I remember when my Grandma had her first and only hearing aid fitted. She hated not only the size of it but also how it made horrible sounds when cups, pans or cutlery were rattled. She often winced, seemingly in pain every time she went to the cupboard to get something out.

My Grandma tried to avoid wearing her hearing aid, explaining as one reason, that it whistled constantly. I remember the time we all went out for a meal for her birthday, when she defiantly took it out, saying that all she could hear was the hubbub of noise from the other tables. My Dad didn’t understand the repulsion my Grandma had for her hearing aid and often suggested that she should wear it more often.

By understanding how and why hearing aids can seem to perform so badly for some people, it’s then easier to understand the reasons why they can sometimes be rejected. The truth of the matter is that people who are not motivated enough to either want to hear better or don’t feel the need to wear hearing aids, the chances are that they won’t wear them at all. Furthermore the longer their hearing loss is left unattended, the harder it becomes to reeducate and rehabilitate their brain to hearing more clearly again. The ultimate result of a refusal to wear hearing aids, is a unique form of isolation culminating to depression and exclusion from normal day to day life. The long term effects of a hearing loss have even been associated with a proportional contribution to atrophy of the brain. As they say about many things in life, “if you don’t use it, you will lose it”. 

So why are the more recently developed hearing aids any better now than they used to be?

There are many reasons why recent developments in hearing aid technology have dramatically increased the success rates of people adapting more successfully to wearing their hearing aids. The sounds contained within speech are constantly and automatically processed, cleaned, filtered and then replicated through the hearing aids, to give the most natural hearing experience than ever before. People are now even blessed with the best opportunity and the greatest ability than before to be able to hear effortlessly, even in the most demanding and noisy listening environments.

Sleek modern designs in the private hearing aids now allow hearing aids to be totally undetectable to others, when worn. Tiny Micro Processors contained within these discrete new hearing aids, now carry a greater degree of technology than was used to first put man on the moon. Hearing aids are now programmed with far greater efficiency than before by the use of applying a hearing test through the hearing aids during programming. Feed back managers within the hearing aids not only prevent hearing aids from whistling so much but also allow them to produce much clearer, than they used to. Bluetooth technology utilised in premium hearing aid brands allow the hearing aids to share information to enhance their performance. The same technology also allows the hearing aids to pair and share information from commonly used devices such as phones, TV;s, computers and MP 3 players. 

With hearing aid technology being at the heady peak that they now are, the only excuse or reason for people not wearing them is the cost.

Hearing Aids At Trade are a discount hearing aid company that can genuinely save people as much as 50% off the cost of private hearing aid care. We only provide hearing aid prices on the latest and therefore best hearing aid technology.

Call for more information on 0800 0304 542 

Unitron have launched a new range of receiver in the canal hearing aids called the Moxi Kiss. Available in 5 technology bands the Moxi Kiss hearing aids have also been given a slick new look. 

The Moxi Kiss processes sounds through the recently launched Unitron Era Platform. A new key feature called SpeechZone has been introduced into Moxi Kiss 20 Pro and 20, which is the premium bands of technology. SpeechZone allows the direction of speech to be pin pointed more accurately and more naturally by the use of binaural spatial processing.

This process also increases the ease and the ability to hear more speech in front of you when in noisier surroundings. It does this automatically and when the noise levels become quieter the directional beam opens up to allow more sounds to be heard from all other directions.

The Unitron Moxi Kiss technology bands are Moxi Pro 20, Moxi 20, Moxi 12, Moxi 6 and Moxi E as an entry level. Moxi Kiss is also available in 3 receiver sizes when more power is required for more sever losses.

For more information or to arrange a free digital demonstration, call us on 0800 0304542 

Siemens have just launched a brand new processing chip called the Micon, which on the face of it, seems to be “the bees knees of hearing aids”.

The Micon platform is currently available in 4 hearing aid designs which will in time, soon be launched into their other ranges. One of the ranges is the Micon Ace, which is a very small behind the ear model. This tiny hearing aid will especially appeal to people wanting the very best in cosmetic discretion.

The Siemens Micon hearing aids comes in 3 technology levels, Micon 7, 5 and 3.

What the Micon boasts is an ability to perform up to 250 million tasks a second, processed through it’s 48 channels. The Micon can be adjusted by the dispenser through 20 programming handles, providing sounds that stretch over an impressive bandwidth up to 12 kHz.

Something else that is new with the Micon is a tinnitus program which masks the effects of tinnitus and has four separate settings to choose from. Some of the other available features include directional speech enhancement, which filters out the annoying unwanted sounds when listening in group situations. e2e wireless contained in most of the micon models, allows the hearing aids to share information when worn as a pair. This is especially useful for localising where sounds are coming from and allows the wearer less effort to hear more clearly when listening in noise. 

 For more information on this or any other hearing aids products, call us on 0800 0304 542

Whistle blowing referees who use their whistles as a means to gain attention to their decisions during sporting events, may eventually end up with a hearing loss.  

The issue of the damages that whistle blowing could cause, all started when University professor Greg Flamme discussed the decline of the hearing levels with one of his doctoral students, after years of refereeing basketball games.

Professor Flamme explained, “We wound up having him wear a portable noise dosimeter, which measures how much noise you’ve been exposed to while he was at a basketball game, doing sports officiating,” Flamme said. “Turns out he was exposed to nearly 36 times the maximum daily dose in that one game.

A single whistle blow ranged between 104 to 116 decibels, far exceeding safe noise levels. ”I did expect the numbers to be kind of high, but I didn’t expect them to be that high,” Flamme said.

A company that manufacturers referee whistles, disagree that their whistles would cause permanent damage.

For more information call Hearing Aids At Trade on 0800 0304 542

Researchers at Essex University have created a free mobile app that turns your iPhone or iPod into a hearing aid using the phone’s microphone and a set of headphon. They say “Unlike standard hearing aids that simply amplify all sounds, the BioAid app is inspired by biology and replicates the complexities of the human ear”.

The development of BioAid, which has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Phonak, is part of a research project to influence the future of hearing aids.

The BioAid, which is available on iTunes, was developed by Professor Ray Meddis of Essex’s Department of Psychology with Nick Clark, formerly a Research Officer in the Department and Dr Wendy Lecluyse of University Campus Suffolk.

As technology and innovation moves at such great speeds, there is no doubt that some if not all of these developments will become more common in our daily lives. 

After all, who would have thought 20 years ago that devices such as satellite navigation systems would not only allow us to travel  from A-B without getting lost but that some of them could also automatically divert your route to avoid traffic jams.

For more information call us on 0800 0304 542

Action on Hearing Loss are celebrating the success of an eight year long campaign to have music made safer to listen to. As reported in February’s edition of the Action on Hearing Loss magazine, says that from this month, EU regulations will dictate that all personal music players will have a default volume limit of 85db. Warning signals will alert the user every 20 minute if they choose to listen above this level. Further more manufacturers must give clear warnings to the user on the packaging as to the destructive effects of excessive loud music.

This problem is not just isolated to the UK but is a Worldwide epidemic of neglect caused through ignorance. The effects of excessive loud noise can also cause tinnitus and it is estimated that around 4 million adolescents are putting their hearing at risk from the danger of amplified music.

Although these amplified devices will carry warnings to people, it still doesn’t prevent people from turning them up above the recommended levels.

Music made safer was written by Nicki Elworthy in the February publication of A.O.H.L.

For more information on this and other similar stories why not subscribe to A.O.H.L. by visiting there website.

Oticon Alta hearing aids at reasonable prices

Oticon have launched a brand new premium product to their already impressive portfolio of hearing aids.

It is powered by their new “Quad Core Processor” which they say provides the best ever hearing experience from an Oticon hearing aid. They have packed in some new features and also revamped their “genie” programming software.

The Oticon Alta is  available in either pro or non pro, the former having the latest must have wireless technology. This allows people to experience far better flexibility to hear, especially when listening in noise and also to stream sounds directly into your hearing aids, via their newly revamped “streamer pro”.

Hearing aids now truly support people with a hearing loss better than they have ever done before.

The Oticon ALTA comes in all styles of hearing aid including the receiver in the canal option and is also available in a range of colours to suit.

If you would like a free digital demonstration on the NEW Oticon Alta or any of the many other manufacturers latest innovative hearing solutions, please call us on 0800 0304 542   

Widex have launched their latest range of hearing aids called Widex Dream Hearing aids. Widex hearing aids have always been regarded as one of if not the leaders of the highest quality of hearing aids and their latest range is sure not to disappoint.

Widex Dream is a brand new chip and platform, designed to take hearing aids to another level. The Widex dream is available in 6 different styles and comes in 4 levels of technology but as always the premium Widex 440 dream hearing aid offers every benefit in combatting the issues for hearing when listening in noise.

The latest Widex platform of technology is designed to offer exceptional improvements in 3 important areas; more sounds, more words and more control over bespoke adjustments.

Widex claim that their latest range of hearing aids allow more sounds into the hearing aid, meaning that more sounds are heard by the user than ever before. One of the many improvements come in their feature called “audibility extender”. A person who has a profound loss to some regions of their hearing where nothing can be heard at all, the Widex audibility extender allows those unheard sounds to be moved to the lesser damaged tones where they can be heard. Although this is not a new feature from Widex, it has however been vastly improved to give more flexibility and better results.

What Widex have also launched in conjunction with their Widex Dream Hearing aids, a personalised website where customers can have all of the relevant details about their hearing securely stored and accessed by them. The new site called MY.WIDEX.COM has instructional videos to help customers get the very best from their hearing aids.   

Widex Dream hearing aids are available in four levels of technology: Dream 440, Dream 330, Dream 220 and a new entry level of Dream 110.

Currently Hearing Aids At Trade are offering a free demonstration of Widex Dream Hearing Aids.

For more information please call 0800 0304 542

Resound Verso 9 Hearing Aids £3,180 per pair

Resound Verso Hearing Aids are the latest offering from the growing number of hearing aid manufacturers taking advantage of wireless technology advancements. This technology allows the hearing aids to work together when worn as a pair to more accurately clean and filter the speech signals from noises that would normally drown out the speech.

Resound Verso hearing aids are available in all styles including the behind the ear, in the ear, receiver in the canal, remote microphone and invisible in the canal.

Resound Verso hearing aids come in two technology levels to date, the Verso 9 and the Verso 7 in order to create 2 different lifestyle and price bands. Whilst both the Verso models have 17 bands, the Resound Verso 9 has the more advanced signal processing cleaning tools for clearer speech, especially when in noise. One of the other differences between the two Verso hearing aid models is that the Resound Verso 7 hearing aids lack some of the wireless binaural features, such as Resound’s binaural directionality and improved environmental optimizer. (Not the mini morning maximizer as seen on TV)

ReSound Verso delivers outstanding sound quality with the best in feedback management.

• Delivers speech clarity in background noise especially in noisy environments like restaurants
• Reduces the chance of whistling and feedback while delivering deep, rich sound
• Preserves the sound quality of music, so that it sounds richer, fuller and more natural
• Binaural functionality makes it easy for patients to use and allows both instruments work together to adjust and optimize the settings for different listening environments
• Connect to TV, mobile phone or a microphone that is used by a companion and broadcasts sound directly to Verso hearing instruments Both instruments work together to analyze the listening environment and provide patients with outstanding sound quality

For more information please call 0800 0304 542

Hearing Aids At Trade - Offers a lot more for your money than you think

A hearing loss is totally undetectable in its early stages and only a hearing test or hearing screening can diagnose its presence.There are around 10 million people in the U.K. with some form of hearing loss and it is estimated that around 4 million of these people are unaware of it. If a hearing loss is unattended it will definitely lead to the associated affects of what we sometimes refer to as the cocktail party syndrome and will also alter the quality of life for those people affected and also the people around them. It takes an average of around an unacceptable 10 years for a person to act upon a hearing loss by actively wearing hearing aids. Probably because for 6-8 years of that time they are oblivious to any malfunction in their hearing. Around 45% of people who do attend their G.P. about issues with their hearing are NOT referred to audiology. Maybe because of the costs associated with referring patients and the lack of a “proper screening policy” is the reason but never the less it is an unacceptable situation.

What sets Hearing Aids at trade apart from it’s competitors is that all of our outlets offer everyone over the age of 50, to visit one of our many free hearing assessment centres throughout the U.K. to have a precautionary screening of their hearing.

Our free hearing screening service is backed up with a free information pack to advise and inform people of the many positive reasons and of the importance for acting on a hearing loss sooner. So when you purchase your low cost hearing aids through H.A.A.T., “ your are also helping people just like you, to be identified, diagnosed and assisted with their hearing loss far sooner than the 8-10 years it normally takes for people to act”.

We are also able to offer visits to nursing homes and Doctor Surgeries for group screenings at no charge. We can do this because it will promote our services in a more positive light than ever before.

Our assurance to every UK Nursing Home and G.P’s, is that excessive or pressurized selling tactics that have so often been historically associated with more expensive National companies is not one of our policies and will not be tolerated. (Our transparently low hearing aid prices and fair profit margins allow our dispensers to work in this way). 

For more information please call us on 0800 0304 542

Widex have won the European inventor award for their ground-breaking CAMISHA technology – a sophisticated method of manufacturing individual hearing aid shells, earmoulds and ear-pieces. They came top of a 15 strong field of finlists. 

The award was announced by the European Patent Office (EPO) at an award ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark.   

Speaking at the prestigious event, Widex CEO Jan Tøpholm said, “We are very proud to win this award, especially in competition with world renowned technologies such as Bluetooth and the heart attack diagnostic test from Roche.   

Innovation is part of our company DNA. This award underlines our role as a technology leader not only in the hearing aid industry, but as a high-tech company in general.” 

“CAMISHA technology has revolutionised the way we produce In-the-ear hearing aids and has made a huge difference for hearing aid users the world over,” he said.

CAMISHA stands for Computer Aided Manufacturing of Individual Shells for Hearing Aids. It uses laser technology to make an impression of the hearing aid user’s ear canal and turns this data into a 3D computer model. This is then used as a basis for the manufacturing of individual shells and earmoulds that fit the user’s ear canal exactly.

Widex hearing aids can be as much as 50% less from Hearing Aids at Trade, compared to some National high street branches.

Call us on 0800 0304 542 for more details or see our Widex hearing aid prices on line.

Why Hearing Aids At Trade Are Different

What sets Hearing Aids at trade apart from it’s competitors is that all of our outlets offer everyone over the age of 50 , an opportunity to visit one of our many free hearing assessment centres around the U.K. to have a precautionary screening of their hearing. Our free hearing screening service is backed up with a free information pack to advise and inform people about the positive reasons why it is important to act on a hearing loss. So when you purchase your hearing aids through H.A.A.T., “ your are also helping people just like you, to be identified, diagnosed and assisted with their hearing loss far sooner than the 8-10 years it normally takes for people to act”. We are also able to offer visits to nursing homes and for group screenings at no charge. Our assurance is to Nursing Homes is that the excessive pressure selling tactics often historically associated with more expensive companies is not one of our policies. 

Siemens are about to launch their latest addition Siemens Motion to their excel range of hearing aids, to be launched around mid September 2012. Siemens were the first to launch full wireless technology in all styles of their hearing aids, including their completely in the canal hearing aids, that are almost invisible when worn. Siemens BestSound Technology offers a whole range of features that are designed to provide improve the wearer’s ability to hear more clearly even in the most demanding of listening environments. Siemens hearing instruments even offer a VoiceLink that can stream sounds when in meetings, via the Siemens miniTek. The speaker can also talk directly into the voiceLink if preferred. The diagram opposite shows the amazing connectivity of the MiniTek and the other product it connects to.

For more information on this or any other Siemens hearing instruments call us on 0800 0304 542 

Low cost hearing aids can be bought on the Internet from as little as £30 each but can be as much as £3000 each.

Please click our approval buttons where you see them at the top of the pages to let google know you like what you see about our low cost hearing aids.

 If a £3000 hearing aid costs £3500 elsewhere, then a price of £3000, is also arguably a low cost option to the latter. The term low cost hearing aids is a very reasonable and understandable search for people to make on the Internet, especially if they are looking for a lower comparable price to one that they may have been quoted on the high street. High street hearing aids can actually cost up to £9000 for a pair. What should be realized is that there are several distinctions and comparisons that need to be made when you compare any low cost hearing aids and their prices.

The Product – Firstly any product must only be compared by like for like “Manufacturer brand” and “precise model name” only, as any other product comparison will have completely different features and benefits. One well known National company recently advertised hearing aids on television at half price but were actually selling older less effective Phonak hearing aid technology. Only the name “Spice” was omitted. Imagine the confusion and dare I say deviousness that was used in this ploy, simply to sell hearing aids.

The Company – or individual or sole trader who are supplying your low cost hearing aids should be considered carefully. If it is a shop based company, you will be paying more for their overheads but also bear in mind that it’s sometimes worth paying a bit more for peace of mind. Even low cost hearing aids come at a price.

The Manufacturer Warranty- is a vital part of your package and should be considered carefully. Some warranties are only for 2 years and some are for a maximum of 5 years. Do bear in mind that even if your dispenser is no longer around for whatever reason, the manufactures warranty is still valid. You only need to find a dispenser to carry out your after care. 

The Company Warranty- is the agreement that is supplied by the company who fit your hearing aids and that agreement may have restrictions or in some cases, an extra warranty such as insurance against accidental loss or damage included. However good these warranties seem, sometimes these insurance warranties come at an extra cost after the first year, as much as £300 a year extra. Now that’s up selling on a scale!!! 

The After Care Supplied- is probably more important part of the package and the hardest one to evaluate. If the company ceases trading then so does the after care. Promises of after care are easy to offer but living up to these promises can be harder. Low cost hearing aids are not the same as cheapest hearing aids.

Free hearing aid batteries- Hearing aid batteries actually cost around £10 to buy in for most companies. Some companies will try to make excessive extra profits from sales of their hearing aid batteries but we only charge £14.99 for 60 cells. If they are size 13 batteries, they will last 2 weeks for each battery on average. That means the cost for 1 year is around £15. So if a company offers you free hearing aid batteries, the cost to them for one year is as little as tenner. Compare what they charge extra for this kind of package if they offer alternatives.

Locality of Company – many companies are peripatetic in that they may be travelling as much as 100 miles or more to get to you. This is something that will eventually come back to bite you as these companies cannot sustain any reasonable competency in terms of after care. 

Remember, if it sounds a bit to good to be true, then there is probably a fishy catch to what is seemingly offered. Never decide there and then but take time to do a little research and avoid the disappointment that I see on a daily basis.

The “Which Report” on private hearing aids was carried out in conjunction with the former charitable body R.N.I.D. – Now known as Action on Hearing Loss. This report highlighted the need for improvements in high street dispensing standards.

Good Luck and good hunting but if you have any doubts or questions on low cost hearing aids, please call us on 0800 0304 542

Hearing Aids at Trade Will Save You Money- Here’s How We Do It  by simply removing the massive fixed overheads that National high street hearing aid companies incur. It’s not your fault but you are actually paying for these companies to spend millions of pounds each year by advertising in National newspapers and even on T.V.

Then the fixed costs have to be added to  the growing bill, which  pay for their shop costs of rent,business rates, wages for their office staff and in some cases, the very high salaries of the dispensers themselves, who are highly trained in convincing you that their high prices are down to the massive investments that the manufacturers are spending on research and development. However this reason cannot be used as an excuse because those costs are actually paid for by the manufacturers and are budgeted into their own prices that they charged to companies.

How can National companies try to justify as much as an extra £4,000 for certain hearing aid brands? If it’s not research and development costs, then the other reasons are generally their after care. Whilst it is true not to understate the importance

of after care, it is quite simple to find out what level of after care you really need. 

There is no doubt that the latest digitally manufactured micro sized engineered solutions, have never been better than before but compared to Hearing Aids at Trade the general costs of private hearing care is too expensive for what you get? 

The “Which Report” on private hearing aids was carried out in conjunction with the former charitable body R.N.I.D. – Now known as Action on Hearing Loss. This report highlighted the need for improvements in high street dispensing standards.

For more information on our low cost hearing option without compromising on the quality of product or services, call us on 0800 0304542 

The hearing aid industry as you might expect generally deals in the main with elderly people, due to the nature of a hearing loss affecting this age group more commonly. I know from my own experiences with my own family, how confusion can so easily set in later on in life. It’s a sad fact of life that unfortunately elderly people can become confused and are therefore sometimes more vulnerable and need to be treated in a diligent and responsible manner.We saw in part one of upselling that offers are not always what they seem.
If you walk down any high street, you can’t help but notice the number of “Sale” posters in the shop windows, no matter what time of the year you go. Sometimes you will see 50% offers but when you go in and look, the sale only relates to a limited number of old stock clearance items that the shop wants to get rid of. But the signs and posters splashed over their windows have actually done what they were put up there to do, which was to get you in the door.
Many lower priced hearing aid sites, such as those offered at £99 or £149 or less than £495, will always have these starting prices to get you “through the door” so to speak but what must be realised is that those lower priced products will in no way do what the higher priced products can in the way of performance. This is where the phrase ” You pay for what you get” is so true in many ways. It’s a little bit like comparing free NHS hearing aids with the private micro advanced invisible computers that go deep into the ear canal making them virtually invisible to the naked eye.
Anyway, back to the subject of up selling and as examples of this that goes on in everyday life, I remember when 40 years ago when we used to buy shoes the shoe sales person always used to ask if I wanted shoe polish. Today if you walk into a garage for petrol, they are always trying to force chocolate bar offers at you. It’s no wonder there’s an obesity problem in this country. When they ask me in a garage, I always politely say “no thank you but do you sell shoe polish?”.

So you see up selling is everywhere. You can’t escape it, I even went into the butchers a few months ago for some sausages for tea and the butcher said ” I’ve got some lovely Scottish fillet steak”, Guess what?, he didn’t have any shoe polish either.
Whilst it must be said that in life that you do generally get what you pay for, it is a shame that in a what should be a totally caring profession, the hearing aid industry is full of these so called luring sprats, that are simply advertised to get unsuspecting customers through their doors. However those customers actually believe that these cheaper solutions will do everything they want them to.
Just remember though, you can never have enough shoe polish !!!
For hearing aids at prices far cheaper than the high street that come without shoe polish, call 0800 0304 542

The “Which Report” on private hearing aids was carried out in conjunction with the former charitable body R.N.I.D. – Now known as Action on Hearing Loss. This report highlighted the need for improvements in high street dispensing standards.

However much we ignore the temptation, we never seem to learn and it’s always dare I say, our greed that drives us towards the salesman’s lure.

You wouldn’t think that you would find these luring sprats in an industry whose customers are primarily senior citizens, some of which are extremely vulnerable. But alas they are!!

The hearing aid industry is unfortunately one which has been made so confusing, that even the most intelligent of people cannot fully comprehend which information is right, behind the inventive and woolly buzz words that only add to the confusion which, pardon the fishy pun, are only a red herrings. Here are a few examples of what you will find the hearing aid market to be all about and I make no apologies to anyone for exposing some of them, that I know for sure not to be genuine.

There is an old phrase that is so true -”If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

1. The Hearing aid scrappage scheme; Whilst this seems like a very plausible offer on the surface, the question beckons, what on earth would a hearing aid company really do with someones old hearing aids? The real truth is that these companies will lead you to believe that there is a value to your old hearing aids in order to sell you new ones. Your old hearing aids might actually end up in a bin but where they should really go, is to charities such as your local Lions clubs, who I believe still collect old hearing aids and donate monies received after recycling them, to third world countries. 

2. Buy One Get One Free or Two For One; This is quite a common offer to see and is even advertised on TV, in order to make people believe that they can bag a bargain in a one of special offer. This offer in marketing terms is aimed at doing two things. Firstly to induce the potential buyer to believe that they can save a great deal of money and secondly to create what is called a call to action for the buyer to act sooner rather than later. Unfortunately unbeknownst to the buyer, the offer only applies to older hearing aid models, superseded by more efficient up to date hearing aid technology. All high street shops use this marketing ploy in one way or another. You must ask for what make and model the offer applies to and always check it out on the Internet.

2. Free Hearing Aid Giveaway- Now call me naive but if this were really true then the private hearing aid industry would surely fold altogether and we wouldn’t even need N.H.S. hearing aids, which are the only free hearing aids of any true worth. But this one, just like next one on my list, tries to work on the old sales principal that if you give something away for free, the receiver of that free gift then feels beholden to give you something back. What is seemingly clever about this one is that the people who unwittingly apply for these “free hearing aids”, are people who feel that they may need  assistance with their hearing. For any company, this is a great way of building up their data base of potential and future customers. I can guarantee you that these people will for as long as they live at the same address, be bombarded as much as 4 or 5 times a year with hearing aid literature with guess what??/…SPECIAL OFFERS!! to induce them into buying.

If you ever get the chance to see the film “The Tin Men”, watch for the bit when the aluminium house cladding salesman drops his own money on the floor, only to give it to the potential customer. The result is that this potential customer is so over joyed at the salesman’s honesty, becomes his next customer.

3. Free T.V. Amplifiers- Working on a similar principal as above ploy, this well advertised  freebies is purely and simply targeted at people who have issues with hearing their television clearly or at a level of volume too loudly for their partner, family or friends. I know for a fact that even the dispensers that work for the hearing aid companies that advertise these products, rarely even carry their freebies around with them. They are simply yet again, another fishy sprat set out to hook the buyer in order to sell them a far better solution for their problem. 

4. Up selling- This is a term that is used when a customer responds to an offer for a cheap hearing aid, perhaps advertised in newspapers at a seemingly good price that can be as little as £99. Other sprats can even include our own website, where hearing aids are advertised at starting from £495 , when truthfully H.A.A.T.’s lower cost hearing aids may well not provide the proper solution for our clients needs, depending on their lifestyle and therefore may not be suitable. After all I don’t want to be branded as a hypocrite?

The principal of these offers is that the people who respond to these adverts, are firstly in the market for help with their hearing and secondly are prepared to spend money on it too. Guess what though?, when the salesman arrives at your home or even if you attend their branch, a carefully crafted consultation and assessment of your hearing will most probably reveal that you really need something more sophisticated to reasonably deal with your hearing loss.    

Something more sophisticated will be something more expensive and that is what up selling is partly all bout. 

5. Volunteers Wanted for Free Trial- This ploy is from the U.S. but similar events do occur in the U.K. Whilst this ploy is arguably one of the more ethical ones, don’t be fooled by thinking that the aim is for you to test out their latest hearing aids. The aim is purely to show you how good the hearing aids are, so that you will love them so much that you will want to buy them. Similar past events in the U.K. have been generally held in hotels and some of these events have been known to actually turnover around £50,000 worth of sale in one day.

If you know more about these or any other fishy tales, please let us know so we can warn others before they get “caught out”.

The “Which Report” on private hearing aids was carried out in conjunction with the former charitable body R.N.I.D. – Now known as Action on Hearing Loss. This report highlighted the need for improvements in high street dispensing standards.

For more information on where to get a clear transparent pricing structure, check out our hearing aid prices or call us on 0800 0304 542 

Having 20 reasons to wear hearing aids at your fingertips to help encourage a friend or family member to act on their hearing loss might come in handy

More and more unaware people are being diagnosed with some form of hearing loss during a new hearing screening program offered by Hearing Aids at Trade. Statistics from “Action on Hearing Loss” estimate that there are as many as 4 million people in the U.K. who haven’t acted upon their hearing loss. 

What is more shocking is that most of these people are going through their daily activities, oblivious in most cases and some with hearing losses of up to 60% of a degree of damage. These people can in their own eyes, cope reasonably well and find their hearing test results hard to believe because they have lived with it for so long. More importantly because they haven’t had an opportunity to have a regular hearing check, (which really should be a matter of course like a dental check), this late diagnosis deters them further from acting positively on their hearing loss. The reason for this is that they have been left to adapt around their hearing loss, which in its earlier stages can be done quite easily. However that neglect only makes the proper solutions harder to put in place in the long run. 

Our hearing is sadly something we have all learnt to take for granted in life. Maybe a lack of education, information and awareness of the affects that a hearing loss can create is to blame. But there is no doubt that people with a hearing loss will gradually become isolated, whilst creating unnecessary stress and frustration to family and friends around them. Not having a basic and free access to regular checks on our hearing, means quite simply that those 4 million or more people have been let down. As with many things in this world, we find ourselves acting at far too late and as a consequence, providing the solution is much harder to rehabilitate to.

With this in mind, H.A.A.T. thought it would be a good idea to build a more positive case to wearing hearing aids by giving 20 fact based reasons why people should do something about their hearing loss. However providing these facts alone is not the real solution to the problem.

The real solution is to have an honest and genuine hearing screening program which is available for everyone to attend, without them feeling pressured to act and by being gently nudged, rather than is the case today with so many companies, by being pushed and in some cases bullied to act.

The reason for this unfortunately may well be that the emphasis to sell, sell, sell is being drilled into the R.H.A.D. on a daily basis by the company that they work for. Another unfortunate fact is that premium BRANDED hearing aids cost on average between £5- £7,500 from National High Street hearing aid companies. With such high prices and with so much money at stake, it is no wonder that the “factor of greed” can quite often influence what should be the right and proper thing to do.

1. Research suggests that in the majority of cases, wearing Hearing aids can slow down the degeneration of a hearing loss compared to people who have a hearing loss and do not wear hearing aids.
2. Wearing Hearing aids sooner rather than later can give you a much better opportunity to rehabilitate to previously missing sounds.
3. Research has shown in most cases that there is a reduction of the effects of tinnitus whilst wearing Hearing aids .
4. In nearly all cases, wearing Hearing aids can help people to hear better when listening in back ground noise.
5. Hearing aids can help to prevent “auditory deprivation” or the wiping of the brains memory bank of sounds.
6. Wearing Hearing aids generally allows others to watch T.V. with you at a more comfortable and acceptable volume.
7. People who wear hearing aids later than advised generally find it harder to get on with them.
8. Hearing aids are a lot more discreet than people realise and some styles are almost undetectable to others when worn.
9. When discussing the idea of having Hearing aids with someone who wont accept their problem causes unnecessary stress to all concerned.
10. Wearing Hearing aids as soon as possible, when a hearing loss is detected will give a greater chance of success.
11. Wearing Hearing aids reduces the embarrassment of asking others to repeat themselves.
12. Hearing aids can make listening to music much more enjoyable.
13. When in noisy environments it can be very tiring trying to hear conversation. With the advanced technology available today Hearing aids do most of the work by filtering background noise, thus making it easier to hear conversation.
14. Wearing Hearing aids reduces the need to see other peoples face or trying to lip read to understand conversation.
15. Hearing aids can assist a person’s hearing loss on a one to one basis with people who in their eyes speak softly.
16. Hearing aids can improve the quality of a person’s life and give a person renewed self confidence by providing better hearing.
17. When worn, Hearing aids prevent isolation that people with a hearing loss eventually feel.
18. The technology of Hearing aids has improved immensely and when fitted correctly will not whistle to the degree they did 5 years or so ago.
19. Hearing aids being worn for the first time by a user is more often an unselfish decision made for the good of those around them who also suffer through frustration.
20. Hearing aid devices can improve listening to friends whilst using the telephone and more modern products can even allow people to connect to blue tooth compatible devices such as phones, televisions, mp3 players and lap top computers.
    
    
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Marvel Comics Create Hearing Aids Wearing Super Hero. 

A hearing aids wearing super hero has been created by comic giants Marvel.

The mother of a 4 year old boy who was born with multiple chromosomal abnormalities, one of which that caused a hearing loss, wrote to Marvel Comics because he wouldn’t wear his hearing aid.

As a result Marvel comics created a super hero who wore a hearing aid so that he could hear people in distress. Marvel sent her Hawkeye, a fine superhero who actually lost 80 percent of his hearing.

But this didn’t seem like enough. So the company’s artists then sent Anthony a drawing of a totally new superhero: Blue Ear. Anthony Smith who can ony hear from his left side, wears one hearing aid which he calls “Blue Ear” just like the new Marvel Comic hero. Now Anthony just wants to help people with his special listening device, thanks to Marvel Comics. His mother, Christina D’Allesandro said that her son’s life had been totally altered thanks to the newly created character from Marvel Comics. 

Marvel Comics Create Hearing Aids Wearing Super Hero is  true story 

If you have any warming stories, please call us on 0800 0304 542 

South Yorkshire Hearing Aid News

Local pub footballer Craig Beech who plays for the Mason Arms in South Yorkshire was ordered off the football field during a match by the referee for wearing hearing aids. Craig who has been hard of hearing since a child, had played more than 120 matches and never had a problem until the game against local rivals The Pewter Pot was halted as while the Masons Arms were losing 1-0.

Craig said  “My teammates were pretty angry and upset. I didn’t want to do anything to make it worse but they argued my point and even the other team said they were okay with it.”.

Mr Beech even offered to cover the hearing aids with a waterproof band that he uses when it is raining. Despite this the referee refused to allow the match to carry on unless Mr Beech either removed the hearing aids or left the pitch. Mr Beech said “If the ref blows and I don’t hear it, I might carry on and go in for a tackle someone is not expecting. Players even wear electronic tags on the pitch now and they are also more dangerous because they are really hard. And one of the opposition was wearing a tag”
His loyal team mates all left the pitch together in support of the decision and the match was abandoned. A report to the F.A. is being considered and no comment would be made by them until the mater had been discussed in full.

For advice on your hearing needs call us today on 0800 0304 542  

What is Hearing Aid Aftercare? And Why is it so Important?

The term “hearing aid aftercare”, falls into 3 different groups, in terms of whom it is important to and then to why it is important. In terms of whom, there are actually three groups of individuals that after care is vital for, namely (1) the hearing aid user, (2) the hearing aid dispenser/company and (3) the hearing aid manufacturer.

The Hearing aid dispenser or the company 

For the hearing aid dispenser the main reason for providing proper aftercare is primarily to provide the best available customer satisfaction. For the hearing aid dispensers the customers satisfaction will bring rewards to the hearing aid dispensers and the company that they represent in the form of more business. That business will come initially from the end user that they provide good after care to in the form of repeat business and also in their recommendations from those happy customers. In short by “doing the right job” in the right way can only increase their business.

The Customer

Great hearing aid aftercare is vital for the customer as it allows the hearing aids to be constantly reprogrammed over the years to enable the hearing aids to deal with the ever changing hearing loss. Simple after care can reap dividends as small but necessary maintenance such as cleaning the microphones and re-tubing the hearing aids. A blocked microphone port can prevent the sounds entering the hearing aid and hence reduce performance drastically. This is also so of the receiver outlet that can get blocked by dead skin and wax, causing a reduction in the hearing aid’s performance. Re-tubing hearing aids is a necessary job also because blockages in the tubing will prevent sounds entering the ear. Moisture issues are also a problem as the presence of moisture will drastically affect the quality what is finally heard through the hearing aids. That is why it is important to store your hearing aids in a dry place at night to discourage moisture from causing problems to your hearing aids. A hearing loss is a slow progressive deteriorative loss, which in other words means that the hearing aids will need to be continuously adjusted to compensate for the slow worsening that occurs. Each year, as a minimum guideline, hearing aids will need to be reprogrammed by your hearing aid dispenser to compensate for the loss. This will allow the performance of your hearing aids to be working at their optimum. A failure to have this basic service applied will only cause disappointment for the customer.

The Manufacturer

Manufacturers of hearing aids are constantly investing in research for better and newer developments and have done so for years. With the introduction of digital hearing aids, ongoing research has brought literally hundreds of new strategies and designs in their hearing aid models. There is no doubt what so ever that these developments can now produce far higher levels of satisfaction to the customer than ever before. However this all comes at a cost and what customers don’t realise is that the book price cost for one premium hearing aid is £1000. That figure may well be discounted depending on the number of hearing aid units that the company buys in a year. The danger of such discounts is that the independent dispenser may only sell that single manufacturers hearing aids, in order to maximise their profits and by doing so, will lose their true in-dependency. The hearing aids then have to be fitted and looked after, which then adds yet more costs to an already expensive product. 

The company supplying the hearing aids will then have their own overheads and running costs in terms of rent, rates, staffing, advertising, transport, wages and taxes. As costs grow and add up, it can be reasonable to see why hearing aids can cost so much. Some companies will even sell hearing aids and not provide any after care at all, especially if they have provided too low a cost to adequately cover all these costs. 

The object of any business should be to grow and any growth will be quicker when the provision of after care is dealt with correctly. Substandard after care will only lead to a substandard business that will not grow as a result. 

The “Which Report” on private hearing aids was carried out in conjunction with the former charitable body R.N.I.D. – Now known as Action on Hearing Loss. This report highlighted the need for improvements in high street dispensing standards.

For more information or to be put in touch with hearing aid dispensers that care, call us on 0800 0304 542