Complaint Review: Miracle Ear - Golden Valley Minnesota

Consider the fact that the hearing aid is a highly complex mechanical device that is in a very hostile environement. Your ear canal is approximately 99 degrees, has 100% humidity, and is oily, waxy and sometimes wet.

The components of a hearing aid include very small components such as microphones, recievers, sometimes digitally computer components to interface with a PC, and wires that may have the diameter of a human hair.

As a hearing aid specialist I have fit Miracle Ear, as well as all of the top brands. Every manufacturer has the same problems. Due to the fact that the complex device is in such a difficult environement and the prosthetic is worn for an average of 16 hours per day this is to be expected.

It should be explained to the person in need of a hearing aid that regular service should be performed, self cleaning should be done daily and repairs are not uncommon. Extended warranties are available and in the case of hearing aids if you have a cerumen (wax) problem are a good investment for your hearing aids.

Considering background noise, hearing aids cannot totally eliminate background noise however as someone mentioned they can reduce low frequency babble, or white noise with the proper selection of electronics.

However your prognosis with hearing aids will depend on many factors. One of which is your ability to discriminate speech. If you have waited too long to get hearing aids, or have problems in your auditory processing center then hearing aids will not assist you much when you are in a noisy background environement.

Some of the new technology is truly amazing and hearing aids of today have little in common with hearing aids even 10 years ago. However 80% of those that could benefit from wearing them still don't for reasons that vary from denial, to self conciousness, to belief that "they don't work".
Most states have a mandatory 30 day trial period. If you think you may be a hearing aid candidate it is worth it to give them a try but do expect to deal with modifications and occasional service to these delicate highly technical devices.

In response to the article written about being mislead on background noise and hearing aids I just wanted to comment that this person is truly uneducated in the componets of hearing aids. The simplest of hearing aids can detect background noise which is a low frequency range of sound. This can and is controlled by compression. Alot of people are mislead by their own understanding of how hearing aids work and are designed.

Having ownership of a hearing aid is alot like taking care of our automobiles. They have parts and componets that need to be serviced. A hearing aid should be serviced at least 4 times a year, just as a cars oil should be changed every 3 thousand miles. It is a standard set by the manufacture. So to say that you have sent your hearing aid in twice in one year is falling a little short of what the company exspectations are. When a large company receives thousands of orders a day it is not uncommon to have a three week waiting period.

Having a hearing loss is as much of a handicap as the need for eyeglasses. If you lost or needed a repair on your eyeglasses you usually have a back up pair to get by with. Or at least it is advisable that you do. The same thing with hearing aids if you have a sever loss of hearing you should have a back up set of aids for when you are without them. What if you lost your aids? It would be dangerous for you to be without them and function in everyday life just as it would be to operate a vehicle without eyeglasses if your vision loss was sever.

Sometimes we hurt others who have a need for a product by making statements about a company that are of our own opinion made up of our own exspectations. It does not take a person 89 years to suddenly develop a hearing loss. It does however take realistic exspectations to create a hearing aid specifically for each persons hearing loss. You cannot put a time limit on being able to hear.

Mr. Stone deaf,

I really do feel sorry for your problems but it seems that too many people that have hearing problems are mis-lead. The auditory is a complicated system, but there is no switch possible to eliminate background noise. I am in the industry but my background is in audio and electronics.

I worked with professional entertainers with sound. Most of the dumm a---- that try to sell you a hearing aid are stupid. They are only telling you what they are told by the owner of the company and they are almost all on commission.

The public needs to have a realestic answer to what a hearing aid does. This needs to be done by explaining that no aid, even the digital aids do not do not do not know what background noise is. If the person is told up front on how an aid works, in a technical manner, it seems to givr them a more realestic idea of what the aid can and cannot do. Again, my heart goes out to you.

My mother has a horrible hearing loss and has had it for over 40 years.