Hearing Direct

fourcats

Has anyone had any experience of ordering hearing aids from Hearing Direct.com.They seem very helpful and the prices are amazing.

joanmul

No, I haven't, but I had a look. Prices are in sterling, so you have to allow for that. I just looked at the two most expensive - 599 & 499. They are for mild to moderate hearing loss, so they're not for severe hearing loss. My sister has age related hearing loss and she got hers from Specsavers.(As did a friend of mine, whose experience was exactly the same as my sister's.) She had researched most of the suppliers and found them to be very competitive and helpful. Also, her PRSI paid for some of it, which makes the price competitive. I doubt you could get that with a hearing aid from England. What's the story then with follow up attention if you have a problem? Hearing aids are very personal to the individual and one make might suit one person but not another, because their hearing impairment could be totally different.

fourcats

Thank you for replying to my post. I take on board what you say in relation to hearing aids being personal to each individuals use, and in a perfect world [or non ripoff Ireland] I would be happy to buy in Ireland. I was quoted €3,400 for two hearing aids, €1000 of that would be covered by my PRSI, leaving me with €2,400 still to find. On speaking to Hearing Direct and emailing them my hearing status and the type of instrument I needed [a mini] I was quoted £880 [€1022]. I spoke to the Irish audiologist who struggled to justify the huge discrepancy, mentioning free batteries for life and unlimited back up. I subsequently discovered that the hearing company and the manufacturer of the hearing aids are owned by the same company so I would have thought they could be a bit more competitive compared to the likes of Siemens but they are not. €2,400 would buy me a helluva lot of batteries and visits to a private audiologist should I need any, I know I will not be able to avail of the grant if I buy in UK. I may decide to stay with my sister in the UK and avail of the Boots Hearing Service for €100 or so more than Hearing Direct. Whatever I decide I refuse to be ripped off in this country. I received excellent dental treatment in Newry a year or so ago at half the price quoted just two hours drive away. Many thanks for your interest.

joanmul

That is very competitive indeed. Also, for your info, if you register with Hidden Hearing you can buy batteries online from them, (even if you haven't bought an aid from them), for 1 euro a packet. Saw this somewhere else on Boards. I would be interested to know what dentist you went to in Newry. Would pm me the details, please.

joanmul

Just another thought, you mentioned Boots in England. What about Boots in Newry, do they provide that service?

the_syco

fourcats wrote: »

€2,400 would buy me a helluva lot of batteries and visits to a private audiologist should I need any

Just ensure that the private audiologist looks after the hearing aids (ie; able to hook up the machine to the aid). You'll probably still need to send them back to the UK if they have a fault; something you'll need to confirm.

How did you get the got the price of the hearing aid? Did you send over your hearing chart to them? Also, which iMini are you getting?

Nikam

The cost of the "free batteries" is built into the cost of the hearing aid, its no more than a marketing ploy. I know for a fact that one of the major online companies in the U.K. have a agent in Dublin who can process your grant.