Three cheers for Costco hearing aids!

Parent Cafe
1

Two years ago at the age of 69, I went back to school for an MSW degree. Much to my alarm, I could hardly hear my fellow students in class. A friend had recommended Costco hearing aids, so in the midst of being totally overwhelmed with studying and fieldwork, I took the subway to the nearest Costco and got their Kirkland hearing aids for $1699.99/pair. They were very effective, although I didn’t wear them at home alone or on the street unless I was walking and talking with someone or in public transportation. They served me very well in school, in social settings, and especially in fieldwork.

Yesterday after a lunch date, I took them out before going down into the subway and somehow I lost them. When I got home, I emptied my pockets, purse and tote bags–no hearing aids. So sadly, I called the Costco closest to where I live and work. The very kind representative who took my call looked up my account and told me that my lost hearing aids are covered for 24 months by a warranty that covers loss or damage. There were TWO DAYS left on my warranty! So next Monday I pick up my new hearing aids. I realize how lucky I am!

2

How excellent!! Also good to hear (no pun intended!) that Costco has a good product. Although now I’m just realizing they were $1700! Yikes - I read it as $170 at first - lol! Does insurance sometimes pay for a portion?

3

@abasket, that is an excellent price for hearing aids. And insurance very rarely covers them.

4

good job going back to school! how’s that going?

5

@bgbg4us, I graduated in May and started working last month after my license came through. I work 30 hours/week at a mental health clinic and I love it!

6

Yes, yes on Costco hearing aids! I got one for my mom, as dealing with one ear is even too much for her technically. But she was so happy to be able to hear, and I was thrilled with the tech who tested and fitted her. Now her friggin rehab place has lost it, and we will get another due to that wonderful warranty. Hopefully the rehab place will reimburse and we can save the money for another hearing aid.

As Costco members we are all entitled to a free hearing assessment, which I am considering before long.

7

My husband has hearing aids. Since he is still working, the audiologist that he was working with told him that were grants available from the bureau of rehabilitative services. He applied and got assistance.

Something to ask about if your hearing is bad and you are still working.

8

H loves his. Bc/bs covered $2000 every 3 yrs. He got the most expensive and small Swiss ones which were $2300. They are over 2 hrs away but worth the drive. He got two other people to go.

9

The average price for a pair of non-Costco fitted hearing aids is ~$4500. There is a wide range from ~$2k to ~$8k depending on features. More often than not, insurance offers no/little coverage.

For example, several years ago I was quoted $2300 for a basic single hearing aid from an independent audiologist, ~$1500 for a similar hear aid from a chain (Sonus), and ~$900 for a similar hearing aid from Costco. Hearing aids have a huge typical markup. Consumer reports found an average of 120% markup, so Costco wholesale prices can be far lower than other options.

Costco has other perks as well, such as free cleaning and filter replacement while shopping, including on Saturdays. Some other options charge close to $100 for this service when outside of x years of purchase. They have a great warranty plan as well, as discussed.

Costco hearing aids have downsides as well. The person who last adjusted filters/equalizers for my hearing aid appeared to be a regular employee, rather than an audiologist. I felt that I could have done a better job than she did. However, they have other employees who are quite knowledgeable and skilled. The audiologist quality is far less predictable than going to the same audiologist each time at a non-Costco sources.

Like many medical products, Costco has great deals on the Kirkland signature brand. Their current Kirkland Signature 9.0 is $1500 for a pair, which includes several advanced tech options that go beyond basic hearing aids, such as directional focus and bluetooth connection. However, it’s the only Costco hearing aid that has such a steep discount. I personally don’t like the over the ear style, so I’d choose a different model. Under their new pricing, the $900x2 option for non-Kirkland I mentioned earlier is no longer offered (at least locally for me). Instead they start at ~$2500 a pair for non-Kirkland, and have far more limited selection for other models than you’d find at a non-Costco option.

In short, it’s nice to have the option for an inexpensive hearing aid at Costco, but it’s not the best option for everyone.

10

I LOVE Costco’s hearing aids. I’ve been wearing them for at least 10 years, my current set is Phonak. The best thing about them is the 90 day money-back guarantee. If your hearing isn’t greatly improved, you can take them back. Other companies don’t offer that or only give partial refunds. The only down side is, as Data10 mentioned, not all employees are equally versed. My local Costco couldn’t solve one of my problems, so I ended up driving 2 hours to another store, where the audiologist had great online reviews. He was able to solve my problem.

11

My 89 year old mother got hearing aids about 5 years go. I had suggested we go to Costco since I’d heard good things about them. She was skeptical of the quality and insisted on some very expensive brand that cost close to $6000. She hated them and rarely wore them. She later moved to a retirement community and several friends suggested the Costco hearing aids. I took her there over the summer and she now has new hearing aids that only cost $2500. They’re great. She loves them. I was very impressed by their guarantees and service. The audiologist was great.

12

My folks and H have hearing aids from Costco. Insurance covers a new hearing aid every 5 years. Costco is great in giving you a free new pair (H and my folks gave all lost their originals). So far, no major complaints about the hearing aids.

13

I’ve read multiple hearing aid reviews, as I’m due for a new pair. General opinion is that Costco provides great savings. Downside is that only Costco can do the adjustments ( and the adjusters are not all equally talented). Models tend to be last year’s product rather than having the newest tech upgrades.

14

Actually, when H bought his hearing aids, we specifically asked for the model that can be adjusted by non-costco audiologists and bought that. So far so good.

15

Excellent,

16

H’s are Phonak Brío. So far, we’ve been fine with the Costco folks making the adjustments, but they can be adjusted by non-Costco folks.

17

Yes, hearing aids can be very expensive, and every place I know of that sells them offers a free hearing evaluation. That’s how they get people in the door.

I oversee the finances for an elderly relative and he constantly gets calls and mail offering free hearing evaluations, but he already gets free hearing aids from the VA. I looked them up and they are top quality retailing for about $3K each. They are over the ear, but very simple to use and he suffers from some dementia, so the simpler the better.

One day I received a fraud alert email for an $8K charge at Miracle Ear on one of his credit cards. Apparently, they called and convinced him to come in for a free evaluation, told him the VA hearing aids were garbage, and convinced him to buy theirs. By the time I was able to reach him by phone, Miracle Ear had already called him to tell him the charge had been declined and he had just gotten home from driving back over to give them a check.

I wanted to stop payment, but he got upset and said he wanted these. It’s his money, so I backed off, but if I hadn’t just deposited about $10K in their account to cover an upcoming property tax payment and another annual insurance bill, that check would have bounced because I normally don’t keep that much money I their checking acct.

Fast forward a few weeks and I found out he’d stuck them in a drawer because he couldn’t figure out how they worked and was still wearing the VA aids. These were in-ear, had to be recharged in a case, and way too complicated for him.

I did some research and found that there is a law on the books to protect the elderly from these hearing aid companies preying on them. It allowed a full refund if requested within 30 days, so I booked a flight and walked in on the 29th day asking for a refund. The guy I spoke to got a little hostile and said it was too late. I calmly handed him a copy of the section code I’d printed out and said it wasn’t too late according to state law, which I said I was sure he was well aware of already because they deal with a lot of elderly people in their business. :smile:

He looked flustered, left the room to “make some calls,” and came back about 20 minutes later saying he’d have a full refund check mailed out within 10 days. I made him put it in writing and we left.

So if anyone runs into a similar situation, check your state laws to see if there are any laws allowing refunds if you’re not happy or feel you were ripped off, and don’t fall for the “free hearing evaluation” trick.

18

My friend who recommended Costco hearing aids to me is not a Costco member. Apparently anyone can walk into the hearing aid department and receive services.

19

I was so bummed at our entire Costco experience. H very much needs hearing aids. I finally, after years, talked him into trying some. Based on numerous cc threads, we go to Costco. Said we had to have a membership to buy hearing aids. Get talked into the $120 membership.

Take the hearing test. D is severely deaf in one ear and I’ve been to many tests. Thought Costco’s was thorough. The lady tells H he doesn’t have hearing loss, and they can’t help him. ??? Costco is 1.5 hours away. Went back once the past year.

They nicely refunded the extra $60 for the higher membership level. He has even more hearing loss than a year ago. Very frustrating

20

The quality of staff can vary considerably. The staff that have helped my family members appears pretty good and it sounds like @sryrstress you guys had a dud.