Why To Buy Hearing Aids From a Local Audiologist

If you’ve ever wondered why not purchase hearing aids at a big box store to save money, here are the reasons that your local audiologist offers better benefits than big retail.

When it comes acquiring hearing aids, it’s important to take your time and do your research to find the best device to satisfy your hearing needs. After all, a hearing aid is a complex and advanced medical device, not a temporary accessory to be picked up alongside your groceries.

Additionally, having an acute understanding of hearing aid technologies and how they correlate to your very specific and unique level of hearing loss without the assistance of a hearing specialist is near impossible.

Most individuals are tempted to turn to big box stores in search of a bargain. We can’t blame people for being bargain shoppers (we’re right there with you!) but price should not be the single deciding factor when selecting a hearing aid. We’ve all heard the old adage “You get what you pay for.”

At best, getting your hearing device from a big box store means you’re missing out on valuable services such as hearing aid programming, custom fit devices, regular maintenance, and other aftercare benefits. These services are essential to ensuring your hearing aid is properly treating your individual hearing loss. At worst, you waste your money and time on a hearing aid that will not suitably address your hearing loss or could possibly damage your hearing even further.

Purchasing a Hearing Aid from a Local Provider

A qualified hearing health provider is someone who has been professionally trained in the science of hearing health and is equipped with an understanding of hearing related disorders. Hearing Instrument Specialists are able to diagnose, evaluate, and treat an individual’s hearing loss with incredible success and accuracy. It is difficult to believe anyone would leave their hearing health up to the for-profit approach of a big box store.

With personalized care and attention, a local hearing healthcare provider offers:

  1. Compassion Over Profits – Hearing health professionals offer their services and treatment of hearing loss for the sole goal of improving their patient’s health and wellbeing. Their livelihood and professional reputation lie in their ability to change lives for the better. The reality of big box and retail stores is that they are — without question — profit-driven. They’re able to purchase hearing devices at bulk prices and equipped with the standard basic technologies so they may sell as many devices as quickly as possible.
  2. Personally Selected Technology – Hearing loss is a complicated issue that cannot be fixed with a one-size-fits-all approach, many areas of your life are affected by hearing loss and getting the most out of your hearing device can be life-changing. Quality personalized care makes all the difference. A local hearing health provider is instrumental in helping you understand the pros and cons of each hearing aid style, technology, feature, and accessory. This knowledge will allow you to choose the hearing aid style and level of technology that is right for you.
  3. Personalized Hearing Health Care – When you utilize the services of a local hearing provider, you’ll receive personally tailored services long after you take your hearing aid home. Not only will a local hearing provider make certain you have selected the correct device for your level of hearing loss but they will also custom fit, program, and teach you how to fully utilize your new device. On top of all that, they can provide cleaning and maintenance services, performance updates, and conduct annual hearing tests to help you record and monitor your hearing loss.

Purchasing a Hearing Aid from a Big Box Store

  1. Limited Style & Brands – Big box stores often carry narrow selections of hearing aid styles that are actually limited versions of comparable models designed specifically for bulk sales with a one size fits all approach. They will also often only offer a limited selection of brands to choose from, or worse, their are “locked,” or proprietary, which means you can only take your hearing aids to that specific chain for service. No other private audiologist or provider can work on them.
  2. Yesterday's Hearing Aids Today – The top technology levels they often offer are slightly older technologies compared to what’s on the private market, and sometimes their higher-level products are more comparable to mid-level technologies available through your local audiologist.
  3. Lack of Post-Purchase Services – Many large retail stores do not offer any services past the point of sale. This means if your hearing aid ever requires unique maintenance, adjustment, or cleaning (and they certainly will) you will be forced to pay for these extra services out of pocket. Even worse, if a retailer does not have a hearing health care specialist on staff, you will have to ship your hearing aids to the manufacturer for maintenance. This could leave you without your hearing devices for possibly weeks and without a loner device while you wait.
  4. No Whole Hearing Health Care – They do not perform wax removal or provide other important full-service audiology care, such as tinnitus or assessment for dizziness and balance disorders.

The bottom line is; when you buy your hearing aids from a big box store, you really don’t know what you’re getting. A quality device? A fair price? Professional care? Probably not. But buying your hearing aids through a local hearing health care provider gives you peace of mind and professional compassionate care.

You can be certain you are getting it all; focused hearing health care, reputable hearing devices, and the services you’ll need to support your hearing for the long term.

Start your journey towards better hearing health with the help of highly trained professionals who actually care about your hearing! We promise high-quality hearing aids paired with high-quality service, take charge of your hearing health today by scheduling a comprehensive hearing test with us. 

Contact us today to make your appointment!

- Compiled from various sources
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