I recently solved a problem for a female hearing aid user who is new to St. Petersburg. She found me with a Google search when one of her Unitron hearing aids that she bought up north failed. Unitron is not a familiar brand to most consumers but it is a good hearing aid. I have an account with them and was able to support her.
Her dilemma is typical. She had a problem with a brand of hearing aid that she bought from an out of town provider. She moved and now needs support. What if you move after purchasing hearing aids? What if you don’t like the people who support you? Can you get convenient service for your brand of hearing aid wherever you choose to go?
My answer to that is yes, if you follow a couple of guidelines. Focus your purchase on several noteworthy worldwide brands of hearing aids. They include my favorite, Starkey (largest U.S. manufacturer), Siemens, Oticon, Widex, and Phonak. Stick with these brand names and you will most likely get support for your aids in most any major town in the United States. I have accounts with all of them and, like most independent audiologists, I can service those brands.
Hearing aid retail chains such as Miracle Ear, Audibel, Beltone, and other private label brands are decent hearing aids that are built by the major manufacturers. The problem is that those private labeled aids aids are only supported by them. For instance; you can only get an Audibel hearing aid repaired from Audibel even though it is built by Starkey. You are stuck with Audibel.
I personally favor Starkey brand hearing aids because they are centered in the U.S. and have over 50 U.S. patents for low maintenance features. Most all independent hearing aid dispenser in the U.S. have an account with Starkey.
