An 18 year Client, about 80 years old, visited our office today, unannounced,and without an appointment, whose primary mission was to purchase hearing aid batteries, because they are priced so cheap.
As is typical, we have had a long term relationship with this User, and he asked to see me because he read an advertisement in the Orange County Register regarding the House Ear Institute, where they were offering to re-program hearing aids, on a no-charge basis, so the User could hear better.
My Client wanted to know whether his existing hearing aids could be re-programmed.
I informed him that his hearing aids were not re-programmable, and they were not Digital.
When Programmable was first introduced in the Hearing Aid Industry, about 15 years ago, they were promoted as "Digitally Programmable" strictly for the purpose of implying that the hearing aids were DIGITAL because Digital was a hot BUSS WORD.
The Computer that altered the Programs of the Hearing Aids were Digital, not the Hearing Aids, but the Suggestion was Deliberate to deceive the Public. It did exactly that. People thought that the Hearing Aids offered were Digital, and they were led to believe so.
The purpose of the deception was to sell new Hearing Aids, anyway they could.
After I examined the existing hearing aids, and discovered they were not Digital and the were not even Digital Programmable Analog, I informed my Client, that there was nothing I could do with his existing hearing aids to improve their performance other than upgrade them and remake them, to a different design, and with a Digital Signal Processing system, to improve his ability to understand the spoken word correctly.
To convert them, and upgrade them, to a Custom Made Design, would result in a product service that would be considered a Repair Service, and as such, would not be refundable, in the event of dissatisfation.
Any type of Repair is non-refundable, anywhere, in any State.
After I tested him, I informed him that his best bet, was to try a pair of Siemens Digital BTE Hearing Aids.
They would provide more power, more options, more benefits, and most importantly, the ability to return them for 100% refund, in the event they didn't perform to his expectations.
Since these Hearing Aids were classified as " Demos" we were able to sell them to him at half our normal retail price.
He paid $895 each, for 2 Siemens BTE Hearing Aids, that we would normally sell for $1495 each, and at that price, they are usually priced 50% below our competition.
The $895 price included new custom made ear molds, and a box of 10 packages of hearing aid batterys for each hearing aid.
The Warranty included a 1 year repair warranty.
The Client discussed our offer with his Wife, and came in hours later, to take advantage of this great offer.
I am very happy that he was able to take advantage of this offer.
Such an opportunity doesn't come along every day.
This Client could not afford to spend any more than he did for what he purchased, and he received a tremendous deal, in that he bought new superior products, top of the line, at a fraction of the cost of what our competitors are offering.
This is the difference in dealing with an independentHearing Aid Office.
No Corporate Structure or Dictates.
We can do whatever we want, to the best interest of the Consumer.
For those of you that need Hearing Aids, all I can suggest is that you seek out those Providers that offer you options and alternatives, to buying Hearing Aids at the full Retail Price.
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