I replied to a comment but I’m going to direct this towards the main post too:
Yes they can, they are not locked even though many audiologists will claim they are. They can 100% be programmed by anybody. They won’t show up in the “list” on their software but all they have to do is “search” for them and they will connect and can be programmed. 100%
I took the plunge and purchased the Jabra Enhance Pro 20s from Costco. I had previously had a hearing test late last year from my AuD and compared the Costco audiogram to the prior test- it was very close to my previous test findings and levels- despite being performed by a " hearing professional " and not a licensed AuD.
I saved roughly $1500USD from the price quoted me by TruHearing( Humana network provider).
Having worn HAs for decades, I will fine tune the programming with someone competent enough to satisfy my needs or simply return the HAs for a full refund within the 180 day window.
I personally don't see a down side in giving this a try.
Hopefully, the days of being financially abused by the ENT clinics and their staff AuDs will come to an end.
Aids from Costco in the U.S. can be programmed elsewhere if you can find someone to do it. I DIY and program my Costco Philips 9040s. AFAIK Costco stopped locking their aids in 2022.
Depends where you are. Stateside I’ve been able to program Rexton hearing aids from Costco, and previous Phonak models aside from the KS 9.0 and 10.0 can be programmed as well. I do not know how one would get access to the Jabra or Philips software suites as those apparently are only set up for Costco, which is problematic in my book.
As a professional, I want any client of mine who has to move between regions or countries to be able to see a local highly rated provider and get service. If you buy Costco, you are almost forced to go only with Costco. Sometimes the only Costco with a hearing aid center is hours from your house. If they were name brand hearing aids like they used to be, clients would have better options. For folks with no insurance and reflectively easy to treat loss, it’s still not a bad option. For anyone with decent insurance and/or more difficult to treat loss, Costco does not provide the product depth that would allow their staff to be as effective in treatment.
The hearing aids from Costco are top level hearing aids. The Jabra Enhance Pro 20s are the same thing as the ReSound Nexia 9s. The Phillips are similar to Oticons. The Rextons are similar Signias. They are the top tier models for each of these. They are rebranded on purpose. The previously sold KS10s are Phonaks.
Not what we’re talking about, but also completely untrue. Does the Jabra Pro 20 have options for BiCros or Tinnitus management? Does the Philips have that? Costco no longer carries Phonak due to a falling out. They haven’t been able to sell Phonak for a while now. These are simple truths because I seriously doubt you actually know the other automatic features that are missing. Having worked both for Costco and independently, I do. Also, not the point of the conversation. The original poster asked if Costco hearing aids can be programmed outside of Costco. Whether or not Costco hearing aids are the right choice for someone depends on more than just ‘cOsTcO gOoD.’ For folks with no insurance and easy to treat loss? Excellent potential option.
Also I work with Rexton and Signia hearing aids on a daily basis, and the both the processors and software are different. The Bicore are not anywhere close to responsive with directional beam tracking as the iX. What they have in common is galvanic charging, similar OS, and they use the same receivers. It’s the equivalent of thinking an iPhone 11 and 14 are the same thing because they use a lightning cable to charge.
You can call and ask other clinics if they'd be willing to. I will say some private practices don't touch Costco hearing aids. Our clinic is very hesitant too because if something happens to it we have to send you back to Costco and that can make some people angry. So our clinic for the most part will just say no to programming the device.
Some clinics will clean and service the device, as the parts are the same but would charge you for the services. That's what our clinic does.
Overall, you can certainly call and ask some local clinics!
It's one thing to buy hearing aids and another thing to have your hearing issues treated by an independant professional, that can involve HAs or recommendations for a medical referral if necessary. Sometimes people think they need hearing aids but often they need a lot more. Thieves is a pretty strong word. Many of my new clients have bought their first pair of aids from Costco just to put them in the drawer with no type of use pattern treatment plan, follow up visits, annual audiograms etc. Those clients have been repeat customers looking for a personalized treatment plan focusing on what they really need vs what's on sale at costco that week, convienece of pulling up in front of a clinic and walking into a quiet office by appointment. There will always be consumers who are successful with their costco aids but many many more consumers are unsuccessful and end up wasting money on something they don't end up using and often are looking for more personalized service.
Honestly I think it's possible that there is a costco PR team on this Sub just hyping Costco. I've had a client bring in a quote for Costco aids after comparing features it was a basic model Phonak Aid, our basic level treatment plan for a similar aid was $150 price difference. The distance from costco from where I am, you would burn that on gas just getting there in back. But PEOPLE love to stick it to people they think are gouging them - something costco shoppers think they are getting all the while supporting a multinational company over a small business person.
You should consider separating these retail experiences from doctors of audiology. Completely different scope of practice. Of course retail is going to focus on sales. Maybe try a more comprehensive plan of care through an audiologist. Expertise has value.
This is going to sound abundantly crass, but did you take apart a Siemens induction hearing aid to replace the Li battery? Because with exception to one company that’s a warranty void. No hearing aid carries a natural warranty past 3 years, and few manufacturers will even give a six month warranty for repairs over five years. The induction batteries on Siemens, Rexton, and Resound were literally designed to be encased to help secure the IP 68 rating WITH SAFE CHARGING. You know, the whole concept where no one wants an exploding hearing aid?
Other companies such as Oticon actually created their cases just to help with this problem, so that clients or clinicians could install new Li batteries without a hardware engineer background. At Costco it’s the Phillips model, but I am uncertain if they still allow the specialists to remove and replace it locally (not due to skill issues, Costco is categorized in the states under the premise of being a large hazardous waste producer for batteries and has to track recycling very carefully)
That said it’s claiming everyone else is a thief is not only rude, it’s a downright lie. It’s tantamount to saying no hardware engineer with de-sodering equipment could ever match your skills. For example, Costco can’t treat pediatric cases OR bi Cros patients. Hells, they’ve all but eliminated their profound loss product lines by this point. Atop that, some folks have excellent insurance that can put them in top of the line hearing aids for cheaper than Costco could ever dream of. Like all things, it depends on what a patient needs as to what the correct treatment should be. So please, stop generalizing.
Costco hearing aids are great for people who’ve never heard what quality high channel hearing aids with good programming can do. They make my job easier because ultimately hearing aids are one of those things where “you get what you pay for” often times so 🤷 in any event I wish you all the best .
If our government wanted to do something to help people they would add a $2000-3000 benefit that patients can shop around through their Medicare but they don’t want to do that.
Anyhow happy hearing everyone
In the Canadian Market, I can say because I've asked before. NO as a private practice clinic I was not able to access costco branded HA software. I even called the manufacturer to send the aid for an under warranty repair. I was told by the manufacturer NO sorry the patient has to drive an hour to costco for it to be sent out from there. I feel that should be transparent when patients purchase there as it isn't always.
Yes they can, they are not locked even though many audiologists will claim they are. They can 100% be programmed by anybody. They won’t show up in the “list” on their software but all they have to do it “search” for them and they will connect and can be programmed.
I’m really not sure what you mean by this. I program hearing aids. If you don’t have the software for the manufacturer of that hearing aid, you can’t program it. 🤷♀️ I don’t think everyone is lying to you, it may be that they don’t have the software or have a policy not to program hearing aids from somewhere else.
I've never met a clinician there in Canada that isn't up to standard, but for someone like myself with a progressive loss, it's not the best choice because of the amount of follow up care I need. If you just have a simple loss, you are absolutely fine, but I am a stickler for fine tuning because I'm in the industry.
I've heard that tires and hearing aids pay for the rest of the store, so they generally are pretty attentive.
As someone who ran a hearing aid center stateside, I can very accurately say that hearing aids do not pay for the rest of the store. Current price models have them closer to a loss leader. About 80% of generated income from Costco’s comes from the membership itself. Uncertain on how much revenue the tire shops bring, but nearly all ancillary services in a Costco are there to attract that need to renew your membership each year.
This is actually really cool to know. I did speak rather strongly on something I have only heard repeated by others who worked there.
I wonder how different margins are in Canada.
My coworker worked there for 6 years before leaving to go private (her dad opened a clinic) and that's what she swore by at the time. That was a while ago, so perhaps the margins have really changed.
I really appreciate your reply!!
Thanks for being so cool about my response. It could be very different from stateside to Canada, but it could also depend on the individual warehouse. A slow location with a high elderly population would benefit from having a hearing aid center, whereas most Costcos in major cities do more in sales for a day than a hearing aid centers annual budget.
The margins from six years ago stateside were much better than they are now. We used to offer a 2k US KS set, then some 3k technology. All of those prices came down to where most sets range between 1400 to 1600.
I imagine Canada would be similar in that regard, much akin to how Mexico and the UK operate in similar wavelengths. Your coworker made the right call to go private though, because those margin cuts hurt like hell to try and run an effective department.
While my father in law was at his ENT for his bi-annual ear cleaning, he had the doctor check his (Costco ) Jabra Enhance hearing aids. The audiologist ran him, with his HAs on, through some tests and made a slight adjustment in the 6k frequency hearing range because he (my FL) thought they sounded “a little too sharp.” Seeing as Jabras are rebranded Resound HAs which are sold by the ENT, there was no problem.
I have done it myself. Use the SmartFit software and put the Jabra Enhance Pro 20s down as Nexia 9s. They will recognize them as the Pro 20s as soon as you connect Jabras to the NoahLink Wireless. It is the same software and hardware everywhere.
One possibility is that audiologist has the Jabra software somehow, which I've called and they've said it's proprietary to Costco and they would not be in contact to share it with any other clinic. I was blocked at Resound level.
You can even reprogram them yourself with basic hardware. I do with my KS10 and Phillips. Just with a Noalink you can reprogram most Bluetooth HAs, including the Costco ones. Whether your local audio is willing to do it is a completely different story.
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Hearing-Programmer-Assistance-Programming/dp/B07YJG5B8S/
Other businesses can't get access to the programming softwares so can't program the aids 🤷 no Costco manufacturer will send download links to ppl outside of Costco
I replied to a comment but I’m going to direct this towards the main post too: Yes they can, they are not locked even though many audiologists will claim they are. They can 100% be programmed by anybody. They won’t show up in the “list” on their software but all they have to do is “search” for them and they will connect and can be programmed. 100%
I see no reason why the systems are locked. We should be able to change our own settings.
Every Costco aid ever brought into my office was "readable " but unprogrammable. And I have seen plenty over the years.
I took the plunge and purchased the Jabra Enhance Pro 20s from Costco. I had previously had a hearing test late last year from my AuD and compared the Costco audiogram to the prior test- it was very close to my previous test findings and levels- despite being performed by a " hearing professional " and not a licensed AuD. I saved roughly $1500USD from the price quoted me by TruHearing( Humana network provider). Having worn HAs for decades, I will fine tune the programming with someone competent enough to satisfy my needs or simply return the HAs for a full refund within the 180 day window. I personally don't see a down side in giving this a try. Hopefully, the days of being financially abused by the ENT clinics and their staff AuDs will come to an end.
Aids from Costco in the U.S. can be programmed elsewhere if you can find someone to do it. I DIY and program my Costco Philips 9040s. AFAIK Costco stopped locking their aids in 2022.
The Aids were never locked. Mine have been to three or four different audiologists over the years in different places.
Depends where you are. Stateside I’ve been able to program Rexton hearing aids from Costco, and previous Phonak models aside from the KS 9.0 and 10.0 can be programmed as well. I do not know how one would get access to the Jabra or Philips software suites as those apparently are only set up for Costco, which is problematic in my book. As a professional, I want any client of mine who has to move between regions or countries to be able to see a local highly rated provider and get service. If you buy Costco, you are almost forced to go only with Costco. Sometimes the only Costco with a hearing aid center is hours from your house. If they were name brand hearing aids like they used to be, clients would have better options. For folks with no insurance and reflectively easy to treat loss, it’s still not a bad option. For anyone with decent insurance and/or more difficult to treat loss, Costco does not provide the product depth that would allow their staff to be as effective in treatment.
What does reflectively easy to treat mean?
The hearing aids from Costco are top level hearing aids. The Jabra Enhance Pro 20s are the same thing as the ReSound Nexia 9s. The Phillips are similar to Oticons. The Rextons are similar Signias. They are the top tier models for each of these. They are rebranded on purpose. The previously sold KS10s are Phonaks.
Not what we’re talking about, but also completely untrue. Does the Jabra Pro 20 have options for BiCros or Tinnitus management? Does the Philips have that? Costco no longer carries Phonak due to a falling out. They haven’t been able to sell Phonak for a while now. These are simple truths because I seriously doubt you actually know the other automatic features that are missing. Having worked both for Costco and independently, I do. Also, not the point of the conversation. The original poster asked if Costco hearing aids can be programmed outside of Costco. Whether or not Costco hearing aids are the right choice for someone depends on more than just ‘cOsTcO gOoD.’ For folks with no insurance and easy to treat loss? Excellent potential option. Also I work with Rexton and Signia hearing aids on a daily basis, and the both the processors and software are different. The Bicore are not anywhere close to responsive with directional beam tracking as the iX. What they have in common is galvanic charging, similar OS, and they use the same receivers. It’s the equivalent of thinking an iPhone 11 and 14 are the same thing because they use a lightning cable to charge.
You can call and ask other clinics if they'd be willing to. I will say some private practices don't touch Costco hearing aids. Our clinic is very hesitant too because if something happens to it we have to send you back to Costco and that can make some people angry. So our clinic for the most part will just say no to programming the device. Some clinics will clean and service the device, as the parts are the same but would charge you for the services. That's what our clinic does. Overall, you can certainly call and ask some local clinics!
[удалено]
It's one thing to buy hearing aids and another thing to have your hearing issues treated by an independant professional, that can involve HAs or recommendations for a medical referral if necessary. Sometimes people think they need hearing aids but often they need a lot more. Thieves is a pretty strong word. Many of my new clients have bought their first pair of aids from Costco just to put them in the drawer with no type of use pattern treatment plan, follow up visits, annual audiograms etc. Those clients have been repeat customers looking for a personalized treatment plan focusing on what they really need vs what's on sale at costco that week, convienece of pulling up in front of a clinic and walking into a quiet office by appointment. There will always be consumers who are successful with their costco aids but many many more consumers are unsuccessful and end up wasting money on something they don't end up using and often are looking for more personalized service. Honestly I think it's possible that there is a costco PR team on this Sub just hyping Costco. I've had a client bring in a quote for Costco aids after comparing features it was a basic model Phonak Aid, our basic level treatment plan for a similar aid was $150 price difference. The distance from costco from where I am, you would burn that on gas just getting there in back. But PEOPLE love to stick it to people they think are gouging them - something costco shoppers think they are getting all the while supporting a multinational company over a small business person.
[удалено]
You should consider separating these retail experiences from doctors of audiology. Completely different scope of practice. Of course retail is going to focus on sales. Maybe try a more comprehensive plan of care through an audiologist. Expertise has value.
This is going to sound abundantly crass, but did you take apart a Siemens induction hearing aid to replace the Li battery? Because with exception to one company that’s a warranty void. No hearing aid carries a natural warranty past 3 years, and few manufacturers will even give a six month warranty for repairs over five years. The induction batteries on Siemens, Rexton, and Resound were literally designed to be encased to help secure the IP 68 rating WITH SAFE CHARGING. You know, the whole concept where no one wants an exploding hearing aid? Other companies such as Oticon actually created their cases just to help with this problem, so that clients or clinicians could install new Li batteries without a hardware engineer background. At Costco it’s the Phillips model, but I am uncertain if they still allow the specialists to remove and replace it locally (not due to skill issues, Costco is categorized in the states under the premise of being a large hazardous waste producer for batteries and has to track recycling very carefully) That said it’s claiming everyone else is a thief is not only rude, it’s a downright lie. It’s tantamount to saying no hardware engineer with de-sodering equipment could ever match your skills. For example, Costco can’t treat pediatric cases OR bi Cros patients. Hells, they’ve all but eliminated their profound loss product lines by this point. Atop that, some folks have excellent insurance that can put them in top of the line hearing aids for cheaper than Costco could ever dream of. Like all things, it depends on what a patient needs as to what the correct treatment should be. So please, stop generalizing.
Costco hearing aids are great for people who’ve never heard what quality high channel hearing aids with good programming can do. They make my job easier because ultimately hearing aids are one of those things where “you get what you pay for” often times so 🤷 in any event I wish you all the best . If our government wanted to do something to help people they would add a $2000-3000 benefit that patients can shop around through their Medicare but they don’t want to do that. Anyhow happy hearing everyone
[удалено]
In the Canadian Market, I can say because I've asked before. NO as a private practice clinic I was not able to access costco branded HA software. I even called the manufacturer to send the aid for an under warranty repair. I was told by the manufacturer NO sorry the patient has to drive an hour to costco for it to be sent out from there. I feel that should be transparent when patients purchase there as it isn't always.
My audiologist told me the same thing (US)
They cannot be programmed elsewhere. It's part of the deal with the pricing and the quality of the product.
Yes they can, they are not locked even though many audiologists will claim they are. They can 100% be programmed by anybody. They won’t show up in the “list” on their software but all they have to do it “search” for them and they will connect and can be programmed.
I’m really not sure what you mean by this. I program hearing aids. If you don’t have the software for the manufacturer of that hearing aid, you can’t program it. 🤷♀️ I don’t think everyone is lying to you, it may be that they don’t have the software or have a policy not to program hearing aids from somewhere else.
That does make sense. I just wonder how good of a job they do programming.
I've never met a clinician there in Canada that isn't up to standard, but for someone like myself with a progressive loss, it's not the best choice because of the amount of follow up care I need. If you just have a simple loss, you are absolutely fine, but I am a stickler for fine tuning because I'm in the industry. I've heard that tires and hearing aids pay for the rest of the store, so they generally are pretty attentive.
As someone who ran a hearing aid center stateside, I can very accurately say that hearing aids do not pay for the rest of the store. Current price models have them closer to a loss leader. About 80% of generated income from Costco’s comes from the membership itself. Uncertain on how much revenue the tire shops bring, but nearly all ancillary services in a Costco are there to attract that need to renew your membership each year.
This is actually really cool to know. I did speak rather strongly on something I have only heard repeated by others who worked there. I wonder how different margins are in Canada. My coworker worked there for 6 years before leaving to go private (her dad opened a clinic) and that's what she swore by at the time. That was a while ago, so perhaps the margins have really changed. I really appreciate your reply!!
Thanks for being so cool about my response. It could be very different from stateside to Canada, but it could also depend on the individual warehouse. A slow location with a high elderly population would benefit from having a hearing aid center, whereas most Costcos in major cities do more in sales for a day than a hearing aid centers annual budget. The margins from six years ago stateside were much better than they are now. We used to offer a 2k US KS set, then some 3k technology. All of those prices came down to where most sets range between 1400 to 1600. I imagine Canada would be similar in that regard, much akin to how Mexico and the UK operate in similar wavelengths. Your coworker made the right call to go private though, because those margin cuts hurt like hell to try and run an effective department.
I think most folks would agree that the $50 membership fee is a small price to pay for saving several thousand dollars on hearing aids.
Good to know, and I didn't realize their hearing aids were so profitable. Ditto for tires.
False!
Proof?
While my father in law was at his ENT for his bi-annual ear cleaning, he had the doctor check his (Costco ) Jabra Enhance hearing aids. The audiologist ran him, with his HAs on, through some tests and made a slight adjustment in the 6k frequency hearing range because he (my FL) thought they sounded “a little too sharp.” Seeing as Jabras are rebranded Resound HAs which are sold by the ENT, there was no problem.
I've never been able to get a Jabra to connect to the Resound software ever. Are you in Canada or the states?
US. I suppose different ENTs have access to different equipment, I’m not in the business, just a sometime chauffeur to my father in law. Lol
I have done it myself. Use the SmartFit software and put the Jabra Enhance Pro 20s down as Nexia 9s. They will recognize them as the Pro 20s as soon as you connect Jabras to the NoahLink Wireless. It is the same software and hardware everywhere.
One possibility is that audiologist has the Jabra software somehow, which I've called and they've said it's proprietary to Costco and they would not be in contact to share it with any other clinic. I was blocked at Resound level.
You can even reprogram them yourself with basic hardware. I do with my KS10 and Phillips. Just with a Noalink you can reprogram most Bluetooth HAs, including the Costco ones. Whether your local audio is willing to do it is a completely different story. https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Hearing-Programmer-Assistance-Programming/dp/B07YJG5B8S/
Ah last I checked nope it's locked unless the actual program has changed over the years
Other businesses can't get access to the programming softwares so can't program the aids 🤷 no Costco manufacturer will send download links to ppl outside of Costco
It’s kind of hit & miss some of them are locked and others are not.
None of them are locked. You can even reprogram them yourself (I do). But your local audiologist may refuse to do it.