Starkey Hearing Aids

Caveat Emptor! I am 57, and have worn hearing aids for the last 14 years. I am technologically capable. I had been very happy in Phonak for many years and had had a bad experience with Starkey in the past, but the audiologist at my new ENT convinced me that Livio was the way to go. Not so! They have been terrible, and the streaming and iPhone syncing capabilities with the Thrive app have been a joke. I bought them four weeks ago, and they’ve already been at Starkey for a week, with no improvement. I emailed the company, with no response.

Update on 03/12/2019: I sent emails to information@starkey.com and no reply. Called the 888-251-9340 and the operator had no clue when I told her about my emails. She didn’t have any idea what department handled the emails. She finally hooked me up to tech support who also no idea who handled those emails. Tech support did attempt to help but I had already tried all of the options to try correct the problems. Did advise how to send a tech problem email through the Trivent app. All these streamers Trivent and remotes are new and still technical problems. I would just like some from customer service to call me

I purchased a cross over model from Starkey 2 years ago and they have never worked right. They have been back to Starkey numerous time and come back the same way they went out. The Audiologist is stump. They keep cutting out.

On June 27, 2018 I went to Instituto Audiologico Audiotech, S.A. de C.V. en Avenida Carpinteros Sur 2099, at the corner with Blvd. Justo Sierra, Colonia Burócrata en Mexicali, Baja California en México. The technician told me that the price for the hearing aid I needed was $21,600 pesos; but, my special price would be 50% less, i.e., $10,800 pesos (about $620 USD). The technician calibrated the device which was a Starkey model 3, series RIC, sand color, for right ear, serial number 1450001256/180769830, with receptor - 3 series Ric 50 #4 d.A.G.

I have sent my hearing aids back several times in the 3 years since I purchased them. They start buzzing extremely high and just quit. The left has no hearing but I can tap on it and hear the tapping in my right ear. Weird. Also I can turn the sound down in the nonhearing left ear. The right ear has sound but can’t touch the volume control to change the hearing volume. If I start to sweat wearing the aids they quit. Guys I live in the south and you can sweat by just standing still. I spent thousands for them and looks like I’m going to be screwed again to have them repair again. Every time I send them they are never corrected probably. The sound has always been distorted. They have been a nightmare.

Spent over 6k for these top of the line Starkey IIC Hearing Aids and have had nothing but issues since day 1. It's been 1 year. Each one had to be sent back at least 5-6 times to get the fit correct, and that takes 2 weeks round trip each time. Had to have antennas removed to make fit comfortable, which in essence cut the options and functionality down. I have to go back to Audiologist for any type of sound adjustments. Normally you would be able to use an App. But they just could not get the fit right so I relented. The fit got better.

I have been wearing hearing aids for almost 20 years. For the last three, I've been wearing a pair of Z series standard BTEs and I love them. They have been the best HAs I've ever worn for comfort, sound quality and performance. I'm so pleased that I'll be getting another pair when I'm eligible next month. I have moderately severe hearing loss and tinnitus. I have no problem hearing now wherever I go, no matter what the listening environment is. I highly recommend them!

I purchased a pair of Starkey 1600s in October of 2016! It’s now October of 2018 and guess what, one doesn’t work. When the salesperson told me she couldn’t fix it, I needed to send it in for $265! Not bad after spending almost $4K for the pair and they basically lasted 2 years.

Heard a lot about this hearing aid and company representative visited. It's my feeling that their aim is to sell the machine only. Major drawback: 1. They never tell you that it's highly sensitive to ear wax. It has a very small hole and that fills up with wax and it stop working. They take it granted that at the age of 80 years there is no wax at all. 2. The battery hardly works for 3-4 days. Company rep informed 15 days. Current situation is that you need to change the battery every third day, else it's again dead. 3. Company must tell these things clearly but their aim is to sell the machine irrespective of it's useful or not. At the age of 80 years, this is not the right product and one must see its pros and cons from users and not rely upon the company representative whose aim is to sell only. In my case its just waste of money.

I am legally deaf in the high frequencies. In 7/2017, after being informed that my insurance would cover a new set of hearing aids, I asked if the technology had improved since I got my first aids 3 or so years ago. I was told yes. I replaced my over the ear Starkey aids with the "in the canal" aids. First problem: Ears get plugged up due to vacuum created when car door shuts. They made adjustments, but I still occasionally have that problem in the car, or not in the car. Second Problem: Setting #2 is for Crowds. I can't hear a person 3 feet away from me in a crowded, loud room. So I told my husband I have to avoid crowds.

I first started wearing hearing aids 6 years ago at 47. I started with Phonak absolutely no complaints. I upgraded to Starkey Z series, nice great phone options as far as having a built in mic on the hearing aid, downside was the power consumption, it needed a car battery to keep it operational. I now use the Halo 2. It's ok at best, the streaming from the phone is nice, to use the phone One must use the mic on phone while the caller is streamed to your ear. The Halo does not like heat, on hot summer days it will go into suppression making hearing impossible.

L-Z SERIES i30 RIC12d-15578784 & 15578801: I am so upset with this company. The Surflink #** that we paid $899.00 did not even work. I packaged it up and sent it back to David ** @ Starkey, AKA American Hearing Benefits with a note requesting a refund. Much to my surprise another Surflink arrived. WE DON'T WANT IT BECAUSE HIS HEARING AIDS DON'T WORK. He has only wore these for a total of 2 weeks combined since MAY 6, 2015. Looking at my invoice. It states Mfr Warranty Expires 5/13/18. Why have you never honored this. I just got off the phone @ 1-88-66-940 where a woman answered the phone. She stated you can only have a cash refund within the 1st 30 days, the other date is for repair. So Why didn't I get a refund for the Surflink that was sent back within the first 30 days?

I purchased my first hearing aids one year ago. Starkey was recommended by my audiologist for my type of lifestyle. Though they were definitely expensive, they have been absolutely wonderful. Rechargeable so I don’t need to mess with batteries, easy to clean and best hearing experience with no feedback. And... no one can even see them! Worth it in so many ways!

I bought the Halo iQ aids for 3600 bucks. After picking them up and paying the audiologist informed me that 500 bucks would be kept if I returned the aids for “professional services”. Not very professional to steal money from your “patients”. Anyway, these aids do not work much at all. The volume is a joke, the app is the same and I will definitely be returning them. Maybe just go to Miracle-Ear where most comments are favorable!

I purchased Starkey hearing aids for my mother aged 84 years through HearFones. Since day 1 my mother was not able to hear, after repeated requests the hearing aid was taken for repairs but no change. My mother is a widow with limited means and paid Rs 18000/- with great difficulty. We feel cheated and would want a refund.

I have worn hearing aids for about 20 years and never had any problems. My last pair were Phonak and are wonderful. Still after 7 years I decided to upgrade to new tech. My mistake. I paid $7000.00 for Starkey Hearing Aids that have not worked from day one. Accuquest Hearing said that they will make them work. I have been back to them every week for a year and 1/2 and they still don't work. I have finally given up, it’s too late to return them, so I will keep them as a backup, and buy a new pair of Phonak aids. Don't waste your money on Starkey aids. They’re terrible.

I'm an experienced acoustician, so my comments will be "techie". Becoming a senior citizen and then some, the need finally arose in 2015 for hearing aids, chiefly because my understanding rapid repartee in conferences and meetings became harder than ever. The Starkey RIC seemed to do the job with two disappointments:

I paid £3100 for two hearing aids. I had to change my phone to IPhone so I could use the Bluetooth facility. I was also supplied with a Sure surf box for tv. However it doesn’t work with my hearing aids! Only solution offered has been to change the hearing aids to ones compatible with the Sure surf box but to lose the use of Bluetooth with the phone! Did you not bloody know in the first place that it wouldn’t work with my hearing aids? You took my money for something that is of no use to me. The hearing aids are not all they are cracked up to be and your customer service is crap. To cap it all you ask deaf people (Your customers) to phone you despite being deaf. Are you having a laugh?

My husband bought these in Aug 2014. We decided he pay a higher price ($5,490.00) for what we thought would be quality hearing aids. They worked great for 6 months. After that it was nothing but trouble. Starkey rebuilt/replaced them at least 5 times because they were still under warranty. However they never worked properly after all repairs and replacement. Thus we are going to look at other hearing aids tomorrow (1-4-18). Stay away from these hearing aids. They are not worth the price and aggravation.

I got my first Starkey hearing Aids 4 years ago from the VA (3 series |110 mini BTE). They were great. I was so happy with them. At two years one side stopped working. The VA had it repaired. Still had problems with using the cell phone and the TV was better but not perfect. At 4 years I noticed the I had to turn them up a lot and the cell phone and TV were getting worse, so I went back to the VA with the issues thinking that they would reprogram them for me or hoping that they might give me the ones that link to the cell phone. They confirmed that my hearing had changed some, didn't like hearing that. And they said that they were giving me new ones (MUSE RIC) and the Surflink for the cell phone and TV. I was at that time happy the hear that. Well when I got them I was even happier yet as they were even better than my old ones which worked great.

I've been hard of hearing since I was 6 years old. I'm now 52 so I know more than most. I've been sold top of range hearing aids suppose to be moist resistance so they say. What a joke. Not even resistant to humidity. I would steer away from buying any products from Starkey. I've have nothing but constant repairs after repairs. I'm a professional truck driver and Starkey doesn't know how vital it is or how I rely and depend on these hearing aids. Paid up to 6 thousand that came with dryer and surf link. So pathetic. Waste of money on these useless hearing aids.

When I was diagnosed needing hearing aids in 2014, I visited several audiologists and picked one that I liked. She recommended Starkey. So I put out almost $7k for the top of line RIC aids and the Surfline unit. These hearing aids have never worked properly. They don't really improve my hearing in conversations but I get all kinds of click clack noises. I had my hearing rechecked and the hearing aids were deemed correct. The biggest issue is the part that goes in my ear. For some reason it is a BLACK plastic and I think I am allergic to it. After wearing the hearing aids for several hours my ear canals become itchy, red, and scaly. The little wire tail pops out of my ear and won't stay put. This is a very poor design and I see that Starkey has changed this part, but I was told I would have to buy a whole new pair of hearing aids to get the new little earbud. So, the hearing aids just got thrown in a drawer and I don't wear them. Wasted money, wasted effort, wasted time!

My son has worn hearing aids since age 3 so I am quite knowledgeable in the area of what to expect, features, etc. When recently diagnosed with a medical induced hearing loss, I first researched a provider that was a board certified audiologist and that offered the top known and well recognized brands. You also want to select a provider that is well versed in the brands offered so that they are very familiar with how to properly adjust your new hearing aids for your particular hearing loss.

I have a friend who let me try her Starkey Halos and I loved how they worked. I thus bought the new Halo 2 hearing aids and from day 1 I hated them as they were worse than no hearing aids as background noise was horrible. I could not hear the people I was with any better. About 10 times I went in and they reprogrammed them. Still total JUNK - they are refunding my money and I will try Audicus which has a 45 day return policy and they are a lot less money and smaller.

Granted, they are new to me... but that is one of the reasons I'm so pleased. The devices are so comfortable I hardly knew they were in my ears from the first moment. There is a "getting to know you" period when they're new, and that is what I'm doing now. You lose your hearing over a period of years, not noticing until your family starts saying, "Mom, you need to get your ears tested," but when you get hearing aids, it's a sudden change and can be a little disconcerting. I can hear my cat chewing his kibble from across the room! The hearing practice I went to was American Hearing Care in St. Augustine, FL. They couldn't have been better. The hearing test was thorough and everything was discussed afterwards. I chose the second to highest level model and it was around $5,000, but had everything I needed. The devices are tiny, and invisible and come with a 2-year warranty which includes damage and loss. I highly recommend these hearing aids.

THE WORST HEARING AIDS EVER! 2 1/2 years ago, I purchased very expensive Starkey Hearing Aids with all the bells and whistles. Recently, I had them replaced under warranty. Both, the original set and the replacements are equally bad. Whenever my audiologist tries to adjust the volume, the sound becomes sharp and harsh, and the hearing aid gives off a sound from at least 6 inches away from the ear. So, he adjusts the volume down with the result that I cannot hear people a few feet away! And forget giving someone a hug without triggering a squealing sound! Previous to these hearing aids, I used Phonak hearing aids. The sound is close to normal hearing and without all the noise on the side. If you need hearing aids, make sure you use them on a free trial basis, before plunking down $6,000.00 or more. Your hearing aid must be sound adjustable, not just for the volume! Good luck!

My mother in law purchased a set of Starkey hearing aids from Hearing Life in Viera Florida model # 17-14-100363 for approximately 4 thousand dollars (not covered by insurance) in 2015. They have never worked correctly. She had hearing test done twice and they assured her they were the right pair for her hearing. They sent back the left one when she first got them because they said something was wrong with it. To this day she can't hear anything while wearing them. She changes the batteries every day and we yell and repeat ourselves for everything we say. You can imagine how frustrating this gets to be.

I have worn hearing aids for 20+ years and these are the worst hearing aids that I have ever used. I was enticed by what seemed to be a lower cost at first, but I can definitely see that the whole "you get what you pay for" phrase really comes into play with these. It started off by them telling me these were the highest technology, after doing more research I find out that Starkey is actually pretty low technology, even in their "high" stuff.

The phone mode never worked for more than 1 word. Even when they put over 8 magnets on my phone. The auto volume was slow to turn down, if at all, to loud noise. When it did the noise would be back to normal but the aids would stay at low volume. The only way to get the volume back is to shut the aids off and restart. They have stopped working so many times that I have lost count. The last time after factory fixing they still did not work. Now 9 months later, they distort if more than 1 person talks at same time.

I have ITC hearing aids from Starkey that continue getting holes in them. Four different times. 2 times in the left side and two times on the right side. New ones were made each time and they last about two months. The holes are in the plastic casing. Paid over 5000 dollars out of pocket!!! Asked Local shop where I purchased them if they could just take a picture of the hole so I wouldn't be waiting for the new ones to be made and was told no they need to use the inside components of the old one to make new shell. This leads me to believe they have it inside circuitry probably that is heating up causing a plastic to wear and get hole. Soon my one year warranty will be done and I will be out of my money. I believe this company is aware of the problem and have not made attempts to fix it!!!