senior, I wish to warn othr seniors about the bad faith of Argosy Hearing Aids. The first one in 1991 worked just fineI. It worked well-three repairs in four years. So, in Dec. 1997, I purchased two aids from Argosy. One arrived dead from the factory dead -- No they didn't replace it. They "repaired it. However, that repair needed repain and so .. a dozen or so repairs late, they are still not working.; it was not replaced, but "repaired".
Those repairs were the first of several dozen. In the 18 months that I have owned the aids, I have not been able to use both of them simultaneously for 30 consecutive days. --one or both were not
operating or being repaired. I heard better without aids, for often the machine would stop working and act as a cotton plug!
As a high school teacher, I can not perform as accustomed, without working hearing aids. I recommend that any hearingimpaired person AVOID Argosy products, since the company does not stand behind them. The company did extend the warranty a bit, but refused to replace the aids. Even the audiologists are leary of Argosy and
will not recommend their aids for other patients.
For reference, I bought the Eclipse models-$1500.00 from hearing Works, in Poughkeepsie, NY (914-431-8714); My
audiologists are not recommending Argosy to their other patients! I recommend that any hearing impaired person AVOID Argosy products, since the company does not stand behind them. If you, or a friend, relative, neighbor, needs a hearing aid, tell them my story. They can check with my audiologists at
hearing Works, Poughkeepsie, Ny 914-431-8714 to confirm my story. --- Donna Seidat -
October 98 My mother Margaret, 83 years old, who has little hearing lost,
escorted her sister Elaine to a Beltone Office in their hometown. Elaine was
responding to a news article which offered a free screening. Margaret, while
sitting in the waiting room waiting for Elaine to return, was asked if she
wanted a free screening also. The sales representative took Margaret through
the screening and proceeded to persuade her that she had a severe hearing lost
and that she needed two hearing aids at the tune of $2,900. He also persuaded
her to give him a check for $1,300.00 and sign a contract which was "non
refundable."
When Margaret rejoined Elaine she learned that Elaine had no hearing aid and
that she had been advised to go and have her ears clean out by and
audiologist. Margaret begins to suspect that she had been taken for a ride
but was too embarrassed to tell her sister. They proceeded to an audiologist
and had their ears cleaned and at this time Margaret asked the audiologist how
much hearing aids cost. The audiologist told here that they start as low as
$600 and go as high as $3,000 or more. Furthermore, the audiologist told her
that she had little hearing loss. Margaret became very upset but she
continued to keep the fact that she had bought hearing aids.
All this occurred on a Thursday and by Saturday Margaret was distraught enough
to tell me about the contract. On Monday I called Beltone and was told that
Margaret could not get a refund because the aids had been "molded." I
immediately called five other hearing specialist all of whom said that they
refunded customers money and had a 100%, 30 day return policy. With this
information I launched a campaign on the local and national office of Beltone
and was able to get only $502.00 of the $1,300.00 refunded, and the contract
cancelled. To date the local distributor and the office in Chicago have
refused to refund the $798.00. My local BBB says that since Margaret signed
the contract there is nothing BBB can do except take a "letter of experience."
Thanks for letting me share my story. If anyone can be of more assistance
please let me know. themajor@aol.com
HARD OF HEARING? - Learn to see what others say even 
in noisy places. If you are hearing impaired, you can learn lip reading with this fun, self-help, easy-to-use, lip reading program I See What You Say. This four-star rated video with a manual of instruction are easy to follow and enjoyable. Mary Kleeman, the author, is a Speech and Language Pathologist and a foster mother for a profoundly hearing child and worked with the deaf and hard of hearing in public schools. To order send check to Hearing Visions, P.O. Box 16040, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406. Cost is $49 plus $5 s/h plus $3.55 tax in CA. To order by credit card call 1-800-549-1540. Ask for the "I See What You Say" video. Or Click HERE to visit Mary's website at http://www.cccweb.com/hv/
Hearing Aid Use I suffer from a high frequency hearing loss to both ears, cannot tolerate
loud noise without suffering extreme discomfort,find conversing in a crowd
very difficult, have difficulty following conversation in a motor car and
suffer from tinnitus. In a one to one situation I have very little trouble
and I have noted
a quite considerable improvement in my hearing threshold below 2kHz in fact
I beleive it is very nearly normal, by three kHz however the loss is
around55-65dB
and continues to worsen with increasing frequency at 7kHz the loss is around -90
dB. I first purchased hearing aids about two years ago and whilst finding an
immediate improvement with the higher frequency sounds I had trouble with
the sound of my own voice I did not like the sound at all it sounded very
un-natural
my audiologist told me not to worry about it was how my voice really sounded
to other people ( I did not care how my voice sounded to others it was how
my voice sounded to me that mattered) also I had difficulty knowing how loud
I was
speaking because my aids use a great deal of compression so that loud sounds
do not trouble me . I also felt some degree of embarrasment wearing hearing
aids.
I was told by my audiologist that all these problems would
resolve themselve if I would only be patient and as a result I tried, I now
find that
wearing the hearing aids my own voice now sounds perfectly natural and I
have little trouble with speaking at the correct level and have no problem
as far as comfort is concerned I forget that I am wearing them only when I
go to scratch an itch do I remember , my aids are in the canal type, I also
have a pair of
full concha ite aids with "T" coils that are also very good by starky
however they are very visible they are even more comfortable than the ITC
aids and have
a better high frequency response I obtained these so that I could make use of
loop systems when available and recomend them to everyone with trouble hearing
in theatres public meetings etc, they are wonderfull at home for watching t.v
with a loop in the tv room.
To sum it all up I am very happy to wear my hearing aids because they
really do improve my quality of life, they don't help in noisey situations
as much as I would like and I still use the more discreet aids most of the
time for vanity reasons (I am 56 years old) finaly the quality of life of my
family my wife in particular is much improved when I wear my aids, so lets
see a few positive letters printed instead of all the negative ones. from
Victor.
3/19/98 Helpful Advice? -- I am an Audiology student who has been
involved in the hearing aid business for about 10 years. I can honestly
say that I have never met a hearing aid dispenser or Audiologist who
intentionally misled somebody for the purpose of "a sale." Of course I
am not naive either, I know they exist. My best advice, and I'll try to
cover several topics very briefly, is the following... Go with your gut
feeling about a person, if you don't trust them, leave. If the price
seems too steep, shop around. Be prepared to say 'no' when someone
tries to sell you too much. At the same time, listen to their logic,
most often you SHOULD have 2 hearing aids in order to overcome many of
the difficulties of hearing in noisy situations, localizing sound,
comfort, etc. After getting your hearing aids, be sure to take
responsibility for daily cleaning and maintenance, the number one cause
of hearing aid failure is ear wax. There is much more I could put here,
but I fear they'll start editing if I ramble too much. I would love to
answer any questions anybody has, please e-mail me at
Acoustics1@usa.net. Joe Baker, Cincinnati, Ohio.
2/8/98 Hearing Aids --I had a bad experience with a hearing aid dispenser/audiologist etc.
five years ago. I bought one aid for my right ear and I DID hear well
for a while but finally I gave it up and went to a
convention for elderly people and looked at many different companies and
products. I was impressed with a faily new company call HearX I think
they are only on the east coast from
Florida to Conn. I was treated well and I am very pleased with the
hearing aids I now have.
I had problems with whistling and that was rectified completly with new
earmolds that I called "Gummy Bears", because they are a soft sustance
and they fit perfectly. The only problem is an occaisional itch. They
come out easily and got back in again after the scratch.
For me ,two aids are wonderful because I can tell where sound is coming
from. My advice-- "LOOK AROUND AND THEN LOOK SOME MORE." Maury Gamache mauryeg@concentric.net
1/31/98 --Beltone Hearing Aids Ripoff -- I am representing my mother-in-law who had a similar experience in
Titusville, Florida. She is 82 years of age and saw the ad for a free
hearing test. She went to the place of business and discussed her old
hearing aid and immediately the salesperson said she needed 2 hearing aids
and tried to pressure her into buying them. Being an assertive senior
citizen, she only bought one. However, she is totally unsatisfied with the
new one, wishes she had her old one and is in debt for $850.00. She
thinks the equipment is faulty or can be manipulated to look as though a
person needs a hearing aid. She feels she has been ripped off and
furthermore the attitude of the salesperson was not only unpleasant but
agressive and abusive. What can be done about this type of senior abuse.
If anyone wants to contact us, you can email me at leej3@mail.firn.edu. Jean Lee.
Excel Hearing Aid Company -- I am happy to report from my personal experience that not all hearing aid
companies are like this one. I have what is considered moderate hearing loss. I purchased a pair of hearing aids from the Excel Hearing Aid company in Chicago by mail order.
The total cost for both aids was $850. Over a period of a number of months
of working with me they were unable to satisfy me with the model I had
purchased. They then sent me a different model at their expense and made
several modifications until I was completely satisfied. They were an extremely helpful and responsible company and I cannot praise them enough for their help and professionalism.
Bill Mechlenburg mechlen@concentric.net
Problem with Beltone -- My father has been back & forth to Beltone to solve his hearing aid problems. The 1st aid was molded wrong, so they sent it back & got him a new one. I went with him thinking he was not hearing everything, and doing something
wrong. Beltone told him if he bought their aid, he WOULD hear. He couldn't. The man at Beltone told him to get used to it, he waited too long to get one, he has to train his ear, etc. etc. Months later, he is having dizzy spells so I bring him to his ear dr. The audioalagist (sp) takes his aid and plugs a vent in it. He can finally hear after a year or more of misery, but he hears echos, and feels his ear is very plugged. He is a new man however. Smiling & happy after severe depression. But he wants to have his aid feel right & be
able to hear too! His warranty ran out in Feb. on his 2nd beltone, but only because the man there made him feel stupid, and that he was doing something wrong. Any advice? I don't like the man at Beltone, and my father wants to handle it since he can finally hear & hold an argument, after depending on me this past year while he was left in his own unhearing world. Is there hope that he will get his $1200 back, or at least a decent aid without wax
in it?
One strange thing! He had blood tests yesterday to try & diagnose his
dizziness, (which is not menieres, he had that too, years ago & they don't feel that is the cause) and found his understanding of words went from 95 to 56%. But today after not hearing for a few years without an aid he can hear. He took it out to show a friend the plug. The friend started talking to him & he heard him. He then called me all excited & I asked him questions & he answered me! He hasn't been able to talk on the phone with an aid!!!! I am
holding my breath, hoping it lasts! So if anyone has any advice?
Wms30990@aol.com from Duluth, Mn.
Misled by Miracle-Ear -- I ordered 2 Miracle -Ear Sharp Dynamic KM Micro models and paid the full price up front ($3800). They now tell me, after 6 weeks of waiting, that I must wait at least 2 more weeks. I feel I was lied to relative to the promised delivery date and they owe me money back for the loss of interest on the $3800! I also hoped and planned to have these aids for
my upcoing vacation. So, besides the loss of money, I am also a
disappointed customer. Charlie Flugel cflugel@courant.infi.ne
Just read Mr. Kirk's letter re his aunt's experience. This type of
experience in deplorable in any field and particularly in our profession since hearing loss can be so devastating yet ordinarily remediated quite well by a competent Certified Clinical Audiologist with experience in dispensing hearing aids.
Seniors must become smart consumers - check with local physicians (particularly an Otolaryngologist -ENT), the Better Business Bureau, State licensing agencies, friends, neighbors, etc. whenever making a hearing aid decision. Comparison shop too.
Certified Clinical Audiologists (CCC-A after their name)are members of
national associations like the American Speech-Language Hearing
Association, The Academy of Dispensing Audiologists and State or regional associations as well.
Of course none of this means a particular Audiologist (all hearing aid
dispensers are NOT Audiologists by the way) is reputable but these
associations and agencies generally maintain complaint functions to warn of problems prior to purchase and often have mediation services after purchase too.
In Florida, there are all of these sources and stringent laws regarding
required trial periods, refunds, returns, etc. Again, ASK, ASK, ASK
everyone and every source you can think of. Sincerely, Your friends at The HEAR Center Stuart, Fl. ears@gate.net
New Technology? -- I recently saw part of a tv program that was featuring hearing aid research that I believe is taking place somewhere in Texas but cannot locate any further information ie. company name, address, tele. # etc. I am eager to find out more about this particular research as it involves placing a microchip directly on the eardrum and wearing the receiver around your neck.
This technology is supposed to be far superior to anything out there,
including the new (and highly successful) digital hearing aids being marketed by Oticon and Resound this year. Please help me find out more about this, as I would like to inquire if my boyfriend could be a research candidate or would be able to purchase this in the very near future. Thank you. E-mail Debra
Neathery - SewandSew@msn.com
Dear Friends: When you feel that you have a hearing problem, you need to keep in mind several points:
- Your primary care physician, and your Ear Nose and Throat physicians are Doctors. They do not have enough knowledge in regards to the "hearing loss". If there is medical problem(which is not the case in over 80% of situations), they may be helpful.
- The Audiologist is the one who is able to tell you whether your hearing loss is medically treatable, whether you can be helped by a hearing aid, whether you need one or two hearing aids, ...
- If you are in the market to purchase a hearing aids, try to avoid those brands advertised on TV since TV advertisement is very expensive, and someone has to pay for those ads. Guess who that someone is.
- Keep in mind that Audiologists go to school for atleast 6 years (plus one year of fellowship) just to learn about hearing disorders, and their treatments. Therefore, they may be more knowledgeable. However, if you cannot find one in you area, find a dispenser who is updated, uses newer technology ( such as programmable hearing aids, real-ear-measurements,...) .
Finally if you go to a dispenser, and do not get a test in a sound booth, do NOT buy your hearing aid there. Good Luck Sol Marghzar, M.S.,CCCA Los Angeles
My 78 year-old father wears bilateral in-the-ear hearing aids. He seems to
have a lot of problems with these actually stopping up his ear canals and
giving him "sinus-like" head problems, seemingly due to actually the closing
up of his eustation tubes. Have others reported such problems? Solutions?
Thanks. E-mail Susan Farque -- sfarque@aristotle.net
Are 2 Hearing Aids Better Than One? -- My elderly mother has the same loss of hearing in each of her ears, yet the audiologist prescribed a hearing aid for only one ear, saying one would restore as much as two. If we used the same approach with eyeglasses (one prescription lens instead of two), we'd have a lot of people with greatly impaired vision. My mother complains that her hearing is still no good with the one aid becasue she has trouble adjusting to compensate for background noise. I have two questions:
1) Are there some hearing aids, such as Miracle Ear, which are able to moderate background noise? and
2) If she had two hearing aids (instead of one), perhaps they would not have to be adjusted as high and that would help solve the loud background noise that often forces her to turn her aid off?
Any advice you could give would be appreciated. Please send your e-mail Warren Perley - poncgraf@generation.net
It is my understanding that Wal-Mart is "test marketing" Hearing Centers in a few selected locations to determine if it is a viable area for them to undertake. I know one is in Florida...does anyone have personal experience to relate..prices/service/qauality/etc? If you do, e-mail Arturo DeVitalis -- arturo@frontiernet.net
I am a 70 year old with a loss of hearing problem. I went to a 'Miracle Ear' hearing center for testing and eveluation. I received courteous and efficient treatment. I had a hearing test which indicated that my loss
was medium and I needed aids. The molds and the device fitted individually to my needs were an astounding $425.00 each, with a one year warranty against defects in materials an workmanship. I find my hearing aids are a great bargain and recommend Miracle Ear to anyone who has hearing loss. I am in no way connected to the company, other than a satisfied customer. I have a friend who purchased 'Beltone' aids and paid $1,250 each for two. He lost one after several years and Miracle Ear made him a replacement with the same specs and size for $600. think There is a rip off in almost everything involving Seniors, especially the ones alone. -- from Joe Kay.
Hearing Aid Rip-off of a Senior Citizens -- $7,000 taken from a 84-year old for hearing aids. See more information by clicking here Beltone Rip-off.
