Hearing Aid Compatibility: Next deadline fast approaching; TV ...

Fareham, UK. To ensure that hearing aid users are provided with compatible wireless devices, the US Federal Communications Commission demands that digital wireless phones which are manufactured or imported for ...

[Joe]

The link states that Zounds Hearing aids are $2500 a piece. Actually they are $1999 for the pair. With remote control and hearing aid charging station. The noise cancellation makes it the most amazing hearing aid I have ever owned!!!

Joe Tomlinson

[Consumer]

Ask Zounds about how they give kickbacks to doctors to refer their patients...

Their website says that their technology is the greatest thing sinc sliced bread, but they have no proof. No clinical research. When you call them, they say all of that information is "confidential". Sounds a little fishy to me...

I'd prefer to stick with a company that has been around longer than a month...

Joe wrote:

The link states that Zounds Hearing aids are $2500 a piece. Actually they are $1999 for the pair. With remote control and hearing aid charging station. The noise cancellation makes it the most amazing hearing aid I have ever owned!!!
Joe Tomlinson

[FGR]

Just purchased a set Zounds hearing aids, they are as clear as can be. I have been a hearing user for 22 years. Zounds is a great product at a very low cost.
FGr
Scottsdale, Az

[carol]

Im an aid user for 10 years and the background noise on mine is horible. But Im a little leary of zounds. What kind of guarantee do they give you

[Thomas]

The ad from my Sunday paper states that they will refund your money within 30 days and there is NO re-stocking fee. 100% risk free.
Have you been to www.zoundshearing.com ?

[Bob8954]

Replaced a set of analog aids with a pair of Zounds two months ago. I am very pleased with their performance. BTW the rechargeable batteries will be replaced free by the Zounds shop when they go bad (about 2 years I was told). The only pricely item is the plugs for the ear canal. I am not getting much more than a week from one.

[Rick]

I purchased the Zounds hearing aids 2 weeks ago tomorrow. Day 3,the right link broke off in my ear. Day 5, left hearing aid stops working. Day 7, both hearings aids replaced. Day 9, right link breaks off in ear again. Day 10, call Zounds rep, requested full refund, told to come to store on day 13. Day 13, arrived at store, advised that representaive had left, and by the way, they couldn't refund my money, I had to go to the doctor's office where I was tested to get my refund. I'll never recommend or do business with this company again.

[Tony]

Zounds hearing aids are finally working out the bugs out of the products. They have a one size fits all attitude. Every ear canal is different. Zounds treats their employees very badly. They work them more than 40 hours a week, no overtime, work 6 or more days in a row. They are having a hard time keeping good employees and will be a problem down the road. There has been a big change in the company with the C.E.O and founder Sam has recently been removed and hopefully will be able to regain its sales. Millions of dollars has been pumped into he company and I think the company might be under by Christmas. Therefore, your warranty will be null and void, as the company will be out of business.

[JGMagoo]

carol wrote:

Im an aid user for 10 years and the background noise on mine is horible. But Im a little leary of zounds. What kind of guarantee do they give you

I just bought a pair and the performance is FANTASTIC! The remote controll is amazing and very handy. The fact that they are re-chargable and never need batteries is great.

They come with a 2-year warranty and a 30-day 100% free-trial period.

The sound is very clear and NO feedback.

[HBD]

Insider Comment, Part 1

The problem with Zounds is that all of the technlogy described on the Zounds website is nothing new. The directional microphone technology was developed in the 1960s and continues to be upgraded. Most hearing aids are now digital, so let's not be amazed by this little claim. The multi-frequency analysis has been around since the 1980s, although continuously improved. The same goes for remote controls, rechargeable batteries, and just about everything else they promised. The difference is that they are being offered by companies that are much more stable and established than Zounds--Phonak, Siemens, Starkey, Widex, ReSound, Oticon, Unitron--and many others. Zounds is being backed by industry outsiders and investors who have been sold a bill of goods, and when the profits DON'T start rolling in the company will likely fold.

This is because the Zounds concept of a delivery system is nothing new. Have you heard of products and companies like Decibel, Whisper 2000, or Crystal Ear? How about Songbird, which had even been backed by outside powerhouse Johnson & Johnson? All of them produced quick-fit products like Zounds, and pretty much all of them are now irrelavent non-entities today. Zounds is just the most current incarnation. We've seen these big promises before, but the phrases "let the buyer beware" and "if it sounds too good to be true..." always come to mind when I see them. There is a lot more to successfully helping the hearing impaired than technology. Otherwise, KMart or WalMart would have perfected it years ago.

The truth is, success lies in the hands of the audiologist or hearing instrument specialist. Nobody in my industry will dispute what I'm about to say: it doesn't matter how technologically advanced the hearing aid is if the fitter doesn't know what they are doing or doesn't care about the success of the patient. Therefore greatest place where we can improve results for paients is in good training of the professionals fitting them. This can't be accomplished with a quick-fit device since counseling and follow-up services are important for EVERY patient. Treating hearing loss should be more like physical therapy than selling a product. THAT is where the emphasis should be placed.

Regarding how hearing aids look--ANY hearing aid--who are we kidding. The Zounds MicroBTEs look like most other manufacturers microBTEs (in fact, to me it looks like a Siemens case!). The in-the-ear products look like every other quick-fit product I've seen in that category. They don't look ugly to me--they look cheap. For the $1000+ price being charged, I would expect more. But to be honest, who really cares? If it's in the ear, it's not going to be very visible anyhow, so what does it matter. And as for aesthetics, there is only so much you can do with one cubic centimeter worth of material. I've found that only with microBTEs can you do much for aesthetics--like the Phonak Audeo or the Oticon Delta (check out the funky new color option for the forthcoming Phonak Naida! Zebra stripes even!).
And, despite Heather Whitestone, who is deaf, becoming Miss America in the 1990s, most of the people I see are NOT running for a beauty contest and care less about what the hearing aids look like and more about how well they work. My experience however, is that "one size fits all" doesn't work well (as seen in the aforementioned Crystal Ear, Soungbird, etc.), so the comfort claims of the foam tip are unlikely to pan out; they've been around for a while, so the implication that Zounds has come up with a miracle solution is a bit ludicrous. BTE hearing aids could be fit with these, but they are not good long-term solutions, so most hearing professionals recommend a custom-fit earmold. And we don't do it for the money (there's hardly any mark-up on them for the time we put in)--we do it to make the fitting successful.
Let the buyer beware...

[Just some advise]

This sounds like a very angery dealer who is scared because of what zounds has to offer. Dealers knows that they are charging way too much for hearing aids anyway. Here is a company who wants to give the hard working American people there monies worth and people seem to have a proble with it. You know that if Zounds can charge $999 for the same technology that other dealers are charging $2500 for there has to be something to it.
I would encourage anyone with a hearing problem to at least try the product before they make a decision on it. What do you have to loose. I know that not many Americans can stand to loose a couple Thousand dollars.

[Jack Starkman]

I purchased a Zounds hearing aid in late Jan. 2008 for $1299 in Florida. It is far superior to the GNResounds unit that I was using for 3 years, before it stopped working. They were honest in telling me that they would not sell me an aid for one ear, where the hearing was too poor to be helped by their present products.
Wearing this Zounds BTE model, I don't even know it is in my ear. I like having the remote to make changes when I need to. Charging the hearing aid every night beats having to change batteries and hoping I don't break the battery door. I had my old aid repaired and sometimes use it to watch the late night news, but it is so uncomfortable with that mold pressing in my ear, that I hate to use it. The Zounds model uses a soft sleeve to fit in the ear. I kept my first one for 31 days before changing it and even then it had no wax or dirt. I have a 2-year warranty and while it's possible that the company could go out of business, I really don't think so. Recommended my best friend to Zounds and he bough 2 aids (still on 30-day trial), but he is extremely pleased with them and will keep them. His old hearing aids lie in a drawer because he can't get satisfactory hearing with them and that was after spending $3600 for a name brand and numerous visits to the audiologist.
I would recommend Zounds for anyone to try, knowing that you have a 30-day or more return period, with full refund. Our location is in a shopping mall, so the hours are convenient for just about anyone.

[Bryant]

Tony wrote:

Zounds treats their employees very badly. They work them more than 40 hours a week, no overtime, work 6 or more days in a row. They are having a hard time keeping good employees and will be a problem down the road.

Wow - some strong opinions - sounds like you have inside information. Are you familiar with someone who has worked there?

[Chris K]

I would say that "Tony" missed the mark, as it is now March, and they are still in business. I am 59, and have had a mild hearing loss from too many rock concerts in the 60's & 70's, and jet engine noise in the AF. I've had several audiology tests recently. The local newspaper (Az Republic) has scads of advertisements for "special hearing aid" sales every weekend. These are from "licensed, professional hearing centers representing brands like the Oticon Delta, Rhapsody, Widex, and a multitude of others. All of them professing to deliver top of the line digital aids. I have had examinations by several of these clinics, and the end result was pretty much the same. After a "discount" or "2 for 1" sales, the cost out the door for 2 aids was $3600-4000 (minimum).
Although the 2 Zounds stores here are 27miles from my house, I'll go there instead of a doctor's office, or clinic, where other services are provided. Then, if I don't like what I hear, they go back directly to the company that made & distributed them.
Guess I'll find out, my wife is getting tired of me saying "Huh?" all the time.

[Lynn]

I am thinking about purchasing 2 Zounds but was quoted a price of $2399. Is this correct?

Joe wrote:

The link states that Zounds Hearing aids are $2500 a piece. Actually they are $1999 for the pair. With remote control and hearing aid charging station. The noise cancellation makes it the most amazing hearing aid I have ever owned!!!
Joe Tomlinson

[AudioAdvice]

Never underestimate a good Audiologist! Zounds does not have a full time Au D.Doctor on site during all business hours. So when you need counseling, who is going to do that! I guess the girl behind the counter? My dad went there and they were slick in their sales pitch, so he decided not to go back. Luckily he found and made an appointment with a real Audiologist and he got all of his questions answered and has really nice Starkey hearing aids from a doctor who has been in practice for over 25 years!For the price, don't mess around. Also the 30 day trial is state law in Florida, they have to give that to you! I don't know about you but I would rather go to the Audiologist! It is common sense! Good luck Zounds

[Happy Zoundser]

I purchased a pair of Zounds in March 2008 in Florida and have had no trouble whatsoever. They are rocket-science ahead of the standard ear-blockers which I have used until now. Very happy.

[KGM]

I fail to see why the negative reactions to a new, lower cost, and if we are lucky industry changing product. The are not that much different than the aids put out by the biggies.

First, they told me that all testing is done by a licensed audiologist, so there may not be one on site full time, but how is that different than the place that fit my current aid...half the time I try to set up an appointment the Audiologist is not there. Perhaps they save money not developing some fancy "tri-pilot automatic sound processing program" that I find just messes things up.

Second, it is well known the technology piece of a hearing aid costs no more than the cost of a good blue tooth headset to produce which can be purchased for 50 bucks or less. I would not be surprised that this company can sell this product for 2399 a pair and still make a profit.

Third, the product is programmable just like every other digital aid on the market and many of the "biggies" are going to some sort of soft dome instant fit option...for example my Phonak Micropower came with a silicon dome tip.....I used it before they gave me a custom mold and after a few days I had them put the soft dome tip back in, no real difference to me except the soft dome was more comfortable ..so not everyone must have a custom mold.

So if these were available in Michigan...I would give them a try...30 days for me to decide...

[Battery tech]

Happy Zoundser wrote:

I purchased a pair of Zounds in March 2008 in Florida and have had no trouble whatsoever. They are rocket-science ahead of the standard ear-blockers which I have used until now. Very happy.

Having problems yet? You will. Everyone will who buys them will. And thier contact covers the fact they know about the problem. The truth of the matter is the product fails, but they have a great system to program the aids correctly. The magority of specialist dont know what they are doing. They pretend to know, and some are able to convince you to buy. Other brands are more expensive, but fit properly, and negotiation with others can get you about the same price as Z. I would not buy these aids I know they will fail in about 2-3 months. Sorry

[old hearing aid user]

I can find testimonials for all hearings saying they are the best thing since sliced bread. The question for me is service. I am not buying a toaster; I am buying a prosthetic device much like an artificial arm, dentures or a wheel chair. I want service and the "retail model" does not work for me.

I have been wearing hearing aids for twenty years and I have had the "spongy" aids before. Not the best fit. I prefer the more custom fit. I never had a problem with the "hard plastic" that was molded to my ear. To use the same logic Zounds uses why not go by spongy dentures?

I am sure that some love Zounds but it seems from the POV of an old hearing aid user that Zounds was designed to compete against the aids I wore 10 years ago.