- In this video I'm
sharing what I think are the worst online hearing
aids in 2019, coming up. (bouncy jazzy music) Hi guys, Cliff Olson, Doctor of Audiology and founder of Applied Hearing
Solutions in Anthem, Arizona, and on this channel I cover a bunch of hearing-related information to help make you a
better informed consumer. So if you're in to that, make sure you hit that subscribe button. And don't forget to click the bell to receive a notification
every time I post a new video. Online hearing aid companies
seem to be popping up out of everywhere as we await the guidelines for the Over the Counter Hearing Aid Act. But until that time
there are no regulations that are preventing the sale
of online hearing amplifiers that are being marketed
as actual hearing aids. So I wanna go ahead
and cover what I think, are the five worst online
hearing aid companies in 2019. Now before you think
I'm just discriminating, against individuals who
cannot afford traditional, hearing aids, make sure
that you stay tuned towards the end of this video, where I'll explain how you can get really, low-cost hearing aids
that will outperform any of the hearing amplifiers
that you see in this video. Just as a side note, these
rankings are based on my opinion, so if you choose to entrust your brain and hearing health to
one of these companies, that is on you, just make sure that you're making an informed decision. But for now let's get in to the list of the worst online hearing aids in 2019. And coming in at number
five is MDHearingAid. MDHearingAid is probably
the most popular name of all the companies
that are on this list. They offer four different
models of devices, touting amazing features
inside of each one. But there are still a few things that I don't like about
how they do business. Number one, they do charge
less than hearing aids that you would purchase in a clinic, but they are not customizable to your hearing loss prescription. Which means that you may get some benefit but that benefit would be limited. Based on my review of their product, I believe that the
quality of their product, is significantly worse than
even a basic-level device from a more reputable manufacturer. The second thing that really irks me, is the minimum trial period. You have to keep these devices for at least 21 days before returning them for a refund or you will be
assessed a 10% return fee. And if you don't call them
to obtain an RMA number, before returning they
will dock you another, 20% for the return. This means that you have
a very small return-window and you have to follow
the exact return process or you could give up to
30% of your purchase price on a failed do-it-yourself
hearing aid experiment. On top of this, Consumer Affairs indicates that they have more one
and two star ratings than four and five star ratings. Of these low ratings most of them were due to performance and quality
issues with the products. So if you do decided to
purchase the hearing aids that you find on MDHearingAid.com, just make sure that your expectations are realistic and you
set a calendar reminder for day 21 and day 45. Otherwise, you might
not get a full refund, when you send them back. Number four on the list of
worse online hearing aids in 2019 is Hearing Assist. This is the company with
the emotional TV ad, where the father can't hear
his son say "I love you dad", even though his son
repeats it several times. Then the actor goes into
an emotional monologue where he reads off of a teleprompter, about how much hearing
loss has negatively, affected his life. Now, according to their
website they are the #1 Selling Low Cost Hearing Aid Brand, which is something that many online, hearing aid companies say. The homepage also indicates
that they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. However, looking at the Better
Business Bureau listing, they are rated as an A, not an A+. And they only have a two
star consumer rating. In addition to that, they
have eight complaints, against the company. Most of which are related to consumers, not being refunded after
returning their devices, if they didn't work. Coming in at number three are hearing aids by a company called Lumiear. LumiEar is another online company, who sells similar hearing devices to other online companies. But let's just start by clarifying that any time you see an
online hearing aid company, using hearing aids from
a different company, on their website or promotional materials, you should immediately be
cautious of that company. Here on their homepage they actually have, what appears to be a set
of Signia Silk CIC devices. Signia is a reputable
hearing aid manufacturer but LumiEar does not
sell Signia Silk devices. On top of that, the grainy stock photos of their own products that
they use on their website, scream cheap devices from China
that will likely provide you with some of the worst
sound quality possible. Now they do have two different products, the Completely In Canal and
a Receiver In Canal device. But they claim that both devices work for exactly 98% of their customers which is absolutely amazing if true. But I would suspect that
that number's inflated. The LumiCharge Lithium
battery is rechargeable, using a mini USB but I would not trust a lithium battery behind my
ear at a price point this low. You never know if it's gonna
catch your hair on fire. Coming in at number two is
a online hearing aid company that has been operating on
the fringe of the online world and that company is My Hearing Hero. And I can't even find an
official website for them. All I can find is an advertorial, where they share a story about a guy and his buddy named Ben,
who had horrible success with the expensive hearing aids. And switched to devices
from My Hearing Hero that were developed by
engineers who worked, in the space and aircraft industries. Now don't get me wrong,
engineers in those industries are probably amazing and
extremely intelligent, but that in no way qualifies them to develop hearing aid technology. And even if they are
geniuses when it comes to hearing aid technology, they may want to try and figure out how to
orient a hearing aid correctly because they use a photo of
an upside-down hearing aid, in their advertisements. Now when you go to the sales page you know that you're getting a great deal, when they offer you a bulk discount for purchasing five devices at one time. And they even offer
you a lifetime warranty for only $27.70. But hey, my bet is that this company, won't be around for very long. In fact, in a Facebook advertisement video for My Hearing Hero they state themselves that they don't believe
that they'll be around for very long. However, this does not stop them, from selling these lifetime warranties. And if you watch my channel regularly, this will not be a surprise to you. But coming in at number one for the worst, online hearing aids in 2019 is Nano Advanced Hearing Technologies. This is likely no surprise to you, if you watch my review video, where I compare the Nano CIC's to a cheap Alibaba amplifier from China. My testing revealed that
there was no difference, between these two products. I also did a follow-up
review of Nano's website, pointing out what I
believe to be all the lies about their products, from the amount of positive reviews that they have to their claims about devices working for 98.7% of people with hearing loss. And even their claims
about being the first over-the-counter hearing
aid even though the FDA, explicitly stated that
no hearing aid companies, can market over-the-counter hearing aids, until the guidelines for
OTC Hearing Aid Act of 2017, is drafted in late 2019 or 2020. Quite honestly, I can't figure out, how this company hasn't
been shut down by the FDA, or at least fined by the FTC for things that they say on their website
and in their marketing. Also, according to consumer
complaints on their Better Business Bureau listing, it appears that many people are, not actually receiving
their refunds from Nano, despite the 60 day money back guarantee. Nor are people very happy with the performance of these devices. So if you combine the
deceptive marketing tactics, the poor hearing aid performance, and an inability to get a refund. Nano is clearly at the top of the list of the worst hearing
aid companies in 2019. And unless another online
hearing aid company, really steps down their
game, I would be shocked, if Nano didn't win the
title in 2020 as well. All right guys, hopefully you enjoyed that breakdown of what
I believe to be the, worst online hearing aids in 2019. Now I made this video for one reason, and that is to prevent
you from wasting your time and money believing that
these products are the same or better than traditional hearing aids. Now if you do choose to
try one of these products, I am totally okay with that. Just keep in mind that
if you do not get benefit with one of these products
that it does not mean that you wouldn't get benefit from using a traditional hearing aid that has been fit appropriately by a hearing care professional. Now, I am sympathetic to cost concerns for those of you out there
who just cannot afford to purchase traditional hearing aids. That being said, there are a lot of different programs
out there to get you, very low-cost hearing treatment and legitimate hearing treatment with real hearing aids. Take the Starkey Hear Now
Foundation for example, and I will go ahead and link
them in the description below. But you can get two actual
hearing aids for 250 bucks and you get five office
visits with that as well with a local hearing care provider. Meaning, you can get
hearing aids that will, absolutely blow away
all of these amplifiers that I just talked about. And you actually get
professional care along with it, to ensure that you're
maximizing your performance with those devices. All right guys, there you go. Just remember, you cannot trust everything that you see and hear online. And that is especially true when it comes to online hearing aids. That's it for this video,
if you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below. If you liked the video, please share it. If you want to see other
videos just like this one, go ahead and hit that subscribe button. I'll see you next time. (upbeat music)
