From time to time, you may see hearing aids deals advertised with ‘buy one, get one (sometimes abbreviated as BOGO) FREE’. Or – ‘50% off this week only’ or other lucrative sounding enticements. If you’re thinking that this sounds too good to be true, you’re probably right. Most consumers realize “There must be a catch here!” when something sounds like it’s a really amazing bargain.
Most often, the ad is simply designed to get you through the door – so they can sell you something FAR more expensive than what was advertised – and perhaps more than you really need for your particular hearing loss. “Bait and switch” is not unknown in sales and more especially in hearing aid sales. It’s not like a grocery store where they’ll sometimes have a ‘loss leader’ – something sold at less than cost – in order to entice customers into the store where they’ll buy a whole lot of other things. How many sets of hearing aids will you buy, even if one pair is ridiculously cheap?
One local hearing aid dealer, now deceased, used to vigorously advertise on television, “I can get you the best possible hearing aid at the lowest possible price!” Think about that. What does it mean? What’s the ‘best’ and ‘lowest’? (Is the ‘best’ something bought in bulk from a factory in China at $30? Is the ‘lowest’ the $1,500 or more you might wind up paying?) It was gimmick advertising – but he sold lots of hearing aids that way, we’re sure, because people didn’t stop to think about what the words actually meant.
Don’t be fooled by advertising: if someone offers a deal that’s too good to be true, think twice. You might also consider seeing us for a ‘second opinion’.
One ‘offer’ we hear about all the time: There’s a hearing aid sales company in our area who will tell you that you need two hearing aids at a cost of $8,000. If you protest that it’s too much money, they’ll offer to lower the price to $6,000 and offer instant financing through their own finance company where you’ll pay almost as much in finance charges as you paid for the hearing aids. Oh, and because they have them right there in stock, you can walk out with them today – because they’re hoping the instant gratification will close the sale.
And did you REALLY need two hearing aids? Some of our patients actually only need one, sometimes one is all you can afford.
That’s something to consider also. As P. T. Barnum used to say, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” We could go on and on – but if you’ve been to someplace like that, talk to us about a second opinion before you go ahead. If you bought without thinking it through, remember that Maine Law gives you a 30 day return policy.
Coming to Acadia Hearing Center, you’ll find we will very likely be a LOT less expensive and we won’t try to rope you in to some high-interest financing by a company we own either. Additionally, we participate with almost all of the various insurance programs that offer a hearing AID (not just a hearing) benefit. We think you’ll be pleased that you found us.
