buying hearing aids online

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WELCOME TO Thinking of buying hearing aids online?

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We offer hearing aids online recommend the most suitable pair of aids accordingly in all over Australia.

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Page 1: Buying hearing aids online

WELCOME TO

Thinking of buying hearing aids

online?

Page 2: Buying hearing aids online

Bought Online - Worth the risk or not?

Uses the web to promote their hearing services and hearing aids, while providing hearing aids in a responsible face -to- face manner with a full compliment of required services.

Hearing aids aren't simply consumer products like computers, TV or radios.

They  require professional assistance to get them fitted perfectly to you loss and need adjustments now and then as your hearing changes.

When you buy a hearing aid off the internet you buy a product with no service component and hope for the best. It's like buying a computer with no internet or any software. 

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 3: Buying hearing aids online

Are you really comparing apples with apples?

Hearing aids sold over the internet are sold completely unbundled which means the price looks really low, but you also get much less for that price.

Unbundled hearing aid pricing means you pay one low price for the hearing aid and then have to pay more for the services attached to getting the hearing aid working correctly for you.

Professional intervention to be programmed correctly for your needs.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 4: Buying hearing aids online

When you buy online, you might have no or very little legal

protection

Make sure the business at least has a business registration number (BN), Australian Company Number (ACN) or Australian business number (ABN) listed somewhere on the website. If not, you might find that if it is ever time to take action to get a serious issue resolved, you don't really even know who the issue is with!

You can check if a business has one of these numbers if it is not listed on the website by visiting www.abr.gov.au and searching their name.

Not all businesses need an ABN to operate so you might wish to visit your local consumer protection website and search for their business name there.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 5: Buying hearing aids online

Each person's ears, lifestyle and health related issues are different

Hearing loss and the way it impacts on your life is a very personal and individualised condition. As such the correct hearing aid for your needs also needs to be evaluated using a very individualised approach. There's just no way someone who's never met you face-to-face can judge such vital factors as your dexterity, vision, memory or lifestyle – all of which are vitally important to successfully fitting your hearing aids.

We take great care and use the very latest face-to-face fitting and real ear verification techniques when you come to see us in our office for a hearing aid fitting. This is impossible to do when a hearing aid is supplied online, meaning you are very likely to have a less than optimal hearing aid fitting.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 6: Buying hearing aids online

Many hearing aid manufacturers don't supply to online resellers or

support online bought hearing aids Most Hearing aid manufacturers in Australia have very

stringent polices against selling hearing aids online and are unlikely to provide a warranty for them despite the online provider's promises. If they do offer any warranty, it will be much shorter (1 Year) than when locally bought (3 Years). The value of the warranty is about $200 - $300 per hearing aid per year. So when you look at online hearing aids add $400 to $600 per hearing aid to the purchase price to cover out of warranty repairs for an extra 2 years.

You can check to see if this is the case by contacting the Australian branch of the hearing aid manufacturer to see if they supply Australian versions of the product you're interested in to the online provider you're considering.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 7: Buying hearing aids online

Audiologists and Audiometrists are unlikely to support or adjust online

hearing aids

Most audiologists or audiometrists won't repair, support or adjust hearing aids you've bought online. This is because it then becomes a legal liability for them to support a heairng aid that was not fitted correctly in the first place by a qualified professional. If they do it could cost you as much as $1800 per ear. Sometime they can't even adjust the hearing aids bought online as the software and hardware to do so is not readily available in Australia or the hearing aid is not compatible with the Australian version of the fitting software. Most retailers require an invoice to show you bought the hearing aids locally. They are also able to track the origin of the hearing aids via the serial number. 

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 8: Buying hearing aids online

If you purchase hearing aids internationally you miss out on lots

of rebates Rebates that can be used towards hearing aids include

rebates from your private health insurance of up to a couple of thousand dollars in some cases. You need to speak to your own private health insurer to determine your specific benefit.

Another significant rebate is a 20% tax rebate on medical expenses exceeding the $2060 out of pocket expenses threshold. Speak to an accountant to see how this could help you. These rebates can be significant and can offset any savings to be had from buying hearing aids online, while offering the peace of mind of an Australian Warranty, the full benefit of professionally fitted hearing aids and the knowledge that you are supporting the Australian economy.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 9: Buying hearing aids online

Do you know who you are dealing with?

It's easy to make an online hearing aid business appear larger than it is by using a virtual office to handle mailing and receptionist work, so when you buy your hearing aids online that impressive looking company you bought them from may simply vanish when you need them.

When you deal with a brick-and-mortar clinic there's no doubt that you're dealing with a substantial business with actual street addresses and actual people seeing you in real offices.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 10: Buying hearing aids online

Can you verify their qualifications?

It's impossible to verify the qualifications of an "audiologist" online – you might as well be “fitted” by a receptionist in India using the manufacturer's software to calculate a highly inaccurate “average” fitting for your hearing loss.

Online companies claiming to have Australian audiologists involved should be treated with skepticism as it's a breach of Audiology Australia's ethics to supply hearing aids without face-to-face contact.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 11: Buying hearing aids online

Beware of “special software” or “web pages”

Some online providers promise “special software”, questionnaires or impressive looking web pages to help you find the best hearing aid, but a close examination shows them up as electronic smoke and mirrors. You can test this by printing out the first set of “results” then hitting the back button and completing the questionnaire again with a completely different set of responses – you'll probably be offered the same hearing aids!

No simple computer algorithm can replace the years of training, insight, experience and continued professional training you'll get from a face-to-face consultation with a certified hearing professional. Most of these websites also do not take into account test results from the latest hearing assessment techniques that we currently employ to pin point what level of technology is most suited to your hearing loss.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 12: Buying hearing aids online

Very cheap hearing aids aren't worth the asking price

Some webpages promise premium technology at low prices with the option of self programming. If you really look at these hearing aids in detail they are no better than some of the most basic hearing aids available from your local audiologist, sometimes at even lower prices locally. On top of that they do not tend to be from the best hearing aid brands at all, but rather a generic hearing aid using outdated technology.

We would also not recommend self programming as hearing loss and hearing aids are complex issues that audiologists get years of training in, and even then don't always get right. So how could you expect someone knowing next to nothing on the subject to obtain a beneficial and safe hearing aid fitting?

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 13: Buying hearing aids online

Any Issues take much longer to resolve

When dealing with an online hearing aid business, even a simple hearing aid adjustment or simple cleaning that would have taken 10 minutes in a local clinic could take two weeks in back and forth postage to get it resolved.

On top of this major inconvenience, you are also required to pay at least the postage to the company in the first place, costing you more in the long run than you might have bargained for.

If you choose a local clinic, you can often simply walk in or call for an appointment to get the majority of issues dealt with within minutes rather than weeks.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 14: Buying hearing aids online

Make sure you have enough time to return the hearing aid for a refund if

you are unhappy Some hearing aid providers might offer no or limited money

back guarantee on your hearing aid purchase if dissatisfied. You have to be careful that you are getting sufficient time to really try and get used to the hearing aids, while still allowing sufficient time to get the hearing aids back to the supplier.

We could recommend at least 45 days money back guarantee so that you have enough time to try the hearing aids, get used to them and have an opportunity to return them in time if you need to.

Value Hearing & Tinnitus Solutions actually offer 60 day money back guarantee to all our clients in order to ensure that get true benefit in the long run.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 15: Buying hearing aids online

Avoid the traps and pitfalls!

There are a lot of traps and pitfalls to buying hearing aids online and a lot of unscrupulous businesses targeting vulnerable people out there. That money saving bargain may just turn out to be one of the most frustratingly expensive purchases you've ever made.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 16: Buying hearing aids online

So what do I do if I can't afford hearing aids?

http://www.choice.com.au/Reviews-and-Tests/Food-and-Health/General-health/Conditions/Hearing-aids/Page/Hearing%20aids.aspxAsk your local hearing aid supplier if they would be willing to unbundled their hearing aid prices for you, so you can pay as you go, which spreads out the costs over time.

Value Hearing and Tinnitus Solutions strive to offer Australia's lowest prices on quality hearing aids supplied in a face-to-face manner. We'll strive to beat your written local quotes from other bricks-and-mortar suppliers.

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Page 17: Buying hearing aids online

Visit: http://www.valuehearing.com.auContact: 1300 668 510

Contact Us

E-Mail: [email protected]: Suite 7, 16 Kearns Crescent

Ardross , WA , 6153Call Us: 1800 157 429

(08) 6102 6861Website: http://www.valuehearing.com.au