A question that we often get asked about hearing aids is whether it’s worth it to go to Costco for them. It makes sense; Costco’s branded hearing aids are cheap and quick, and if you don’t like them, you can return them within six months for a refund.
However, as we tell all our patients, big box retailers aren’t providing as detailed a service as a professional team of audiologists. How do we know? Let’s call it insider knowledge: I worked for Costco’s hearing aid clinic before joining the team here at AVI New England.
With intel on what’s happening on both sides of the playing field, here are some pros and cons about the hearing aid services at big box stores.
Busy Means Business (Not Treatment)
One thing about Costco is that it’s always busy. People come in and out for groceries, food, and hearing aid fittings constantly throughout the workday, so it’s a constant churn of test, fit, test, fit, test, fit.
On average, I was doing four tests and four fittings a day, if not more. While the Costco method is streamlined and the testing is surprisingly thorough, there’s no attention to detail like there is with a professional audiologist.
For example, if a patient came to me here with hearing loss and tinnitus struggles, I’d be able to screen for both the hearing loss and the tinnitus symptoms. At Costco, I’d only be able to do one and then offer a hearing aid to help with both instead of specialized tinnitus therapies or treatment.
The testing is fast, but there’s no chance to get to know the patient as a person or offer personalized treatment for their specific hearing loss past the hearing aid itself.
High Risk, High Return Rates
Costco’s policy states that if you’re not satisfied with your hearing aids within six months, you can return them for a full refund. That often draws people in who aren’t sure if hearing aids are the right choice for alleviating their hearing challenges.
With just two brands of hearing aids in their arsenal (versus the wide variety of makes and models that we carry here), Costco focuses on the end result: stronger hearing. Which, quite often, patients get… for a while.
Costco is noisy. Checkout lanes whirring, scanners beeping, shoppers talking, intercoms crackling… imagine testing your new hearing aids out while wandering the aisles, looking at bulk-buy popcorn and chicken nuggets! It’s distracting and overstimulating.
The return rates for Costco hearing aids are exceedingly high because there’s no time to fine-tune the hearing aids for each person’s specific needs. You get a hearing aid but significantly less hearing care – which makes a significant difference.
Hearing Aids Versus Hearing Health
The main point of contention between Costco and a team of audiologists is the difference between selling hearing aids and offering comprehensive hearing care.
At Costco, the more time you spent with the patient, the more money they were losing from not pushing them along to serve someone else; to further streamline the process, their front desk service got removed, so now patients need to book online without speaking to anyone until they get into the store itself.
However, with a dedicated audiology clinic, you’re greeted at the door by our friendly receptionist, who will check you in for your appointment and make sure you’re comfortable before you’re seen by one audiologist that wants to help you, not help sell you a product.
Hearing aids can be integral to addressing your hearing loss challenges, but great technology is just one piece of the puzzle – it’s the care and guidance from a team of passionate audiologists that make your investment worth every penny.
If you’re curious about hearing care or would like to speak to a member of our team about hearing aids, please feel free to request a callback, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can to help.
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