That’s why our return policy is so important. The FDA has disappointed consumer advocates and has not required states, manufacturers and retailers to set their own. However, the agency has requested that the return policy be clearly specified on the packaging, as it can take weeks for the user’s brain to adjust to the amplified sound, so the consumer should expect at least her 30-day return policy. You should look for a return policy.
How audiologists will adapt remains to be seen. For many, selling hearing aids is their primary source of income. How easily would they change their practices to primarily offer testing, education, counseling, and support while customers were buying devices in-store?
While some users are comfortable adjusting their new aids on their own using online tools, others want guidance in choosing, adjusting, and learning from their devices. You may need help when you have a problem, such as clogged earwax or repairing your device. And since hearing aids have a lifespan of three years for him to five years for him, users will eventually have to repeat this process perhaps several times, says Dr. Lin.
Some direct-to-consumer companies, like Eargo, offer extensive support services remotely, but will that satisfy most older buyers? “We hope that many audiologists will see patients, spend time testing and counseling and educating them, and not have to sell a $4,000 device.”
To help consumers navigate new territory, the Hearing Loss Association of America hint sheetWirecutter publishes useful guides to hearing aids on the market and updates them frequently. (Wirecutter is a product recommendation service owned by The New York Times Company.) hearing trackerA website published by audiologist Abram Bailey also evaluates commercially available devices.
Created last month by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health HearingNumber.org Help people determine their level of hearing loss and learn about treatment options. Currently, the assessment tool requires an Apple smartphone or tablet.
But like almost everything else related to this expected change, it will change in the coming months, said Dr. Lin.