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Hearing Aid Purchase USA vs Mexico


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Amigos, My wife and I were just stunned by massive quotes for digital hearing aids. Costco in California priced at approx $7000 US for the two of us. the two options were Phonak Brio and Kirkland Signature 7.0. Is there a comparative option lakeside with a price we can afford? I need some dental done to, have a great doctor near Ajijic  so two birds would make for a wonderful stay. Please help us if you know of some hearing aid options.

Stan and April

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I see some devices at Costco and they are about $25,000p, or about $1330US. Not sure if they are comparable as I don't have one, just an observation.

Dr Candy Ugalde is a great dentist, next to HSBC in the shopping center opposite Walmart.

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Good hearing aids are expensive, everywhere. I should know, since my spouse and I have worn them for years.  A local audiologist is our choice:  Polo Gonzalez, who works out of an office at the Lake Chapala Society.  He can also do repairs and "tweaking" to get the fit and the sound right. Nice man; speaks excellent English. He's there on Mondays and some Saturdays. A sign up sheet is outside the office in the rear area of the grounds.

 

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The Costco gang in Texas told me that if I bought hearing aids from Costco in Mexico, then only Costco in Mexico will adjust and service the hearing aids.  Same product on both sides of the border but no after the sale help from Costco NOB.  In my search about hearing aids I did come up on a study that purports that people who are hard of hearing and do not use hearing aids will have more rapid cognitive decline than others because their brain is working overtime trying to process for their lack of hearing/comprehension.

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33 minutes ago, Kiko said:

The Costco gang in Texas told me that if I bought hearing aids from Costco in Mexico, then only Costco in Mexico will adjust and service the hearing aids.  Same product on both sides of the border but no after the sale help from Costco NOB.  In my search about hearing aids I did come up on a study that purports that people who are hard of hearing and do not use hearing aids will have more rapid cognitive decline than others because their brain is working overtime trying to process for their lack of hearing/comprehension.

I'm chuckling here.  Since when does a brain wear out from working?  Seems like it's lack of activity that brings on cognitive decline. But seriously folks, one thing has been shown to be true: people going deaf tend to withdraw from social life if they don't get hearing aids.

 

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6 minutes ago, gringal said:

 But seriously folks, one thing has been shown to be true: people going deaf tend to withdraw from social life if they don't get hearing aids.

 

My experience with not getting hearing aids is that..... their spouse gets VERY irritated. VERY.  :D

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My wife purchased new Resound brand NOB (wireless capable) for $5300 USD late last year... Costco Mx sells the same brand but probably not the wireless capable... Hearing aids are expensive.... but we get great service from our vendor if and when needed...

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I can't believe the prices I'm seeing.  A friend of mine bought some from China (Banggood or Alibaba) for just a few dollars.  Say they work as good as any he has tried.  Not Bluetooth.  Included charger etc.

I'd do a google search.  

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1 hour ago, jrm30655 said:

I can't believe the prices I'm seeing.  A friend of mine bought some from China (Banggood or Alibaba) for just a few dollars.  Say they work as good as any he has tried.  Not Bluetooth.  Included charger etc.

I'd do a google search.  

There is a product available which is just a amplifier.  It is cheap, but is a different world from a true hearing aid.  My experience:  have had various hearing aids for over 15 years: my spouse for over 30.

This is a true case of getting what you pay for. 

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3 hours ago, gringal said:

There is a product available which is just a amplifier.  It is cheap, but is a different world from a true hearing aid.  My experience:  have had various hearing aids for over 15 years: my spouse for over 30.

This is a true case of getting what you pay for. 

I have no real idea, never used one.  However, the prices for such a small item seems way out of line.

I bought a shredder at Costco for $50US that weighs 10KG, has a motor, circuit board etc.  How can something that small cost that much?  

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1 hour ago, jrm30655 said:

I have no real idea, never used one.  However, the prices for such a small item seems way out of line.

I bought a shredder at Costco for $50US that weighs 10KG, has a motor, circuit board etc.  How can something that small cost that much?  

Yeah I agree. I bought the same item and then priced a diamond and they wanted 1000 times that. How can that be?

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I, along with my sister who was here visiting, had hearing tests done at LCS.  He quoted $1400usd for 1 for me and $2800usd for my sister for 2.  Costco was half that.

 

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2 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

Yeah I agree. I bought the same item and then priced a diamond and they wanted 1000 times that. How can that be?

Apples and oranges.  God makes diamonds, men make hearing aids.

I'M an EE and know what is in a hearing aid.  Total components can't exceed $20 per side.

Just think about it.  You can buy a top of the line iPhone for half of that amount and it has a microphone, speakers, dual cameras, bluetooth, WiFi, an RF transmitter/reciever, memory and a hard drive.

I'll bet anything that you can buy the same thing somewhere else in the world for 1/10th the cost.

There's a drug. Harvoni for HepC.  Treatment is 90 tablets, one a day.  It is only made by one company and the only plant is in India.  US cost is $94,500 for 90 pills, cost in India is $1000 for 90 pills.

 

 

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I'm not an EE but I understand supply and demand. I would like to have both a hearing aid and a nice diamond for my wife. I am not willing to pay the going price for either but I am not in the least bit bothered by someone else setting the price. My choice, I don't like Big Brother sticking his nose in those things. Don't inject drugs if you don't want to get Hep C.

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On 4/11/2017 at 11:55 AM, RickS said:

My experience with not getting hearing aids is that..... their spouse gets VERY irritated. VERY.  :D

Add friends to that list of those irritated.  While I am sympathetic to those with hearing loss I do not understand why those who need hearing aids don't get them or why those who have them don't wear them.  If you know you have a hearing loss and can improve it (and afford to do so,) why wouldn't you?  And if you have hearing aids, why would you choose to not wear them in a social situation like having lunch with a friend or going to a concert?  To me it makes no sense and could even be interpreted as rude, but maybe I'm not understanding something about the use of hearing aids.

Sorry to go off topic a little but the above is based on several personal situations I have experienced and am trying to understand.

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While I am not trying to defend the failure to wear them, one would have to 'walk in those shoes' before one could understand some of the reasons. In reality, mine and everyone I've discussed this with who wears them, hearing aides are at best aggravating and at worse 'unnatural'. Even the best of them don't come close to replicating the human ear's ability to process sound. I'll leave it at that.

 

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I don't need hearing aids but I often pretend that I do.

I've found when you hit 70, it is a great excuse

I don't see things I don't want to see

I don't hear anything I don't want to hear

And I instantly "forget" anything I don't want to do

"I'm sorry at my age..........." is my favorite excuse

 

 

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9 hours ago, RickS said:

While I am not trying to defend the failure to wear them, one would have to 'walk in those shoes' before one could understand some of the reasons. In reality, mine and everyone I've discussed this with who wears them, hearing aides are at best aggravating and at worse 'unnatural'. Even the best of them don't come close to replicating the human ear's ability to process sound. I'll leave it at that.

 

Amen and they cause wax build up.  It continues to amaze me that things that are this costly are still so primitive and prone to fail.

I've had good experiences with Polo at LCS with repairs and he says he sells my hearing aids so when they finally fail, I'll check his prices first.

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To the guy who can get the same hearing aid at Costco for half the price the LCS guy quoted:  If it's exactly the same brand and model, you'd be a fool to buy them anywhere but Costco. But....I'll bet that isn't the case.

To the guy who finds them aggravating and "unnatural":  My hearing loss is hereditary.  Once, I had perfect pitch and could hear the literal pin drop.  My dad started losing his hearing in his fifties and was nearly stone deaf at 70.  He wouldn't even consider getting hearing aids.  They were "unnatural", so he naturally stopped communicating with his family and friends.  The friends drifted away.  The family felt loss.  Yes, they are "unnatural" and aggravating, so it's about priorities, isn't it? Mine dictate that I put up with the dang things and stay connected to the world.

To Jrm30655:  Thanks for the chuckle. You're really not old enough to get away with all that yet!:rolleyes:

 

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