Starkey Hearing Aids

The rep from Starkey was very nice. I really like her, and I prefer her over any of the others that I've come in contact with. She's very professional. She seems to know how and what these hearing aids do. She knows the product really well. My hearing aids go behind my ear, and the bud goes into the ear. They made things much better because now, I can fully participate in conversations, which I could not do before. My husband has a pitch in his voice that I was able to always hear. So, I could always understand what he was saying. I would just look at him and say, "Am I supposed to be answering something here or what?" He would nudge me and say, "Oh, yeah." I'd answer. I don't have to do that anymore. As a matter of fact, when he talks, I have to turn my hearing aids down.

I've been with Starkey ever since I've had hearing problems. I went into a place here in Marble Falls that was Starkey, and I talked to the guy there and told him I had bad hearing problems. I said my dad did too. My dad bought hearing aids that stayed in the dresser drawer, and I told the guy, "I don't want to wear mine in the dresser drawer. I want to wear them." He said, "Well, I can fix you up." I have all the respect in the world for him. He got me started on Starkey, and then as I got to hearing better and technology improved, I got newer ones and newer ones. The reps are great. They call to check on me and to remind me of stuff. They're not like telemarketers. They're like normal people and they talk to me like normal people.

I hadn't been able to hear out of my right ear since 1980 and my left ear was getting worse and worse over the years. Now, I can hear well out of both ears with my Starkey hearing aids in. It's hard to tell what direction sound comes from, but I can hear it. I like the hearing aids. I was having a lot of problems with them to start with, but lately, they're doing good. I've had to send them back to the shop four times in the past two years. The battery that wouldn't last very long. Another time, the one on the right quit working. I sent them off, and they repaired them every time. The warranty took care of everything. It hadn't cost me anything.

My mother-in-law, Ruth, has very severe hearing loss and without her hearing aids, she hears nothing. You have to scream at the top of your lungs to get her. And even then, she doesn't seem to process. The hearing aids are adjusted up as high as they'll go but she still has difficulty understanding. It's a combination of reading lips and listening. Starkey has corrected her hearing as much as they can.

Starkey had a girl named Julia, and she was like a superstar. It was good dealing with her, but she's gone. They need to hunt her down and get her back ‘cause she can do anything. She’d go back there and get on the computer and reset my hearing aids. She wasn’t certified, but she knew how to do it. For two years, she got my hearing aids running a lot of times. They would quit, and she'd get them to working. She was real nice, and she stayed on top of my appointments. She would call me if I missed an appointment too.

The hearing aid performs okay but the reason I'm not wearing them as much as I should is that there is a sound that's like the wind is blowing in my ear and I don't like that, especially when I'm in the car. It's not a loud sensation but it's an interference. Also, I got the ones with the little batteries in them versus the charger. I wish I had gotten a charger because I almost never remember to pull out that battery and the battery life would last longer life if you pull it out. Other than those, it’s a nice set of hearing aids if I wear them. I hear a whole lot better.

I've had the Starkey hearing aids for three years and I have had issues with them. I go back, and they will take them, and then they will send them back and then send me new ones. But this has happened quite often with the Starkey. A couple of weeks ago, I went to them and they couldn't offer me anything that is like the ones I have when they have to take a hearing aid or both and send them back. They said, "Yeah, we'll get this fixed and we'll send it back." But these hearing aids are supposed to last six years. From the very beginning, when they started to not work and I had to send them in, it wasn't as if they would send my own back. The ones that I have in my ears right now, I have no idea how old they are. They're not my originals. I told this to them when I was there, and I'm going to tell them again when I pick it up. I'm not really a fan of this brand anymore.

I bought the hearing aids from NuSound. I had planned to buy it at this wholesale house. But NuSound told me that they would match that price, and they had a continuing service plan that for a fee, I would be provided batteries, and about every three months, I go in for earwax cleaning as far as this plan. So not only did I buy the hearing aids, but I bought a service plan. I've been very pleased for doing so. I can hear quite well with the hearing aids so I’m pleased with it.

When I went to the hearing aid place, they offered Starkey and I was impressed with the service I got. I also go in every three months, and I feel good about the adjustments. However, I might need them to be readjusted because I'm not picking up some pitches. Other than that, I like the hands-free phone. I'm talking to someone, and my phone's sitting in the other room.

Starkey's reps were good and very prompt. The only thing is having the hearing aid is funny. When I'm here in the house, once it's quiet, I don't need it. But when I go out into the world, when I do need it, it helps. It's just not nearly as good as natural hearing. Everything is good except these things are so freaking expensive. One costs like $3,400. I was wondering with the new regulations coming out on hearing aids if the prices are gonna come down.