Hearing Aids

Earlier this year I read a piece about a chap called Jamie Wells, a 26 yr old self-made millionaire who had made his fortune undercutting high street opticians with online  prescription sunglasses.

Jamie subsequently branched out and in February of this year launched Hearing Direct, an online hearing aid company that offered hearing aids from as little as £99 as compared to an average industry spend of £1,000 per device.

During the launch Jamie made the valid point that there are scammers who charge vulnerable people well over the odds for a hearing aid and mis sell as a way of life.  As James said, “It’s the equivalent to going into an old people’s home and mugging them.”

As an industry insider I can understand James’ stance but I have serious doubts about his solution.  Are hearing aids for £99 really any good? Is an online hearing test really accurate? 

James’ solution is almost as bad as the problem really, two ends of a spectrum where the primary focus is perhaps to make money rather than offer a bespoke, honest solution to a hearing impaired individual. Note: my lawyer asked me to stress the word “perhaps”.

The middle ground is, in my opinion, the best option. This involves selecting an established hearing aid company that employs qualified Hearing Aid Audiologists (yes, that is what they are called!) who spend anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes testing your hearing. Once that’s done they will be in a prime position to advise accordingly, especially once they have established your budget, lifestyle and the extent of your hearing loss.

The next question is how do you ensure that the hearing aid you are sold is fairly priced?  Well, here are two pieces of advice:

1.      Get a lowest price guarantee that ensures a hearing aid company is pricing its hearing aids as low (or lower) as anyone else in the market.

 2.      Ask for a no-strings 30-day full money back programme.

 It sounds simple and….it is!  Follow these clear guidelines and you can be assured that you are getting the very best hearing aid that is tailored to your own circumstances, hearing loss and budget.

One company that offers all the above is Natural Hearing, one of the UK’s leading hearing aid specialists.  I can recommend them. Even better, the company offers completely free hearing aid tests in the comfort of your own home.  You can book a hearing test by calling 0800 228 9865 or simply visit the company’s website at www.naturalhearing.co.uk (or Natural Hearing’s Facebook page).

Finally, Mobility Compare offers a free Hearing Aid Buyers Guide which can be downloaded by clicking here.  It’s worth reading if you are in the market for a hearing aid.  Better to be informed before you buy rather than after!