ComplaintsforBetter Hearing Center, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  06/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased hearing aids on March 28 2024, after 30 days my ears started getting sore, I thought it was something I was doing, so.i made sure I cleaned my ears daily, after approx another 20 plus days the pain was so.bad I had to stop wearing them. I did see my PCP and she found no wax or other issues. I tried to return them but they said it was overc30days, I tried for 3 weeks to be reasonable, the person who placed them said it sounds like your giving up, I said the pain was so bad I couldn't take it. I received a call yesterday that they have a strict policy of 30 days no matter what. I just want to return them and get my money back.

  Business response

  06/17/2024

  I am truly sorry that ************************ is not happy with his purchase. We are willing to work with him to correct the issue but he refuses. 

  Here are some of the facts:

  1) ************************ purchased a set of hearing aids and at his 2 week follow up appointment reported that he had "no issues, loves the aids".  2) He never called us to complain about his sore ears. 3) He admits no doctor diagnosed him with ear infection, that was just HIS OPNION.  4) He knows our return policy is 30 days . 5) The provider who fit him with his new hearing aids, called him to come in for adjustments and he refused the appointment. 6) He only contacted us after 60 days of having his hearing aids to say there was a problem. 

  As with any prescription based form of treatment, often adjustments are needed when a person first gets fit with new hearing aids, glasses or other devices. We cannot make adjustments if he refuses to come in.  Their brain and ears take time to acclimate. A persons physical anatomy may plays a role in what adjustments  need to be made. Also how well a person takes care of their ears and devices when they are not in the office, may also play a role and further counseling and education may be needed. 

  My recommendation would be to have him return so we can help address his issues and move forward. He is long outside the return policy time frame and  he knows this. 

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

  I was never asked to come in" for a appointment,  I was told It sounds like you are giving up. The only response I got from better hearing is that they hold fast to their 30 return policy. I did go to.my dr, she could not find an reason for the pain.NEVER did they offer any further follow-up. 

  Business response

  06/25/2024

  To whom it may concern, It saddens me to know that anyone is unhappy with their purchase. I went into this profession to help not hurt. We do everything we can to accommodate our patients but we have to draw the line somewhere. On one occasion ************************ walked in without an appointment and wanted to be seen. Unfortunately we had a full schedule and couldn't accommodate him that day. We offered to make him an appointment for another day but he refused. The provider who fit ************************ with his hearing aids, then reached out to him via a phone call to try and rectify the situation. ************************ did not want to make an appointment to come in and make whatever adjustments needed but rather wanted a full refund. As ************************ clearly stated in his complaint, he is aware that he is outside the return date, but seems to wants us to make an exception. We have a signed contract stating we provide service to him (at no additional cost) for the next 3 years under the manufacturer warranty. If ************************ does not want to make any follow up appointments we cannot make the adjustments he needs. Just like with glasses or other custom devices, adjustments may need to be made according to the individual needs. Although he is outside the return policy we are still more than happy to work with ************************ to correct his issues and provide him with the hearing assistance that he needs for many years to come. I hope we are able to come to an understanding that allows ************************ to be satisfied and "love his hearing aids" again, as he had previously stated at his first follow up appointment after being fit.  
  Sincerely,
  *************************

  Business response

  06/25/2024

  To whom it may concern, It saddens me to know that anyone is unhappy with their purchase. I went into this profession to help not hurt. We do everything we can to accommodate our patients but we have to draw the line somewhere. On one occasion ************************ walked in without an appointment and wanted to be seen. Unfortunately we had a full schedule and couldn't accommodate him that day. We offered to make him an appointment for another day but he refused. The provider who fit ************************ with his hearing aids, then reached out to him via a phone call to try and rectify the situation. ************************ did not want to make an appointment to come in and make whatever adjustments needed but rather wanted a full refund. As ************************ clearly stated in his complaint, he is aware that he is outside the return date, but seems to wants us to make an exception. We have a signed contract stating we provide service to him (at no additional cost) for the next 3 years under the manufacturer warranty. If ************************ does not want to make any follow up appointments we cannot make the adjustments he needs. Just like with glasses or other custom devices, adjustments may need to be made according to the individual needs. Although he is outside the return policy we are still more than happy to work with ************************ to correct his issues and provide him with the hearing assistance that he needs for many years to come. I hope we are able to come to an understanding that allows ************************ to be satisfied and "love his hearing aids" again, as he had previously stated at his first follow up appointment after being fit.  
  Sincerely,
  *************************

  Customer response

  06/26/2024

  The day I walked in"without" an appointment was to return the aides. I must say that the ridgness of their postion, tells me I don't want to do business with them, the pain that these cause makes it unbearable for me to wear. I simply want to return them and get my money back. Buy the way I never said "I love them" those are their words not mine, and just like the following 20 plus days I could wear them, but after 20 days the pain becomes unbearable. 

  Business response

  07/02/2024

  Unfortunately, ************************ did not contact us to let us know he was having an issue until long after his 30 day return agreement. He self-diagnosed, assuming he had an ear infection,and went to the doctor only to find out there was no ear infection. Seeing as he felt the hearing aids were the cause of the ear infection, I am not sure why we were not contacted at that time. This would have allowed us to address the issue right away and remedy the problem.
  When he went to the doctor he reports  the doctor found NO wax, ear infection or other issues. During this time, he never reached out to us, even though he knew he had a time frame in which to return them, as documented in the purchase agreement/contract. Prior to this, on the day of his fitting and at his first follow up appointment, he seemed happy with his decision and did not report having an ear infection or any problems. At that appointment he was also introduced to an app on his phone that would allow him to stream information from his cell phone to the hearing aids, making the clarity phenomenal. Talking on the phone is especially difficult for people with hearing loss. This also seemed to make the patient happy.
  It is not a rarity that a patient needs changes and adjustments after being fit with hearing aids. As with any customized product we may need to make changes and/or adjustments to make it comfortable (physically and acoustically) for each person with their own likes and dislikes. Every individual is different including their anatomy.Some people have other issues that contribute to how things feel or sound. This is not the product but actually the individual. They may have a head cold and that could affect how things sound. This is not the product (aka hearing aid)it is the person at that point in time. When a person has fluid in their middle ear from a head cold, it will go away when the head cold/fluid goes away. It is most often temporary not permanent. If ************************ would be willing to make an appointment, there are things we can do to alleviate his issues. Had he called us when he had an issue we could have told him we probably just need to change his dome (ear piece) to a different size. If it is too big it can cause pressure, if its too loose it can fall out. A judgement in size is determined by our trained professionals and based on the feedback from the patient, at the time of the fitting. However it is only after a person has been wearing it for a while; talking, chewing and everyday life activities (according to each individual) will determine if it's going to be a good fit or not for them. Even the smallest change can make a tremendous difference in how comfortable the device is. 
  This leaves me at a point that I dont know what else I can do to make it better for ************************. If he will not come in for an appointment to make the necessary changes, there is nothing I can do. ************************ says he was never offered a follow-up appointment,this is not true. In fact, he has a 6 month follow up appointment that was scheduled at the time of his first follow up appointment (that was 2 weeks after he was fit). He would not have been scheduled for a 6 month follow up appointment if there were any issues. We would have made changes and then seen him again in 2 weeks, per our standards.
  It is clear that *********************** is well outside the return time frame (according to his signed contract he was aware of this) and a refund is not an option at this time. We are more than happy to work with him but he refuses to work with us, stating we never offered him an appointment. Although patients are given appointments,they are told they can call us anytime between appointments if they have any issues. When he walked in (the day he wanted to return the hearing aids) he was asked if he would like to make an appointment to be seen but the provider was not available at that time. He refused an appointment then as well. I believe this is a He said, she said situation. Although we cannot go back and change anything, including misunderstandings, we can only move forward. I would like to make ************************ happy but have no way of rectifying the situation if he is not willing to come in for an appointment.
  

  Customer response

  07/03/2024

  I simply want to return them and get my money back. The fact that they are unwilling to understand the pain and are holding onto an arbitrary "30days" is just plain stupid. Sometimes things take longer than 30 days to arise. I just want to return them and get my money back and be done with them.

  Business response

  07/12/2024

  Unfortunately, ************************ did not notify us that there was a problem until after 60 days, not 30. I understand he wants his money back and of course we care about his pain and any discomfort he is experiencing but we cannot address it if he does not let us know there is a problem. He chose not to contact us until long after the return policy. He says he went to the doctor for an ear infection only to find out there was NO ear infection. Once he knew it was not an ear infection, why were we not contacted until after 60 days in order to make any necessary adjustments. He says he was not offered any follow up appointments, we dispute this fact but never the less, it is in our contract that he signed; Service is provided at no cost for the first 3 years of owning his hearing aids. He was scheduled for a 6 month follow up appointment at the time of his 2 week follow up/first check appointment, after being fit with hearing aids. If he was having any issues, we would have had him come back in another 2 weeks and then move to the 6 month follow up appointment. I don't know what else to say about this. I am always willing to work with patients and even return their hearing aids when things are done in the proper time frame. I can only hope that ************************ changes his mind and allows us to provide the care he needs. 

   

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