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Costco® Hearing Aids: The Pros & Cons

Looking for information on Costco® hearing aids in Raleigh, NC? Now Hear This® is proud to offer fully qualified hearing evaluations and help you determine the best hearing aids and healthcare for your needs. Now Hear This® is pleased to help patients make smart decisions about their hearing health care provider. Because hearing loss has long-term consequences that can lead to rapid cognitive decline, greater risk of falls with broken bones, isolation, depression and other medical issues, hearing the best you can for your whole life is vital to your long term health.

Costco® Hearing Aids for Raleigh, NC Patients

Costco® certainly offers the convenience of being able to purchase hearing aids while shopping for other household goods, like paper towels and laundry detergent. It’s also easy to find a Costco® as they are nationwide.  In addition, if saving money is your only objective, Costco® Hearing Aid Centers offer budget friendly models for their low-end Kirkland® models as well as their recommended “best” model by Phonak, a leading hearing aid manufacturer. In addition, Costco® offers a 60 or 90 day trial period, which gives you ample time to then shop around and see if you have a better customer experience somewhere else.  For example, it will give you time to see if you can find a true Doctor of Audiology who dispenses the latest hearing aid models and uses exclusive technology, like the Accufit® system, that can make your hearing aids work to your best advantage.

It is worth noting that the Costco® recommended best model by Phonak, is NOT Phonak’s latest model with the most modern technology. While some people may not care and do not want to spend more for better hearing, many people will find that the best Costco® hearing aid model does not meet their hearing needs and can end up being a source of frustration.  In addition, because they are so busy seeing the mass of customers that go to CostCo® stores, it may be difficult to get personal service when you want it.

It is important to remember that many physicians and researchers believe quality of care is far more important than the aids themselves. Here are five questions to ask before deciding on your hearing health care provider, so you can be sure the hearing aids work for you.

• Are they “Locked” hearing aids? Costco® Hearing Aid Centers typically “lock” many of their devices so adjustments can only be performed at their locations. A patient who buys a locked hearing aid will have no choice but to go back to their stores, even if they move to a city where the location is not convenient or they are unhappy with the service. 
• A hearing aid dealer or license audiologist? Customers of Costco® Hearing Aid Center are most often served by hearing aid dealers, not licensed Doctors of Audiology. In the state of NC, hearing aid dealers typically only need a high school education and a state license, whereas audiologists have close to a decade of university medical training in all aspects of hearing health diagnostics and treatment. Aside from physicians, audiologists are the only professionals licensed and knowledgeable enough to diagnose both the type and extent of hearing loss while addressing other hearing health concerns. 
• “Use Real Ear Measurement” procedures? Many people have reported that Costco® Hearing Aid Centers in the Raleigh, Cary, Durham areas typically do not use this critically important procedure or tool. This computer-aided device utilizes a tiny microphone to ensure that the output of a hearing aid is accurately tuned to match the exact acoustics of the patient’s ear canals. It is recognized by all of the nation’s leading audiology doctorate programs as being the ONLY way to validate that a hearing aid is meeting each patient’s exact hearing needs. At Now Hear This®, our audiologists use this device each and every time to fine-tune your hearing aids.  This makes a world of difference in your hearing and satisfaction with hearing aids and gives us the ability to guarantee your satisfaction.. 
• Hearing aid evaluations or hearing tests? Costco® Hearing Aid Centers hearing tests in Raleigh and Durham, NC employ dealers, not doctors. This means they do hearing tests and do not conduct the kinds of advanced hearing evaluations needed to properly identify hearing loss that is treatable with hearing aids vs. more severe medical conditions. Hearing “tests” are also not eligible for insurance reimbursement, while insurance does cover hearing evaluations that are conducted by licensed Raleigh audiologists. 
• Pricing and customer service? National hearing aid chains such as Costco® Hearing Aid Centers are simply not set up to provide the personal care and attention that you’ll receive from a Now Hear This® audiologist in Raleigh. While we can appreciate business models that produce very high profits, the fact is that most people want their health care providers to put the patient’s needs ahead of the need to make a sale or high profit. 
• Now Hear This® doesn’t advertise pricing based on a discount from the “manufacturer’s suggested retail price” because it knows many advertisers use this as a gimmick. Now Hear This® is set up so that you can get appointments when you need them, so that you will never feel rushed. In addition, our technology allows us to custom fit your hearing aid, resulting in fewer appointments to make you satisfied. In addition, you will be given fair pricing that is often less than the national chains. Most importantly, at Now Hear This®, we want you to be completely satisfied with your hearing purchase, which is why we offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Lastly, have you seen the parking lot at Costco®? Yikes! We offer front row parking with just a few steps to our comfortable office. 

Find the Right Hearing Aid with Help from Now Hear This®

Wondering if a Costco® hearing aid may be right for you? For honest advice, comprehensive hearing evaluations and a range of hearing solutions, turn to the certified and licensed Raleigh audiologists at Now Hear This®. Our hearing clinic is committed to helping patients find the perfect solution for their lifestyle, budget and unique hearing needs. To discuss your options, schedule an appointment online or call us at (919) 256-2898 to speak with Dawn, our patient care coordinator.