What You Need To Know About Mail Order Hearing Aids


A recent survey done by the National Council on the Aging stated that 55% of Americans who need hearing aids cannot get them because they cannot afford them. Most health insurance companies will not cover hearing aids, which can cost upwards of thousands of dollar per ear. Until the prices come to a more humane level, what is the average American to do? Get used to the sound of silence? Not necessarily. You can try to get a pair of mail order hearing aids.

Before You Go Windows Shopping

Before you fire up the PC and type mail order hearing aids in your favorite search engine, you need to go through this checklist:

Are mail order hearing aids allowed to be sold in your state?
Have you gone to the doctor to get an accurate diagnosis as to why you are having troubles hearing? Do you have the diagnosis in writing?
Are you feeling lucky? Not all mail order hearing aids will work as well as customized (and expensive) hearing aids.

If you can answer all three questions, get your bargain-hunters hat on.

Making A Sound Choice

Before you buy mail order hearing aids, read the fine print. Know the companys return policies in advance. Some companies will give you a month or less trial period youre your mail order hearing aids. Some companies may request that you send them a copy of your doctors diagnosis for your hearing loss.

And, before you make the final selection, do a little private investigation of the mail order hearing aids company. Do their phone numbers work? Do they have problems with the Better Business Bureau? And do their ads include addresses for customer support?

Your Rights

Federal law requires that if you buy mail order hearing aids, they are to be shipped to you when the company promises and also deliver what the company promises. If you are really dissatisfied with your mail order hearing aids and cant get the issue resolved with the mail order company, you have a right to make a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

If All Else Fails
There is no 100% guarantee that your mail order hearing aids will help your hearing loss. There just hasnt been a hearing aid invented that can work for everyone even everyone with your type of hearing loss.

But you neednt toss the mail order hearing aids in disgust. You can donate them to one of many charities like the Lions Club or the Knights of Columbus that collect used hearing aids to distribute among the poor. You might be able to get a tax write-off for the donation.

Hearing Aid Assistance

Hearing aids just cant be churned out in a factory.

If at all possible, only buy used hearing aids that still come with instructions. The wires to the speaker are extremely thin and barely visible. The first made hearing aids were most likely seashells, hollowed out animal horns or tubes of bark. The digital hearing aids represent the latest and most advanced hearing aid technology and, using its computer processing power, digital hearing instruments are able to properly analyze sounds and automatically adjust for your own specific personal needs. After all, if you cant hear correctly, chances are you wont speak correctly either.

As of this writing (July 3, 2007), hearing aids cost a small fortune.
Part of the reason that explains the high cost of hearing aids is supply and demand. If you dont believe me, its called the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988. Sometimes phones and hearing aids dont match, one giving noises that cancels out the effects of another.

The first made hearing aids were most likely seashells, hollowed out animal horns or tubes of bark.
Overall, there are certain names in hearing aids that stand out when it comes to the quality of the devices and service. Should I Get A New Phone? Avoid using any type of hair styling products while wearing your hearing aids, as they can severely damage your hearing aids performance.