What do Costco, MiracleEar, and Beltone Have In Common? They All Sell LOCKED Hearing Aids 😡
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- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2018
- What do Costco Hearing Aids, Miracle Ear Hearing Aids, Beltone Hearing Aids, Aveda Hearing Aids, Audibel Hearing Aids, NuEar Hearing Aids, and AGX Hearing Aids all have in common? They all sell LOCKED Hearing Aids!😡
In this video, Dr. Cliff Olson, audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Arizona tells you about the most important question you need to ask before buying hearing aids....Are your Hearing Aids Locked?
Website: www.DrCliffAuD.com
Clinic Website: www.AppliedHearingAZ.com
Ultimately, there is one question that is arguably the most important question you need to ask your Hearing Aid Provider…Are your Hearing Aids Locked?
What do I mean by Locked?
Basically, locked hearing aids are hearing aids that cannot be programmed by anyone except for the dealer company you bought them from or their affiliates.
This is how it works.
1. Hearing Aid Dealer Companies will “Private Label” name brand hearing aids
2. Basically re-naming name brand hearing aids
3. They then sell these hearing aids using the new name
4. No big deal right? It’s still a very good hearing aid
5. In this process, they also re-program the computer chip in the hearing aid to only work with that clinic’s computer software
6. Which means, if you try to take those “Private Labeled” hearing aids into another clinic who is not affiliated….
7. You’re out of luck
Why is this a big deal?
1. If you move or that clinic goes out of business,
2. You are limited on where you can go for service
3. If you are lucky enough to find a clinic that works with the locked Has
a. You need to hope that the provider is a good one
4. If you have a hearing aid that isn’t locked, you have many more clinic options and can focus on finding an excellent provider.
5. One other thing to note is that
When you try to research info and pricing online, you get very limited info. This prevents you from doing due diligence on the hearing aids that are being recommended to you.
Dealing with locked hearing aids is a weekly problem in my clinic. Being in Arizona, people are constantly retiring and moving or snow-birding it out here. New patients come in all the time with private label hearing aids from manufacturers that I work with, but because they are locked I can’t work with them.
Some of their hearing aids are under a year old.
The hearing aid companies will not give independent clinics the software to work with these hearing aids or unlock them in most cases.
You’ve got to watch out for these Private labeled hearing aids. Some of the more common hearing aids that are locked are ones purchased from Costco, Miracle Ear, Beltone, NUEar, Aveda, and AudiBel. But you also need to look out for Audigy practices that sell AGX private label hearing aids.
So what should you do if they say that their hearing aids are locked?
1. Ask them if they can sell you an unlocked version of the hearing aid (make sure you ask what major brand it is)
2. Go somewhere that does sell name brand aids that aren’t locked
3. Purchase the locked hearing aids knowing the risk involved.
Real Ear Measures Video: • The Most Important HEA...
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Are your hearing aids LOCKED?😡 Let me know in the comments!
Doctor Cliff, AuD how come hearing aid designs specifically for the behind the ear
Model hasn’t changed in 35 years I’ve been alive? Why hasn’t anyone tried reinventing them or creating them differently? I understand hearing aids are coming with more options but from a design perspective they look as bad as they did 30 years ago.
@@JPBimmer show me a photo of a hearing aid from 30 years ago and I will show you an image of a radically different hearing aid design from today.
❤
Don't know
Beltone hearing aids are locked but you can get free service in over 1500 places for as long as you own them. Unlocked brands you must go back to where you buy them or pay someone else to service them every time you go. Since most people go 2-4 times a year it could really add up if you move, travel or the local place goes out of business. I do not believe any unlocked brand has free lifetime service no matter where you go. The bottom line is if you are going back for free service instead of paying you do not need them unlocked.
Your logic may work for you, but it does not work for everyone.
I was a hearing aid dispenser for Beltone from 2002 thru 2008. There were literally hundreds of Beltone clinics around the USA where the consumer could get their aids adjusted.
And I literally have patients who disliked the providers at beltone so much that they elected to buy new unlocked hearing aids instead of taking their locked devices back to Beltone. But hey, at least Beltone got the first sale!
@@DrCliffAuD I visited a local Beltone hearing center, and I would agree with the customers who purchased the new unlocked hearing aids from you. The people there were pretty awful.
I truly appreciate all the great info from your videos and completely understand your choosing to discontinue being a Tru Hearing Aid Provider due to cost. Great for patient recipients, not so much for doctors providing care. That aside and realizing how a proper fitted and adjusted will ultimately work better than even an expensive brand, did you feel that Tru Hearing Aids provided the patients you saw with good service or did you find the technology lacking? I believe the aids are fully covered by my mom's insurance but couldn't find on the provider website whether they offer Real Ear Measurement or Verification and I know that's a must. I also want to be sure her follow ups are included for adjustments so I will make sure those questions are answered before we even go for consult. She had a hearing test with an audiologist and we were given a list of providers they recommend but Scan specifically contracts with Tru Hearing so just curious what you thought of that brand. Thanks so much
Thank you again Dr Cliff Olson
If you had purchased your hearing aids from a large company they have 100s of offices you can take your hearing aids to for service. It’s part of the agreement between the major hearing aid company. Anywhere in the USA.
All you need to do is make sure you purchase a name brand hearing aid. You will have your pick of THOUSANDS of hearing care providers across the world that will be able to work with them.
I didn’t know this. Good info.
Yikes! Thanks for this. I just went through this with my cel phone. I didn't think of it happening with hearing aids too. I definitely don't want to buy locked aids!
Beltone's hearing aids and software are not locked. However, Beltone only sells its hearing aids to Beltone branded clinics. There are over 1000 Beltone locations all over North America. The great thing about Beltone is patients can even get complimentary hearing care internationally. In Canada, Beltone hearing aid dispensers have seen patients from the US, Turkey, India and other countries. This is not a service that patients with other hearing aid brands could get and would most likely need to pay for service.
Beltone does not sell hearing aids to Beltone clinics. ReSound rebrands ReSound hearing aids to sell to Beltone clinics. Since Beltone hearing aids are rebranded ReSound hearing aids, and cannot be programmed using ReSound software, they are considered locked. While there are a lot of Beltone's, there are MANY more clinics that offer ReSound hearing aids. If Beltone actually had the best interest of their patients in mind, they would have their programming software unlocked so any ReSound provider could program their rebranded ReSound hearing aids when a patient is in need. All companies that dispense locked hearing aids try to justify the reason why it is better for their patients, and none of the reasons make sense if you look at it from the perspective of an individual with hearing loss.
@@DrCliffAuD Respectfully Dr Cliff, I'm trying to clear misconceptions here. I'm an account manager at Beltone so I understand how our business model works. We do sell our hearing aids to privately owned Beltone hearing clinics. We are owned by GN and ReSound is our sister company. Our technology is created by GN not ReSound. In terms of business model, one thing we can guarantee is that all Beltone clinic owners and staff are exceptionally trained because they mainly deal with Beltone products. It can be quite overwhelming to understand how 10 different manufacturers software and products work. From my experience owning my own practice and working in clinic for 8 years, the whole purpose of our job is to build a trusting and lasting relationship with our patients and improve their quality of life. I'm sure once you've dispensed hearing aids to a patient, you are expecting that patient to return to you for all their hearing care needs, and thats what a clincian at Beltone expects. When I left clinic I was at the point where some patients were buying their third set of hearing aids from us, simply because we built that trust with the patient. If a patient with Beltone hearing aids does move, we have locations all over North America, they can go anywhere. We even have Beltone clinics in small towns as well. Also, as mentioned before, pateints can get service anywhere in the world where theres a Beltone clinic, this is not possible with other manufacturers. This type of business model is not unique to the hearing industry and although you may think there are downfalls, it actually has many benefits.
I have checked the hearing specialist provider link and find the closest provider is about 350 miles from me. What are my best options for finding someone that follows your best practices locally. I live in Amarillo, Tx.
I've been watching your videos and they're very helpful. Thanks! Now I do have a question. Based on this information, I did ask the technician at our Costco about locked hearing aids. He acknowledged that Costco does sell locked hearing aids, but told me they are locked by the manufacturer, not Costco. Is his information incorrect? Is this because the manufacturer is disabling some of the functionality of those hearing aids that they sell to Costco at the heavily discounted prices?
Costco Kirkland Brand hearing aids were locked when ReSound was the manufacturer. That has changed since the switch to Sivantos. ReSound locked them, but Costco allowed it.
What about EARGOS? Are they locked? Thinking about purchasing those. My audiologist showed my PHONAK and OTICON, but I would prefer an in the ear type so they won't be noticeable, and I would like rechargeable as well. In my research, the only company I have found that makes "hidden" hearing aides which are rechargeable, is EARGO...Thoughts on these?
hey great channel love it !!! is phonak audeo B~R 50. lockable ? I have just ordered a used pairs from ebay that was brought from a clinic and has warranty utlill 2019 .
Hi DJ. No the Phonak Audeo is not a locked hearing aid. However, when you buy hearing aids online it voids the warranty. Sorry.😟
Applied Hearing Solutions yes I know . thank so much
. in dhe future the only way for free warranty is to arange and send it through the person I initially bought it because the warranty is on his name . you are doing great job and I have learned a lot from you thanks god !!! I am from greece and we do not have some kind of official degree for audiologist here just a private association . the hearing aids sellers are just taking updates from mamifacture big brands companies an private courses and most of greek audiologists are horrible and dishonest and apply only marketing practices for high prices thats why you inspired me and I took action and when hearing aids from USA arrives here in greece I will also order the phonak software and also "
Digital Universal USB Hearing Aids Programmer Machine Fit All Hearing Aids " and I will try to learn configure my poor dads hearing aids . at least I hope so ...😂 you are really understading the sycologic big issues that hearing patient have and that's why I think you are speciall and your client will create strong bonds and love you like family ❤
How would you know it unlocked
If you go to another clinic that did not sell you the hearing aids, do they typically adjust/reprogram you for free?
No. Nor should they. When you buy hearing aids initially, the service and follow-up care are typically built into the cost of the devices. You shouldn't expect a different clinic to program/adjust/service the aids for free.
Then I suppose a large retailer with a history of good customer service might be a good idea for some, locked or not.
Thank you for replying.
PS: I enjoy your videos, Dr.Cliff.
Yes, that is correct. Just be careful with locked hearing aids. I see patients weekly who come from reputable companies who had a provider retire and the replacement was less qualified.
Good advice, thank you.
My Mom just get Hearing Aids at miracle ear. How do i know they gave her the Upgraded one over basic. She paid for the 2nd one up from basic and they of course started at 6500 each but after discounts 4000 each. I feel they could give us the basics and we wouldn't know the difference. I trust no one anymore.
Like your shows, what is your views on signia styletto
Hi Jim, I have two videos this product, the Styletto and Styletto Connect.
Doctor Cliff,
There are no Audiologist in my area that are in your Network. Is there anyone you can recommend in the Dayton/Xenia Ohio area? I'm looking for someone as close to you as possible. This hearing aid is for my wife, I just want to be sure she gets the help she needs.
We found a doctor locally, but she didn't have anything good to say about real ear measurement, she said "A hearing aid fitting is mostly a form of art" or something very close to that. Her response din't inspire much confidence at all.
Thanks for your help,
Michael
Miracle Ear is great as far as service goes, after you buy you get free service for the life of the hearing aid and also they have over 1300 locations in the U.S and you could pop into any of them. So locked hearing aids to me arn't a issue. Plus the brand has been around forever.
Like I say. Locked hearing aids aren't an issue until they are an issue. I get patients every week who's clinic has closed or their favorite provider has left.
Did not know about this. I found out later mine are locked. AUDIBLE
Audibel? Yep, locked! Unless the dealer unlocks them for you.
I bought my hearing aids from Costco.... bad idea. They seem to change audiologists weekly and none of them seem to have much knowledge or experience in the field. They are fine for the simple tube changes or mould replacements but for fine tuning and suggesting aids for your hearing loss, they are horrible. I have a profound hearing loss and they sold me a set of Resound Linx which on paper look perfect but they generate a ton of feedback. Even with all the feedback reduction features and all that they still can’t seem to tune them well enough to even match my 10 year old Phonacs.
As a hearing care specialist myself (not for Costco), let me remind you that there IS such a thing as waiting too long to get your hearing corrected. I'm not saying that there isn't a solution for your feedback, but the more profound the hearing loss, the more feedback becomes a problem. In fact, many people who have profound hearing loss have constant feedback of some form, whether they can hear it or not. While I try my best to reduce feedback, we are talking about tiny instruments with the microphone and "speaker" very close to one another. The louder the speaker, the more chance that the mic picks up that sound and produces feedback.
A warning to everyone: take care of your hearing before you have profound loss. Those who have profound loss should have gotten help 10-20 years ago.
Again, I know nothing about you, your loss, or how long you waited, but it's a safe assumption that you waited far too long to get help. We can do our best to help you with what you have, but the goal for others is to not wait that long in the first place.
Where do you find unlocked hearing aids? Name of the company?
Me again, I can't come to AZ
Almost every private audiology practice has unlocked hearing aids. Avoid: AGX, Miracle Ear, Beltone, Zounds, & NuEar.
How common is this practice of locking hearing aids?
Pretty common. Almost every nationally recognized chain will offer locked hearing aids.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this. I would never have even thought to ask this question.
Question number 4: Do you perform "subjective outcome measures?" I've heard you talk about "real ear measurements" but i'm not familiar with this term. It sounds similar though.
I'm referring to subjective questionnaires like the COSI, APHAB, IOI-HA, etc. This ensures that the objective measures in office are translating to real world settings.
Of course they are locked! There is no general software out there for good devices 🤦♂️
Wow! Hearing aids are medical devices and locking medical devices should be illegal - period. Thanks for doing a video on this, I didn't know.
I have hearing aids and do not like them, terribly disappointed in them. I have to bring them back to the doctor's office to see if the tech can fix them right then and there. Otherwise, the hearing aids will be sent back to the company. Then, I will be without them for as much as a week.
Miracle ear locked mine as did an independent audiologist I went to. At least now I know to ask. If they only offer locked, I walk.
Miracle ear has the best hearing aids, plus they have stores all over the country. These HA should be locked, you don’t want some clown jacking up your power
@@wzrp3661 at 6 to 10 thousand dollars they should be.
So how much are your hearing aides ???
Why are some hearing aids 2-3 thousand dollars and others 6-10 thousand, how can they possibly be that much better?
That is typically more of a quantity and quality of service difference. Technology might be better as well.
Are the kirkland signature series 9.0 locked?
No they are not.
I have been a Beltone user for 15 years and have nothing but positive words to say about it. Do your research and read actual reviews of users, not biased providers.
Oticon Pro, Locked?
Oticon devices that are labeled Oticon should not be locked.
I understand that COSTCO Hearing Aids are NOT locked--according to Christian Anthis (Costco Hearing Aid USA). He says and I quote: "None of the hearing aids we dispense are locked. The KS 9.0 can be re-programmed by any provider outside of Costco that has the Phonak hearing aid fitting software. The dispenser/clinician simply must connect the KS 9.0 hearing aids and they will show up in the Phonak fitting software. The KS 10.0 is the same, it also uses the Phonak software"
Correct, since the Kirkland 6.0 hearing aids, no Costco devices have been locked.
Actually, Beltone's software is Proprietary. Not LOCKED. What LOCKED means is when you have Costco, Miracle Ear etc you are buying hearing aids that have the premium features locked. Like premium feed back mangers, or Directionality features, things likes that. NOT the ability to get in and make changes to the prescription. All you need to do that is have their software. Beltone is the manufacturer and the only place you can buy BELTONE hearing aids are at your local Beltone Office. Unlike manufactures such as Starkey (Miracle Ear), Oticon (Avada), Resound (Costco/Kirkland Signature) etc who sell their tech to anyone who opens an office or simply buys their software. Beltone sales directly to our patient. We make sure only qualified people can make changes that will impact the lives of our patients. If someone came in my office with a starkey for example i could adjust it because i have Starkey softwear. Even though I am not trained on Starkey software. The average person would completely mess their hearing aids up anyway if they could get in and make adjustments themselves. So LOCKED in the posters sense isn't a bad thing.
So to recap. Beltones are proprietary, not LOCKED. We do have a few partners that we work with and that have our software. But in the very best interests of our patients and our Good Name, we don't let just anyone mess with our tech.
Oh and as far as those questions. Sure you can ask if they have speech in noise tests and tympanometry and Real Ear. But do you know what that stuff even means? What its used for? How it effects the fit of your hearing aids? Probably not. So the answer is more than likely just going to confuse you or bring up more questions. Like "What does all that mean? There is already going to be a LOT of actual useful information that will be thrown at you during your appointment that is much more important to you than everything we do to get there. My best advice is to find someone you trust. Important questions, Cleanings/ after care, do they charge for it. Your Hearing aids WILL need to be cleaned. Yes you can do some at home but your Hearing aid office has tools that you don't. If you want to keep them working their best, I recommend going in every 90 days. Warranty is very important. See if they have a lost or damaged warranty. That is as good as gold if you just lost your $3000 hearing aid. If it sounds like they are looking to sell you and let you go on your way, go somewhere else. If hearing aids are apart of your life, your hearing aid professional should be too.
MOST IMPORTANTLY! If you get tested and don't like or trust the person testing you. GO SOMEWHERE ESLE. DON'T WAIT! Overwhelmingly when that happens people will wait on average 7 years before doing something about their communication issues. Please don't wait!
GOOD LUCK!
Jamie Weems no hearing aid fitting is a prescription. It is a fitting and dispensing only.
Jamie Weems Same difference. Locked means only beltone can program those aids.
I was just tested by Beltone and was very impressed with what I learned and heard!🇺🇸🐻
have you heard of a place called fixyourears.com ?????
Yes. Similar concept to BuyHear.com
Doctor Cliff is not telling the whole story and certainly not accurately. He neglects to mention that different vendors offer different levels of technology and capacities. He offers an unrealistic and over simplified view of hearing aid programming & technology. Different levels of hearing loss require different levels of technology and capacity to cover a loss effectively. Considerable research & efforts are put into the technology used to create a functional, pleasant experience for the user. He has an oversimplified approach. Get the whole story, do not take his word for it here. He is misleading
David, I have OVER 550 videos talking about everything from different hearing aids and tech levels, to different features, and how they can be programmed. You need to watch more than one of my videos to get a full understanding of hearing aids. If I covered every aspect of hearing aids in a single video it would need to be ~50 hours long.
This guy doesn't know what hes talking about. He's just trying to sell his youtube page. Don't do it!
you are exactly correct.. he is selling you terms and telling you information that does not matter. hearing aids are not locked.. you buy a certain brand of hearing aid from a company that has the programming to access those aids.. why would you want anyone else programming the aids? this guy is an idiot. if i buy a BMW and take it to the kia dealer for a computer issue. they more than likely will not have the software to properly access my bmw ECU.
I kinda don't agree at all. Granted, "locked" is much more complex of an issue that it appears. But, there are some aspects that if I hadn't signed and understood the restrictions that were onerous, I'm pretty sure that I could easily convince my provider to unlock, or a local judge. Tyler R that also commented about using BMW's as a model is only somewhat similar. To properly understand all the issues, you've got to show what specifically is locked or not. BMW's NEVER have access to the programming locked or prevented. With any third party software, full access is available to any BMW's firmware.
Level 1 -- ACCESS -- > Hardware access should be unlimited. If you can modify the software, if there's no legal agreement to prevent it, you should have access. We had a Keurig in our office that would only work if Keurig made the pods... BUT, you can tape a yellow dot to a sensor, and then ALL pods work. That is legal, since I didn't agree to only use Keurig by any contract. Your PC should be locked or lockable. Neither should your hearing aids require a password to access the settings. If you have the ability and software, you or ANY provider should have ACCESS. Cell phones are somewhat similar. Buy a phone from T-Mobile, and it comes locked. But, if you paid full retail, you can demand it to be unlocked.