All brands of hearing aids including, Phonak, Widex, Starkey. Oticon and Signia have parts that can fail.
When a hearing aid doesn’t sound quite right, or just stops working altogether, it can be difficult to determine what your next step should be. Usually, your hearing aid provider will teach you some at-home trouble shooting tips during your initial hearing aid fitting. These may include making sure you have fresh batteries inserted correctly and changing your wax filters. Many times, just checking these two things will greatly improve the sound of the hearing aid, however, if these fixes do not work, or you are unable to change your wax filter on your own, it is time to call your audiologist.
During a hearing aid check, there are many pieces to most hearing aids that your audiologist can easily clean or change in office. Through a process of elimination, they can also determine what part(s) of the hearing aid may be malfunctioning to better understand how to fix it. If the hearing aid is not working because of damage to an internal component, like the circuits or microphones, or if a custom hearing aid shell is damaged beyond repair, then your audiologist may determine that sending the hearing aid to the manufacturer is the best choice. There, expert technicians will test all parts of the hearing aid and replace any damaged components, or even the entire hearing aid if it is deemed necessary.
Manufacturer repairs are covered under your hearing aid warranty. Complete replacement is also covered under your loss and damage warranty and is generally subject to a replacement deductible. Although this is an out of pocket expense, it is usually significantly less than the cost purchasing a whole new hearing aid. If your hearing aid is out of warranty, your Gardner audiologist will discuss repair costs and other options with you before sending it off so that you can be sure you are making the best decision.
For instructional videos on how to clean and care for your hearing aids, including how to change wax filters, please visit our website at: gardneraudiology.com or call 1-800-277-1182.
Valerie Schiavo B.S., Gardner Audiology
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